The Problem
Existing icon libraries do not fit the unique needs of Progressive Leasing and are often not tested for effectiveness.
Research
I began by breaking down every characteristic of an icon that would need to be designed. This included characteristics like corner radius, stroke cap, stroke weight, and more.
Audit
I then audited how several companies are using iconography, and analyzed the aforementioned characteristics to determine an icon's intended tone.
Iteration
Progressive Leasing's brand book defines the product's voice as concise, friendly, and conversational, so I began to iterate on icon concepts that evoked those characteristics. I chose four icons that represented the 4 keylines that would be used to design the rest of the icons.
Final Attributes
We settled on these attributes for Progressive Leasing's system icons. These icons are a combination of a characteristics that we felt best evoked our defined product voice. The minimal linework conveys conciseness, the round stroke caps are friendlier than butt caps. and the icon's round exterior corner radius and 1.5 px radius give them a more conversational silhouette.
Testing
With our characteristics defined, I began building the icon library. We started quantitatively testing 10 icons at a time, modeling ours after a similar test performed at a university. We typically tested between 300-400 users by presenting them with an icon and eight randomly selected possible definitions. Based on the ISO standard, if 66% of users could correctly identify the icon, it was considered acceptable and recognizable.
Iteration
For many icons, it was necessary for several metaphors to be tested before one achieved an acceptable score. Even established metaphors, like those used by Google's material icons, often did not meet the ISO standard of an acceptable icon.
Final Library
We recently completed V1 of the library, with plans to expand on existing icons and testing.
