I have a single object with several different material slots, and trying to remember which slot is what is hurting my brain. 
Is there a way to name the slots besides the default Slot 1, Slot 2, Slot 3, etc?
Or am I using an inefficient method for single object multiple materials grouping?
Edit: I did search for this but came up short…
Do you mean these slots shown in the image? Just double click to rename it.
Edit:
Oh, I just saw the slots in the shader editor. I never used the drop down before. So I name the materials in a way that I can assign them to a specific part of the mesh.
I’ll search assigning materials the way you describe. I’m not sure if using the slots is the proper way, or not.
I’ve purchased items in the past and the materials are grouped and assigned using the slots so that’s the way I’ve been doing it. The same goes for some add-ons with object inserts.
Thanks
This is the way I do it:
Hope it helps.
OK, so I tried your method and they both do the same thing.
Assigning a new material to a portion of the mesh from the Material Panel automatically creates a new
Slot in the “Shading Work Area” pull-down. So that’s great to know.
I’m glad you shared this method, because your way allows me to visual the multiple material at once, without clicking through the slots.
I still face the issue of having several slots assigned to an object, which is what’s needed, but if mats are deleted (on purpose) or missing from import, the slots stay assigned minus materials, causing me to dig through each slot to located where it’s located on the grid.
There’s possibly an easier way for this too.
Working on a short I"m finding that naming and organization is almost priority number one. Multiple, scenes, multiple objects in each scene, multiple materials being shared and linked, items being appended and linked… makes me keep searching every object or material for a way to name any and every aspect of it.
Maybe naming slots is coming in the future.
Thanks again
Tim
Resurrecting this thread, because it seems like a feature that SHOULD exist:
Having slots use the material names as defacto names (their real ‘names’ are their slot numbers) reduces their functionality: slots should be exclusive to their meshes, but AFAICTell slots are global, and adjusting the material in any given slot adjusts it globally.
Slots pertain to components of a mesh, and if they were named by their function, eg “Chrome Bits” rather than their number, could access the cloud of Materials in a similar fashion to how they work in C4D and LW.
In the application data base, ‘under the hood’, it would be “Object Name, slot functional name, material name”, eg:
“Fightercraft, muzzles, shiny metal”
“Fightercraft, landinggear, shiny metal”
“Fightercraft, trim, shiny metal”
“Fightercraft, muzzles, distressed metal”
“Invadercraft, trim, distressed metal”
Obviously users have found ways around this, but how are they keeping assignments straight? Or am I just wrong?
Yup… I agree, and as the OP I still find this a little frustrating. 
When I’m in the “shader editor” I’m in there for a reason. And not being able to change the name of the slots from the defaults would be like not being able to change the name of “Actions” for animations, and just having to know what Action 1 Action 2 Action 3 etc. is when you need to switch.
Yes. IMO it’s a super bad decision made long ago, and they should fix it. It’s dumb: ‘slots’ are essentially “face groups”, NOT Materials, but the devs have conflated the two in an un-useful manner.
Definitely in my top ten of “dodgy decisions blender made early on”.