Hi all
For icon views in your openion as a user, which is better? Reusing the beadboard view for parts, or having one like
Open to all to discuss
Depends on the part. If there is a reasonable, recognizable, simplified, generic image for the part, use that. Using the breadboard image works when that is ‘unique’. Though I would generally prefer simplified versions for the icon. The scale use for icons means a lot of detail is lost anyway. Your example, with the simplified icon is better than using the breadboard image. Some are of the opinion that using the breadboard image for the icon is just ‘lazy’. Sometimes true.
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As someone who is most often using Fritzing to configure modules, rather than discrete components, I would generally use the icon view to identify a part in the selector table, so my only additional comment would be that the icon view, generic or ‘simplified breadboard’, should allow the user to differentiate between parts, like modules for example, based on the same IC. I realise that, if parts are created ‘carefully’, different variants can be selected through the Inspector, but there’s no real way of knowing if the variant you want is there without explicitly flipping through all the variants—not entirely impractical but certainly not as convenient as scanning the icons in the selector.
A specific example might be modules based on the BME280 atmospheric sensor. I am aware of at least three variants, each of which does have a distinctive colour or shape so I agree that it would be desirable for the icon view to represent any ‘unique’ or distinctive feature(s) of a given part, given that, certainly in this case, they would necessarily have similar names.
If different parts look essentially the same in the breadboard view, there’s little value in having different or detailed icons.