Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
blog.wells.ee
Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
1–10 of 47 posts
Re: Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
#2I'd argue that people generally have an underlying expectation that they'll be able to do far more on the internet with web apps than with physical mediums. If that is true, then having elements from the real world into web apps does promote a sense of familiarity and an intuitive understanding of, at the very least, how to get started.
Re: Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
#3The designer / minimalist half of me eschews ornamentation – I'm a big fan of the "swiss style". But, for all the recent ragging on skeuomorphism, there are times when it is appropriate. When we released polychord 2 with its dark leather and chrome look, it was in response to feedback from lots of our users who wanted something that fit in with their studio gear. We resisted the urge to use 'knobs' and other physical gadgets that would mess up the UX. It's just a skin, but it made a lot of our users happy. I also observed that the new physical hints made the app less threatening for new users to jump in and start playing around.
Re: Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
#4I think he misses the point here that 'people like to have fun'. We know that skeumorphic designs aren't the most efficient and in some cases may confuse the user. But these apps aren't being used to control a spaceship. They are often used in the 5 min gap between meetings or on the train where a tiny sliver of fun is perfect.
Whereas when I look at something like Kicksend it's just another boring, stale and uninspired photo site. And yes, it may 'get the job done' better but if I am not enjoying using it then why not use something that does.
And that really is the crux of the argument here. You have a tiny window of opportunity to convince a person to keep an app before they will simply delete it and find something else.
Re: Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
#5Using a computer to do the things we normally do, e.g., sending bits to each other, requires that we adopt metaphors.
Even something as basic as a "email" is a metaphor.
How long does it take to learn a new metaphor? How difficult is it?
It's far easier to just stick with the metaphors you already know. And that is, I think, what "most" people do.
This applies to more than just computers.
"Some" people might like to keep trying new metaphors every week. Who knows?
One thing is for sure. Everyone learns the "email" metaphor.
Not just some people. Everyone. Food for thought.
I think the author is spot on when he says that in this context (computers) metaphors create limitations rather than educating people about what computers can really do. I even see this among developers who, one would think, are the people resposnible for enabling users to unlock the full potential of their computers. They are stuck on certain metaphors which limit what they can imagine and therefore implement. Independent thinking and striving for originality are in short supply among developers. The attack of the clones never ceases, in case, clones of whatever developers see other developers have done.
However, as insightful as the reference to "skeudomorphism" may be, it's clear the author's goal with this post is trying to downplay Kicksend competitors. Maybe ones that are styled like Instagram? (Polaroid metaphor?)
How many hoops does someone have to jump through to use Kicksend versus using something like Instagram/Facebook (for lack of better examples)? And do they have to pay for the "service"? Maybe that could be a factor?
Re: Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
#6The designer / minimalist half of me eschews ornamentation – I'm a big fan of the "swiss style". But, for all the recent ragging on skeuomorphism, there are times when it is appropriate. When we released polychord 2 with its dark leather and chrome look, it was in response to feedback from lots of our users who wanted something that fit in with their studio gear. We resisted the urge to use 'knobs' and other physical…
I just looked at some Polychord screenshots and it looks great, nothing like the bizarre garish skins of iPad contacts or iMovie.
Good work.
Re: Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
#7Bashing skeuomorphism is the easy way out.
Non physical affordances don't come easy, and like it or not our brains are trained in a world of 3 dimensions made of matter. Dieter Rams built things around their functional components, the materials available and the other constraints given to him by a physical world.
Edward Tufte preaches that content rules and all else is extra. We can certainly minimize everything that isn't the focus, we should, after all. But abandoning the lessons from skueomorphism really means you are throwing out every hint of natural world affordances in your interfaces. The first 3 dimensional shading or shadow and you have veered into the land of skeuomorphism - and that's ok, because a world of flat squares with Helvetica labels takes a whole lot more mental cycles to process than that beveled 3d button, and it always will.
I look forward to seeing what you are doing with kicksend- with or without hints of the physical world.
Re: Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
#8Ah, the old HN switch-a-roo! Everybody loves skeuomorphism right now.
Skeuomorphic designs certainly have their place and help affordance and recognition, and the author seems to acknowledge that. The point he is trying to make is that skeuomorphism is an easy way to make a UI look good, and toss more functional concerns aside; I agree completely.
Re: Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
#9The designer / minimalist half of me eschews ornamentation – I'm a big fan of the "swiss style". But, for all the recent ragging on skeuomorphism, there are times when it is appropriate. When we released polychord 2 with its dark leather and chrome look, it was in response to feedback from lots of our users who wanted something that fit in with their studio gear. We resisted the urge to use 'knobs' and other physical…
I just looked at some Polychord screenshots and it looks great, nothing like the bizarre garish skins of iPad contacts or iMovie. Good work.
Thanks! We hired Jonas Eriksson (http://erikssonjonas.com/) to do the redesign.
Re: Skeuomorphism is the easy way out
#10Using a computer to do the things we normally do, e.g., sending bits to each other, requires that we adopt metaphors. Even something as basic as a "email" is a metaphor. How long does it take to learn a new metaphor? How difficult is it? It's far easier to just stick with the metaphors you already know. And that is, I think, what "most" people do. This applies to more than just computers. "Some" people might like to…
I don't think everyone learns email as a metaphor though.
While I'm old enough to have sent and received paper mail as a means of communication, it's highly likely that my toddler will have sent email (and internalized the concept) before having interacted with physical mail systems. It's a metaphor for us to call it email but it's a vestigial name to the younger generations.
Think of the floppy disk being a metaphor for saving a file. Few people younger than 15 have used a floppy drive but manage to save files regardless. I also understood radio buttons on web forms as exclusive selections as a young person even though I didn't know it was a metaphor for real buttons on old car radios until a couple of years ago.