Label activity bar icons so we can tell what they are

[adamzea]

I keep forgetting what all of the sidebar icons mean. It would be so much easier if they were labeled with words that I can read and instantly know what they do without having to waste time hovering a mouse over each icon in order to show tooltips that describe their functions. This would increase cognitive ease and let me spend my cognitive energy doing more important things like programming. Labels should be visible by default with the option to remove labels for people want more sidebar density and have extra cognitive energy to spend on memorizing sidebar icons.

The advantages of this user interface design convention is well researched & documented.

• Yes, icons need text labels
• The Importance Of Labels
• The best icon is a text label
• Icon usability
• Do icons need labels?
• The Obvious UI is Often the Best UI

[daviddossett]

@adamzea to clarify, is this about tabs in the secondary sidebar as described in #155126?

[adamzea]

@adamzea to clarify, is this about tabs in the secondary sidebar as described in #155126?

No, it's about the sidebar on the side. It looks like below.

Here's an example of a sidebar that doesn't require as much cognitive energy for learning or memorization and thus is easier to use (at least for people who can read):

[daviddossett]

Got it, thanks. We're exploring this already as part of #115641. I'll be looking at tying this to a "comfortable" density mode rather than forcing it as the default.

[adamzea]

Got it, thanks. We're exploring this already as part of #115641. I'll be looking at tying this to a "comfortable" density mode rather than forcing it as the default.

Oh! I see! Yes, I like that mockup much better. I would vote for that to be the default, but a right click menu item for "hide labels" would probably satisfy the users looking for a higher density.... and now I realize that this sidebar is really called the "Activity Bar" so I apologize for getting it wrong and not being more specific in the first post.

[daviddossett]

If we were starting from scratch, I'd probably agree that it should be the default. The challenge with these kinds of things is that we end up upsetting many(!) people by changing their UI all of a sudden. At least that's the case with changes as visible as this one.

That said, I do like the idea for right clicking to hide since we have precedent for doing so with badges.

I'll actually be exploring density mode ideas this month so I'll reference this issue when I start 👍

[eric-g-97477]

I would love to see this feature implemented as well. With so many items in the bar, it is always difficult finding what I need.

[willsheppard]

I want this too, anything which can reduce the cognitive load is important.