zylogz80
commented
13 years ago I found a happy medium here. The buttons default to icons but under the app menu is a "Button Style" sub menu where you can switch between text and icons.
Added in commit 8eb39a48379198c3bb56
This is a change I'm not sure is for the best but I'll give it a shot. I picked text buttons for Red It early-on in development because I personally have trouble remembering the functions of icon buttons in apps. I often have trouble using the Facebook and Email apps on webOS 3 due to the use of icons instead of buttons with text captions. I find myself having to hunt-and-peck and use trial and error to figure out what does what and it doesn't stick with me. I actually avoid the Facebook app due to this.
In talking with others however it seems as thought I am "the odd man out" on this one. Other folks report immediately groking what icons mean and remembering their functions with ease. I tested this is icons in place and handing it to my wife and asking her to tell me what did what. She determined with 100% accuracy what each icon does.
In addition to this icons look better and take up less screen real-estate. I loath form over function but the footer bars were getting a bit cramped so I decided icons may be a good solution.