ISO/IEC 11581 applies to software products providing office applications such as document production, desktop publishing, finance, and planning that present their functions via a graphical user interface.

ISO/IEC 11581 applies to software products for people who are familiar with office work but who are at present not necessarily familiar with computer-based applications.

ISO/IEC 11581 is meant to be used by persons involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of icons for graphical user interfaces to computer-based office applications, and by procurers of systems that employ such interfaces.

Other parts of ISO/IEC 11581 contain: -graphics of commonly used icons, and -descriptions of the functionality of the icons.

This part of ISO/IEC 11581-1 provides a framework for the development and design of icons and their application on screens capable of displaying graphics as well as text. It contains: -general requirements and recommendations for icons; -global variations to the graphical representations of icons.