Here are some examples from Jakob Nielsen concerning perceived affordances on the web (or applications in general): http://www.useit.com/alertbox/application-mi

Here are some examples from Jakob Nielsen concerning perceived affordances on the web (or applications in general): http://www.useit.com/alertbox/application-mistakes.html http://www.useit.com/alertbox/application-mistakes.html There's a pretty standard language, I think, for those in hardware design for interaction. Maybe it's never been documented (that would be an interesting project). I'd say things like "bevels surrounding text" is a fairly standard "I'm a button; please press me" concept. I think after that point, though, it rapidly deteriorates. Obviously, a button sitting over a linear trench says "I'm a slider," but what about things like the iPod clickwheel? Doesn't seem like a standard interaction, but it was immediately graspable and usable by a huge majority of the population. Interesting stuff, if you're willing to dive into it.