Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

Design Information Architecture Main Principles of IA Video Study Cases

Vipul V
Vipul V
1,138 Points

The correct answer doesn't seems to be correct for the quiz question

For the video case study quiz question which includes the site 'Zapier' , below is the question: Why does the “Guides” category have an icon next to its name?

one of the option: "It’s an emoji: it’s showing you a book since you’ll be “reading” the information you find there" , could be true as well.

another option : "It’s a visual cue: the section probably features downloadable documents like e-books", this could be true as well.

What I'm not able to understand is: The only way the first option could be incorrect is because of the word 'emoji'. The visual cue is an icon and not an emoji. But the explanation post that makes more sense and should have been part of the correct answer.

However, the second option is the correct answer. As far as I can understand, the reason why it's correct is because of the word 'visual cue'. Rest the explanation which states something about 'downloadable documents' is not a prominent reason to be the right answer.

I think there's a need to keep the options more clear. And can the author help in explaining the two options?

3 Answers

Jason Anders
MOD
Jason Anders
Treehouse Moderator 145,860 Points

Hi Vipul V

While emojis are cute and fun to use in texts, forums, etc. They are neither professional nor informative when it comes to Development, and will not (should not be) used as such. While the primary reason is because emojis are not very professional looking, they are also not universally interpreted and very limited in scope. What one emoji may mean to one person may mean something completely different to another, and therefore could create confusion and a very poor UX.
Also, there is no such emoji that looks like that. :smirk:

Visual cues (symbols) are far more professional and universal in meaning.

Hope that helps clear it up for you.

Keep Coding! :) :dizzy:

Vipul V
Vipul V
1,138 Points

First of all thanks for explaining it in depth. But I think you missed the point that I was making.

The way you explained me the choice of the correct answer picked by course creator for the quiz, is based on the specific words 'emoji' or 'visual cue'. Let's just have them in the options. It's more clear that way.

But when we add further explanation with both the options, it creates confusion.

For e.g. look at the below options:

1) "It’s a visual cue: the section probably features downloadable documents like e-books" 2) "It’s a visual cue: it’s showing you a book since you’ll be “reading” the information you find there"

Don't you think both the option could be right?

The explanation given "it's showing you a book since you'll be 'reading' the information you find there", can be one of the meaning of this visual cue used by the Zapier. Agreed? (as shown in point 2 above) So if this is the case, why to club this explanation with the 'emoji' option for the quiz. It's not going well together.

Second confusion in another option: "It’s a visual cue: the section probably features downloadable documents like e-books"

It's a visual cue, I agree. But how does this visual cue is telling you that this feature allows you to download documents like e-books. Can't it have another meaning, like there's some information that can be found there to read. (just one of the possibility).

What I've requested is, the explanation ( "it's showing you a book since you'll be 'reading' the information you find there") used with the option which contains 'emoji', could be a part of right answer as well.

Either let's not have explanations in both the options or it should be changed a bit.

I hope this clarifies what i'm trying to say.

What do you think about it now?

Dan Gorgone
STAFF
Dan Gorgone
Treehouse Guest Teacher

Hi Vipul, the answer to this question does require you to make a guess - or an assumption - but the fact that the book icon is only located on the "Guides" tab should tell you what you need to know.

It wouldn't make sense if the icon meant "this is where you read content" since this site is Zapier's blog, and a blog is generally where you read posts. Since there are no other book icons, it must have a different meaning.

The correct answer is that the book icon symbolizes that the "Guides" mentioned in the tab label are available as downloadable files. Downloadable ebooks or PDFs have been represented by similar icons in the past. Hope this makes sense.

Vipul V
Vipul V
1,138 Points

According to me, assuming that the book icon can be used to represent a downloadable content such as pdfs or ebooks , is a biased opinion. It comes with an assumptions that people would've seen or used that icon to download either pdfs or ebooks, which I haven't. And hence the thought that it can/may also be used to download the content didn't came to me.

To me, a book icon comes with a notion of reading and not download. Usually a downloadable content comes with a downward arrow (in an icon).

I'm giving this opinion to you ( @Dan Gorgone) as an individual, you might be in a better position (as you'll have the bigger picture for the context of the quiz question) to take the call whether to modify the options or not. All i wish is to have clear options against the quiz questions, so it can be easy to make a proper choice. I hope you'll understand this. If you wish to get more clarity we may connect on voice or video call.

Thanks again for creating such rich content on IA and explaining me the answers.