id	summary	reporter	owner	description	type	status	priority	milestone	component	version	severity	resolution	keywords	cc	focuses
65092	"Toolbar: Replace the ""+ New"" and Comments icons with plain text labels and swap their order"	lucasmdo		"== The Problem ==

* '''The Comments item''' shows only a speech-bubble icon and a number. People who have not used WordPress before often do not know what this icon means.

* '''The ""+ New"" item''' already shows the word ""New"" next to a plus icon. The plus icon does not add any new meaning. It just takes up space and repeats what the word already says.

On top of that, the Comments item sits before the ""+ New"" item. Adding new content is a much more common action than moderating comments, so the order feels backwards.

== The Proposed Change ==

 1. '''Replace the speech-bubble icon''' on the Comments Toolbar item with a plain text label: `Comments 3` (where `3` is the current number of comments waiting for moderation).
 2. '''Replace the plus icon''' on the ""+ New"" Toolbar item with just the word `New`.
 3. '''Swap the order''' so that `New` comes before `Comments`.

See the attached image. The top bar is the proposed change. The bottom bar is what WordPress looks like today.

[[Image(new-comments.png)]]

== Why This Helps ==

 * '''Clearer for everyone.''' A word is easier to understand than an icon, especially the first time someone logs in.
 * '''Better accessibility.''' Visible text works better for a bigger audience.
 * '''Less visual clutter.''' The plus icon next to the word ""New"" is redundant. Removing it makes the Toolbar cleaner.
 * '''Better order.''' Creating new content is a more common task than moderating comments. Putting ""New"" first matches what people do most often."	enhancement	new	normal	Awaiting Review	Toolbar		normal		needs-patch		ui, accessibility, css, administration, ui-copy