WWW/Internet - Portal do Software Público Brasileiro

ISBN: 978-972-8939-25-0 © 2010 IADISrepresentations evoqued their referents (not their meanings (i.e. how the representamen manifests the objectof a sign). Therefore, icons are signs in which the representation brings up the firstness of the referent.Indices are signs whose representation bring the secondness (e.g. smoke represents fire). Symbols are signsthat bring the thirdness, a result of a convention that stablish its meaning.According to de Souza (2005), signs entail a process named semiosis, in which the three parts(interpretant, object and representamen) interact to form the sign. This process is infuenced by a plethora ofelements, such as culture, previous knowledge, context etc. Since signs are designed to convey specificmeaning, this process is supposed to succeed. A well designed sign links the object and the interpretant to theuser, and it is this relation that determines the success or failure of the interpretation process (effect relation -where the links between the object and the interpretant are closely tight and cannot exist independently fromeach other). There is also a relation between the representamen and the object, that deals with the conceptionof the sign to convey its meaning. Additionaly, to complete the triade, there is also the relation between therepresentamen and the interpretant.According to [Carroll et al, 1988] signs reduce the complexity of the system, the mental overload of theuser in face of a new system. They may represent functions, states of the system etc. and the most effectiveicon is that which maps the object directlly. Signs are more easily recognized and remembered, and givesupport to learning and to user´s memory. However, ill-desined signs may reduce the usability. However,“often people recognize the picture of things, and grasp its meaning more quickly than when the verbalrepresentations of the things are used”.Eco (1997) states that signs have a few functions, such as: Signification systems; CommunicationProcesses; Discursive Competence (that manifest itself by knowledge and exposition to signs). Eco alsodefines four modes of composition and interpretation of signs: Cost (if a sign is already known, it cost less tobe interpreted); Type-Token (use culturally conventioned expressions – ratio facilis to ratio difficilis);Continuum (reference or content similar to the expression); Complexity of articulation (icons). For Eco, thesefour parameters are used to distinguish the various ways of sign production: the physical job required toproduce an expression; the ratio type-token of the expression; the type of continuum; the mode andcomplexity of the articulation (characterizes the degree of gramaticalization of the sign to be produced).3. PICTOGRAPHIC SIGNS EVALUATIONAccording to Mullet and Sano (1999) apud de Souza (2005) “[…] when developing multiple images, caremust be taken to maintain cohesion within the image set to consider the physical, conceptual, and culturalcontext in which the images will ultimately be displayed. Mastery of these concepts is far more importantthan any innate ‘artistic’ ability in developing an effective image program.” Sign evaluation is a process ofsubjective interpretation, created within the context in which the sign is inserted, and even that of the user´sculture. The signs analysed in this research exist within the context of the functionality of Brazilian e-commerce sites, and the user has previously used the expected functions for such sites in order ot obtain theirgoals (those of finding, comparing, buying a product).Pio & Guimarães (2007) conducted an usability evaluation test with 30 users of e-commerce sites, whichallowed them to select the signs most common to conduct a large survey (130 responses) of their meaning.showed that the icons chosen by developers do not match the meaning attribution desired. In fact, a greatnumber of signs were not recognized by the subjects. Above all, the subjects attributed different meaningswhen compared to the percentage of correct meanings.is the picture of lock, whose thirdness was to inform that the site was safe. 84.2% made such relation.10% interpreted the sign as the representation of a shopping list. Firstness may be the cause of failure, sincethe sign resambles a shopping basket, that refers to shopping (secondness), which reminds of the list ofproducts to be shopped (thirdness). The cost of recognition was high. has an intended thirdness of productvisualization. 63.1% made the intended relation. There was no suggestion as to a better meaning. Thirdnessand a mismatch in the type-token relation: the user might have a previous experience with other systems thatlead to the meaning attibution of a file (which does not does not exist in the context of e-commerce sites).is typical of shopping bag in Brazil, but was used to represent the shopping list (for 52.6 % of thesubjects). 26.3% thought the secondness was for the act of buying (bag to hold products), a problem of type-370