[jasontsui]

1. Users notoriously have no idea what they want. Surveys may not be the best method to determine the effectiveness of an icon because youre asking the user to predict their future behavior (which most are happy to do, confidently). The only way to test an icons effectiveness, is to test icons in a real world environment.

2. We hear this story every time Apple releases a product, when Google updates Gmail, when Facebook gave us Newsfeed. An instant gut reaction to change is not indicative of long term success or failure. People "hating" the icons is meaningless - they havent even been released yet. Change is good, its what drives our ambitions forward. Don't survey people and let the results scare you into stagnating.

3. http://observatory.designobserver.com/feature/graphic-design...

[general_failure]

> Users notoriously have no idea what they want

This quote is used out of context all the time. Please, I know what I want and so do most people around me. Say that people cannot predict their future and that's fine by me. But don't generalize that to your first line.