ISO IEC 11581-10-2010 PDF

Full title and description

Information technology — User interface icons — Part 10: Framework and general guidance. This International Standard provides a high-level framework and practical guidance for the creation, use and registration of user-interface icons across multiple rendition modalities (graphics, gesture, audio, tactile/haptics and combinations), emphasising icons as interaction objects within their contextual user‑interface environments.

Abstract

ISO/IEC 11581-10:2010 recognises that icons are more than static symbols: they are interaction objects used by interfaces to accomplish functions and may be rendered in different forms to support accessibility and multi‑modal interaction. The document gives requirements and recommendations for icon design and use, addresses relationships between icons and other rendered UI elements, and provides a basis for future parts of the 11581 series and for icon registries.

General information

• Status: Published (version reviewed and confirmed in 2024; remains current).
• Publication date: December 2010 (Edition 1, 2010-12).
• Publisher: Joint ISO/IEC standard (developed under ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 35).
• ICS / categories: 35.240.20 (Information technology — User interfaces and symbols).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2010).
• Number of pages: 22.

Scope

This part of ISO/IEC 11581 provides guidance for designers, developers and organisations creating or using user‑interface icons. It establishes a framework for standardising icon‑related information (including metadata for icon registries), sets out requirements and recommendations for icon sets and their consistency, and covers icon renditions across visual, auditory, tactile and gesture modalities. The work is intended to support accessibility, interoperability and future extension of the 11581 series.

Key topics and requirements

• Definition of icons as interaction objects and treatment of icons in context (not as isolated pictograms).
• Guidance on multi‑modal renditions (graphics, gesture, audio, tactile/haptics) to improve accessibility.
• Requirements and recommendations for consistency within icon sets and across UI elements.
• Framework for specifying icon metadata (name, description, function) to support registries and reuse.
• Design considerations for discoverability, recognisability and functional association.
• Principles for relating icons to other rendered elements and for documenting intended behaviour and constraints.

Typical use and users

Primary users include user‑interface designers, interaction designers, software developers, accessibility specialists, product managers, standards developers and organisations operating or curating icon registries. The standard is used when defining icon families, producing cross‑platform icon specifications, documenting icon metadata for registries, and establishing consistency and accessibility practices across products.

Related standards

ISO/IEC 11581-10 is part of the broader ISO/IEC 11581 series on user interface icons. Related parts and documents include ISO/IEC TR 11581-1:2011 (overview/introduction to the series), and earlier parts addressing object, action and other icon types (for example Parts 2 and 6). More recent related parts (for example Part 7) provide additional, specialised icon sets and guidance. These related documents help implementers map the framework in Part 10 to concrete icon sets and submission formats.

Keywords

user interface icons; icon framework; icon registries; icon metadata; accessibility; multi‑modal icons; user‑interface symbols; consistency; ISO/IEC 11581.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/IEC 11581-10:2010 is Part 10 of the ISO/IEC 11581 series; it provides a framework and general guidance for user‑interface icons, treating icons as interaction objects and defining how icon information should be structured for design, use and registry purposes.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers high‑level principles, requirements and recommendations for icon design and use (including multi‑modal renditions such as visual, audio, gesture and tactile/haptics), guidance on context and consistency, and a framework for documenting icon metadata for registries.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: UI and interaction designers, developers, accessibility specialists, product teams, standards authors and registry maintainers use it to ensure icons are consistent, accessible and documented for reuse across products and platforms.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The edition was published in December 2010 (Edition 1) and the ISO record shows the publication was reviewed and confirmed in 2024, so this version remains current as the confirmed publication.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO/IEC 11581 is a multipart series on user interface icons; Part 10 provides the framework, while other parts define particular icon types, examples and submission information (see ISO/IEC TR 11581-1:2011 for an overview).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: User interface icons, icon framework, icon metadata, icon registries, accessibility, multi‑modal icons, ISO/IEC 11581.