[Turing_Machine]

Likewise the indication (if any) on a sheet-fed scanner tray that tells you whether to put the paper in face up or face down.

I've taken to just writing instructions to myself on that type of thing with a sharpie, using actual text, and/or an actual diagram. It works well with the usual beige plastic. If it's black, I usually put it on a small piece of paper and tape it somewhere it won't interfere with the operation.

Not everything has to be an icon. IMO, bad icons are far worse than no icons.

[SoftTalker]

> bad icons are far worse than no icons

Yes. Cars used to have words like "OIL" or "TEMP" or "BRAKE" or "SEAT BELT" in the dashboad warning lights. That switched to icons, probably as a cost-savings so they could use the same parts worldwide. But at a cost in clarity.

Now that most new car dashboards have programmable LCD displays or at least a message area, better/more descriptive fault descriptions have returned.

[dheera]

They also picked really bad designs for the icons. The flat tire warning looks like a boiling cauldron. Even I could have designed a 10X better icon.

[Ancapistani]

I’ve always thought it looked… well, obscene.