UI research since the 1990s has shown this to be the case. Labels provide much better recognition than icons alone. Paradoxically we now have much better displ

UI research since the 1990s has shown this to be the case. Labels provide much better recognition than icons alone. Paradoxically we now have much better display technology that allows rendering sharp and legible text in UIs, but design fashion and localization laziness dictate that most UI designers have instead been trying to eliminate all text. Even when usability guidelines exist, they are ignored because UI design has become a vibes-based profession. For example, Apple’s iOS human interface guidelines unequivocally say that tab bars should include both icons and text labels. It’s been a long time since I met a designer who has actually read these guidelines. They seem to think anything Apple publishes is some kind of checklist for engineers, and can’t be meant to inhibit their Figma freedoms.