THE CHALLENGE

The original accessibility, or ease of access, icon that Windows used in all their software was a "L"-shaped or 90 degree arrow, cutting through a circle. While it was the metaphor they used for a long time, user research discovered that users found the symbol's metaphor unclear, ambiguous, and unrelatable.

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MY ROLE

During my tenure at Microsoft Windows Fonts and Icons Team, I was responsible for creating a new look for the legacy accessibility icon.

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DESIGN APPROACH

My goal was to align this icon with metaphors users currently find more familiar and incorporate humanistic qualities.

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EXECUTION

The first round of explorations include metaphors such as a door and a generic user with arms upward. The first two columns show variations, while columns three through seven show variation examples with modifiers for different statuses. 

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The next round features distinct, new variations of the user icon (such as the filled user, raised hand, and user passing through a door).

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The number of variations consolidated down to a small few. Contextual mockups were created to show how these variations would hold, alongside other icons. Below are example mockups of the final design.

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THE RESULT

The final icon system established a cohesive and scalable visual language for Halo Infinite's sandbox HUD, preserving recognizable silhouettes while improving clarity and consistency at small sizes.