A nice story on iconography
What I learnt is that standards and context are critical for clear communications and developing shared meaning
“In the 1930s and '40s, the NFPA developed criteria for emergency-exit signage, evaluating contrast levels and testing different sizes and stroke widths for lettering, eventually publishing standards.”
Standards have been used for a long time to deliver accessible, useful, and usable content and communications
“In international hotels, he argues, it's not so difficult to decipher the word exit written in an alien language or even in an alien script. That's because in our efforts to decipher signs, we don't rely entirely on the sign itself. We take architectural cues from the sign's location: Is it at the end of a corridor? Is it near a door? We also look for indications of its significance: Is it illuminated? Is it in danger red or safety green? As a result, Solomon said, he had no trouble understanding an exit sign in Arabic that he spotted at a hotel in Egypt.”
It is the same with well placed user interaction components. Placing a control close to input or function it drives provides contextual meaning. Semantic standards based code ensures this is provided for multiple modes of use