axbom’s Twitter Archive—№ 35,672

Struggling with an icon (as one does). The struggle here is that the check mark is common for "ok/ready/done". In Sweden it has historically been used to mark wrong answers on tests. The opposite, really. So now I need more understanding on how big of a conflict this really is.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 168 Retweets ❤️ 457 Favorites 2021 Sep 14 Mood -7 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
Not looking for help Twitter guidance, just sharing a struggle that has roots in cultural differences where a small country is also heavily influenced by the culture of a bigger country with differing mental models. Reminds me of my dissertation on translation in fiction.
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 46 Favorites 2021 Sep 14 Mood 0

…in reply to @axbom
Rabbit hole. Here we go: In Sweden, correct answers were traditionally marked with an "R" for "Rätt". In Finland, ✓ often stands for väärin, i.e., "wrong", due to its similarity to a slanted v.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 4 Retweets ❤️ 36 Favorites 2021 Sep 14 Mood -1 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
In Japan, the O mark is used instead of the check mark, and the X or ✓ mark are commonly used for wrong. Also known as Marujirushi (丸印) in Japan and Gongpyo (공표(공標), ball mark) in Korea, the symbols "◯" or "⭕" are used to represent affirmation in East Asia.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 6 Retweets ❤️ 40 Favorites 2021 Sep 14 Mood +1 🙂

…in reply to @axbom
In the Netherlands a 'V' is used to show that things are missing while the flourish of approval (or krul) is used for approving a section or sum. Today I learned about "the flourish of approval"!
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 8 Retweets ❤️ 69 Favorites 2021 Sep 14 Mood +2 🙂

…in reply to @axbom
The plot thickens. There is a symbol called "dele" or "deleatur". It is eerily similar to the Dutch "krul" (flourish of approval). But, the "dele" – as the name implies – means that something is marked for deletion. So actually not approved. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dele
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 4 Retweets ❤️ 24 Favorites 2021 Sep 14 Mood 0

…in reply to @axbom
Here's a photo showing the Dutch "krul", or "goedkeuringskrul" as the long name appears to be, being used to grade student work. For questions 9 and 10 you can see how a check mark is used to indicate a wrong answer. blogs.transparent.com/dutch/files/2019/05/dictee-goedkeuringskrul-test.jpg
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 5 Retweets ❤️ 28 Favorites 2021 Sep 14 Mood -2 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
A picture of a graded Swedish assignment would look extremely similar. The difference is that the "krul" would be a cursive "R". Which also is not far from how the krul looks, as has been pointed out by others. The check mark for wrong answers would be exactly the same.
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 12 Favorites 2021 Sep 14 Mood -2 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
If you speak Swedish, "godkeuringskrul" could be translated as "godkännandekrull" or "godkännandekringla". An approval 'curl' or 'squiggle'.
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 15 Favorites 2021 Sep 14 Mood +2 🙂

…in reply to @axbom
This piqued some interest so I’ll summarize where I am right now. The icon I was working on is related to healtchare and at-home-testing kits for covid 19. An icon would follow between physical and digital objects to indicate to the person they’re in the right place.
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 12 Favorites 2021 Sep 15 Mood -1 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
Because of constraints it necessarily has to be small. There is a proposed icon for the testing kit itself. To indicate that it is ready for pickup, the idea was to add a checkmark.
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 7 Favorites 2021 Sep 15 Mood 0

…in reply to @axbom
I would not have worried much about this had I not been aware that a significant number of users will be elderly and internet novices. The people who, I hypothesize, are most likely to associate the check mark with ”wrong”.
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 17 Favorites 2021 Sep 15 Mood -2 🙁

…in reply to @axbom
Given this risk, and the fact that there is not enough time to do reliable research, I am wary of adding the check mark. An alternative may be the letters ”OK”.
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 16 Favorites 2021 Sep 15 Mood 0

…in reply to @axbom
As this will be used on printed instructions accompanying each testing kit, it’s not an easy change post-decision. But this insight provided by alundbergh actually proved really helpful. A checkmark in a box, rather than standalone, carries more meaning. alundbergh/1437827757992550407?s=20
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 17 Favorites 2021 Sep 15 Mood +3 🙂

…in reply to @axbom
In short, I am not ready to finalize the icon. I have a few more days. I will try and remember to follow up here. :) But learning more about right/wrong indicators in different cultures will definitely come in useful in many situations ahead.
On twitter.com ❤️ 27 Favorites 2021 Sep 15 Mood 0

…in reply to @axbom
Love how people are sharing their culture-specific symbols in this thread: J_Schalin/1438190738001518596
Permalink On twitter.com ♻️ 1 Retweets ❤️ 13 Favorites 2021 Sep 16 Mood +3 🙂

…in reply to @axbom
The “OK” hand gesture (👌) has been mentioned in the comments. The Wikipedia page on it is worth your time to understand how sensitive and offensive it can be. axbom/1440538718465523715
Permalink On twitter.com ❤️ 1 Favorite 2021 Sep 22 Mood +2 🙂