"Tooltips aren't always used." Some people have implemented icons poorly, so we shouldn't use icons, isn't a compelling argument. Those people might implement

"Tooltips aren't always used." Some people have implemented icons poorly, so we shouldn't use icons, isn't a compelling argument. Those people might implement anything badly, for instance choosing bad text in a text-based approach. Agreed re: consistency -- good icon design requires understanding what people expect and matching it, which isn't always easy (as the referenced project demonstrates!)