Consider reducing number of icons in sidebar

[karmatosed]

There are a lot of variations and interaction symbols in the sidebar, there were a few before global styles refresh and now it's getting quite intense. For example:

There in this screenshot are 4 symbols someone has to learn and that seems like a lot to expect as a start. If we presume the open/close arrow is expected due to WordPress patterns, even those other 3 are adding a lot.

Consider not having 2 symbols doing relatively the same thing

The '+' in typography reveals a menu:

So do the dots:

This is overly complex and whilst it might be something interim it needs resolving.

Consider if some symbols even make sense

I would argue that this one doesn't make sense for the implementation and if it's just a format switch, having an icon seems a lot.

Proposal

Overall, I think considering the impact and assumptions of any icon being used for interactions in the sidebar is key so reviewing what we have and pairing down is good. There are a few focus points:

• Reduce where some have a double meaning.
• If have to use icon pick one make sense.
• Consider not even having icons.

[annezazu]

This recently merged PR might be welcome news, where it changes the ➕ to only show it when all items are optional: #38262

[karmatosed]

I am going to close this as work has gone on and continues to go on with side panel unification and the design system. As this is my own issue I no longer think having a separate issue is a valid use case in this repo.