I think we could gain usability here by presenting the name of entity (to be removed) in "strikethrough", instead of suggested icon.

Implementing something like this "colourful edit headers" (http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/103267) in server code for instance.

Let me just say that I think implementing nikki's colourful edit headers userscript in code would a.) be ridiculously easy and b.) would help a lot. I think icons are a good idea as well, though, since even with the colors I often make this mistake!

When voting I too often confuse add and remove, even with nikki's script.
So this script is a strict minimum that we should really implement. And we could go further with icons, good idea. +1

I've edited the summary to make this a bit more generic (it doesn't seem clear which solution(s) would be best right now)

more suggestions from http://bugs.musicbrainz.org/ticket/2952

Hi! I've noticed quite often I tend to read edits "in reverse". For example, I get the direction of rename edits wrong, or I confuse add with remove edits. I've noticed that with other editors, too.

Not only it's embarrassing, it can cause all sorts of unpleasant accidents, too.

I propose a couple of simple changes that should take care of this:
Write the description of all edits that remove data (ARs, URLs, releases, anything else) in bold red instead of the usual blue.
For edits that change data (titles, URLs, etc), write the "old" version of the data in strike-through, like this. (Currently that's written in the same font as the "new" data.)
Edits that add data should be left as they are now.

Someone suggested also marking delete edits with strike-through. This might be a good idea, but it might also cause confusion. Maybe red strike-through would work.

This would be done on the server, not with JavaScript, of course.

We can use the html <del>wrong info</del> and <ins>new info</ins> to style this.

We tried that before and people didn't like it.

I think this is a great idea. I have seen many mistaken votes that think a remove is an add, and comment later "whoops, sorry" ... and done a few myself.

My 2¢:

• Don't forget that the color-blind should have this too, so that's a point towards icons
• I don't think edits need their own icon. Only add/remove (+/-), and maybe merge.

Agreed to fix within 12 months by http://scheduling.ocharles.org.uk and http://chatlogs.musicbrainz.org/musicbrainz-devel/2012/2012-01/2012-01-05.html#T19-18-46-411701

I'd be interested in seeing some mockups for the icons from the people who prefer that solution. I'm not really in favour of them because I can't see how they would work. It seems like they would either be too small to make a difference or too big which would make them intrusive. Only having icons for some edits seems like it wouldn't look very good either, if they're on the left, the edits wouldn't line up nicely. If they're on the right, the icons would never be in the same place.

I wonder if something like the inline labels at http://twitter.github.com/bootstrap/#typography would do the job? (search for "Inline labels"). We could have a label after the edit name, and colour code it? I understand that still doesn't solve the problem for people who are colour blind.

Assigning to Pavan re: http://chatlogs.musicbrainz.org/musicbrainz-devel/2012/2012-07/2012-07-23.html#T19-24-49-594488

Pavan: could you make us up some mockups for an idea at this using icons (and possibly colors too), so we have something real to discuss?