Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

What's with the naming and visuals of the "tune" icon, which seems to be a "site settings" icon with weird left- and right-justified radio buttons?


I've got to say, "tune" is such a weird word to choose, it almost sounds like a bad translation.

Tuning is associated with musical notes (originally) and then with cars (optimizing performance) and engines more generally.

It's a weird metaphor to use for an icon that's usually been called "settings".

Because settings are not tuning, because engine/car tuning isn't about choosing your preferred settings, it's about small adjustments to maximize performance.

(The visual icon makes sense since it shows the popup to toggle settings for the site.)


It is a simple representation of those on/off toggle switch UI elements.


"Tune" as in "adjust settings".


The mental model of "and here's where you tune the website" seems so strange to me, but thank you for the credible explanation!




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: