Name and Icons

[Lorin Ledger <LLedger -at- NEWHORIZON -dot- CA>]

Thanks to all who replied regarding names and Icons. I received a lot of
replies -- you folks are awesome. Here is a summary:

Names:
- Hold a competition.
- Hire a consultant.
- Hold meetings, finding the value of the product, and translate that
into a name.
- Make sure the name hasn't been taken.

One long reply suggested we follow this process:
"We try to get our clients to commit to the following process which (in
various
shapes) has proved to work well in various scenarios over the last five
years
(all stages must be well-documented):

1. Product ID statement (one, max two sentences)
    - who is the intended target group?
    - what does the product do for this group?
    - what is the main benefit for the customer vis-a-vis the
competition?
(how's your product different AND better?)
    - in which way does it provide this benefit (i.e., simpler, faster,
integrated, cheaper, more reliable....)
2. Naming objective (usually an easy word that expresses the Product ID
perfectly)
3. Brainstorming
4. Sorting process
5. Three selected candidates for name
6. Trademark process (will usually knock out one or two candidates)"

Some suggested a few names, for which I am thankful. The owner hasn't
liked one suggestion, so we are just giving the product a generic name
for now -- The NHT HR & PR System (yech).

Icons.

Not as much volume on this, but some good suggestions:

- use the windows standard if one exists (e.g., a disk for Save).
- find icons on the net.
- hire an artist
- test the icons (give choices of icons for an instruction)
- do not use a delete icon (make the process difficult by making the
user access a menu item)
- cancel should be a circular arrow.
- if use a delete icon, use an "X".

Again, thanks to all who put some thought into my question and replied.
You folks are awesome!

Lorin


_____________________________
Lorin C. Ledger
Technical Writer, New Horizon Technologies
lledger -at- newhorizon -dot- ca
Voice: (250) 712-9515 Ext. 507
Fax: (250) 712-9516
_____________________________

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