"Information allows us to act more skillfully. Imagine you come to a fork on a road. Without a sign, you'd need a compass or a great sense of direction to choose correctly. But with a clear sign, you'd quickly know which road to take. The sign reduces ambiguity. The Moylan arrow, too, disambiguates a choice. Pulling in on the wrong side of the pump is an annoying inconvenience."
"By making the driver smarter, the arrow improves the car's UX. Critically, it does so without much cost to the manufacturer. That's why it's become pervasive. "But," you may protest, "this isn't IA; it's user interface/icon design." That's partly true. As usual, users experience IA in an interface. The arrow wouldn't be as effective if it wasn't clear and recognizable. Visuals - the choice of symbols (an abstracted gas pump and a triangle) and colors (usually white on black) - are key."
Jim Moylan was the Ford engineer who proposed the small arrow on fuel gauges indicating the fuel cap's side. The arrow helps drivers pull up on the correct side of a gas pump, especially in unfamiliar cars. Ford implemented the idea and other manufacturers widely adopted it. The arrow exemplifies effective information architecture by reducing ambiguity and enabling action with minimal cost. Its effectiveness derives from clear iconography, color contrast, and placement next to the fuel gauge where drivers already look. The arrow improves user experience by being legible, findable, relevant, contextual, and low-cost to implement.
Read at Jorge Arango
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