Private/Privatefrom button icons

[Eric]

EDIT: Yes, I'm that jerk who keeps moving the goalposts every time you try to vote. It's called brainstorming 😉

 

I am working on potential mechanics for in-post private content, identical in concept to what exists in OGMW. For those of you who haven't used them (much), PRIVATE allows you to specify users who can see the content, while PRIVATEFROM allows you to specify users who cannot see the content. Staff and game leaders are able to see all such content (excepting staff who are playing in a game as a member).

 

To that end, I'd like your opinions on the button icons for the Baldr editor. Here are a few options to vote among. There's also an option for Other so you can suggest alternate icons or combinations.

 

1. User-plus for Private; User-minus  for Privatefrom
2. Key for Private; Shield for Privatefrom
3. User-secret for Private; User-lock for Privatefrom
4. Handshake for Private; Handshake-slash for Privatefrom
5. Users for Private; Users-slash for Privatefrom

[Shocker]

Both  the second and third options look great, but the secret agent in option 3 is wonderfully melodramatic so i had to choose that one. The first option is not suitably intuitive in my opinion.

[Eric]

@Djacob91 @Powderhorn @Laird Ichofox @bwatford @SirLoganofGilead @Shocker @Draidden @Dybrar - I added a fourth option after you voted, so alerting you in case you want to peruse and potentially change your vote.

[Eric]

And now added a fifth option.

 

For reference, the thought process behind the newer additions is along the same lines as option 1 -- once you figure out one of the buttons, the other one's function becomes intuitive because the icon is the opposite. As cool as secret agent dude is, I don't have his good twin.

[Eric]

Here's a representation of each option at button scale:

	Private	Privatefrom
1
2
3
4
5

 

[OzzyKP]

The secret agent is cool, but isn't clear when reduced in scale.  I voted for "something else".  How about padlock+ and padlock- ?

 

 

I think a padlock, as a symbol, is fairly clear and related to the function.  Also, I'd prefer having a + and - instead of entirely different icons since it unifies the two ways to do private.  Like it'd be confusing to have one icon to quote someone and another icon to quote multiple people.  There should, of course, be a distinction between them, but it should be clear that they are two versions of the same function.

Edited December 12, 2022 by OzzyKP (see edit history)

[Eric]

Riffing on @OzzyKP's suggestion, here are mockups of plus and minus locks at button scale: 

 

[bwatford]

Locks seem more like for "locking" or "unlocking" a post than a private section thing.

I think an eye and an eye with a slash through it might represent it better.

 

[X51]

I think Option 1 is the most fitting of the current options. I also think Bwatford's idea is good, amd would probably be a bit more clear.

 

How do you envision the basic application in the editor? Would clicking the button create a field that lets you then enter users in one section, and the secret content in another, sorta like the spoiler boxes? Or would it bring up a dialogue box like the table button that you then fill out?

[Eric]