Resistor style stripes on cables would be fun, a stripe for each feature such as bandwidth, power, etc; perhaps already suggested (and ignored). Though complement for ports would be trickier.
Embossing symbols in the style of thunderbolt might be the way to go, even if the standard is not fully adopted.
I wonder if the the committee have looked at integrating colour or some other indicator into the standard so that cable/port capabilities are clear visually.
Though ofc the design challenge is for users to feel comfortable that putting red into blue won't break anything, it just might not give the expected features.
Resistor style stripes on cables would be fun, a stripe for each feature such as bandwidth, power, etc; perhaps already suggested (and ignored). Though complement for ports would be trickier.
Embossing symbols in the style of thunderbolt might be the way to go, even if the standard is not fully adopted.