International user interface controls

Many countries that read left-to-right it is typically known that there is a handful of ways that text and arrows are read.

Some graphical examples:

In the recent weeks, I’ve been working on an interface design for an upcoming project. The design will be released to the international community in the coming months–which has caused an interesting dialog between the project’s team members.

The interface is meant for operators to control the  high and low productivity, network structure, as well as some other features.  The interesting points made amongst the team members were focused on the high/low productivity controls:

• How should we represent the high control and the low control? Should there be a plus and a minus in their corresponding graphic?
• Where should the high control and low control be in relation to the productivity indication screen?

Decision 1: Use an up arrow for the high control; use a down arrow for the low control. Put a + in the middle of the up arrow and a – in the down arrow.

Decision 2: [This is the fun one.] There is no proper answer for where the high/low arrows should be in relation to the productivity indication screen. Or is there?

Concept A included the down arrow on the left of the indication screen and the up arrow on the right of the screen. This may seem backwards to you right-handers out there like  it did for me., but the left handers in the US and some of my co-workers in the UK (not sure if they were left-handed, right-handed, or both) chimed in that they liked it, it was easy for them to use.

–Scrap Concept A, could cause too many user frustrations.

Concept B included going with both of the arrows on one side of the indication screen; the up arrow on top, the down arrow beneath the up arrow.  Everyone in the team agreed that it made sense — what goes up is above what goes down.  Now only to choose what side of the indication screen the arrows should be on; left or right.  The overall design of the interface panel dictated that. It was wherever there was the most available room for the arrows to be next the indication screen.

–Concept B approved; put the arrow buttons to the right of the indication screen where there was the most graphical real estate.

Do you think Concept A should have been chosen? Think it was the best decision to choose Concept B? Or do you have a different suggestion? Take the poll: