Flag

We stand with Ukraine and our team members from Ukraine. Here are ways you can help

Get exclusive access to thought-provoking articles, bonus podcast content, and cutting-edge whitepapers. Become a member of the UX Magazine community today!

Home ›› Business Value and ROI ›› 6 Key Questions to Guide International UX Research ›› Does Skeuomorphic Design Matter?

Does Skeuomorphic Design Matter?

by John Payne
5 min read
Share this post on
Tweet
Share
Post
Share
Email
Print

Save

Looking at skeuomorphs as cultural affordances shows how they can leverage past experiences to help users understand something new.

In the early 1900s, electricity was scary.

The lack of understanding surrounding this new technology contributed to a great deal of public fear.

The sign pictured below, from a turn of the century hotel, offers us a glimpse of what it must have been like for guests to make sense of the confusing installations of metal, glass, and wire they found lurking in their rooms.

When it comes to emerging technologies, the stakes for design are high. One misstep and a promising new product can become yesterday’s news. To be effective, designers must set their sights well beyond easy-to-use. We need to convey more than how. We need to convey what as well. We need to be interpreters, to contextualize new products and concisely convey their identity, purpose, and value.

One approach, commonly called design metaphor applies a known concept to a new context to help people make sense of new products. As in literature, repurposing known concepts is a shortcut for accessing shared cultural memory—tapping into the past to make sense of the present.

Skeuomorphs and Affordances

Since the introduction of iOS 7, the blogosphere has been alive with debate on Apple’s departure from skeuomorphism—the yellow lined legal pad of Notes, the leather bound folio of Calendar. We are now deeply mired in a flat vs. skeuomorphic debate that reduces skeuomorphism to coddling kitsch and equates flat design with high-modernism. Both sides have missed the point.

Skeuomorphs in design aren’t useless decoration, but contextual clues. Like design metaphor they are the visual equivalent of figurative language—enabling designers to quickly tap into shared cultural understandings and convey complex meanings in a straightforward way. They work as a new kind of affordance, one that communicates not function but identity.

We shouldn’t abandon cultural affordances like skeuomorphs because some find them tacky or overused

Affordances, a concept originated by James Gibson, are an object’s inherent possibilities for action. Donald Norman evolved this definition to encompass the act of communicating possibilities for action through design. These perceived affordances are lingua franca for product designers. Every day we shape things to emphasize their utility, to show how this device operates or to illustrate how to use that application. Until now, this approach has been primarily focused on utility and operation.

A designed affordance: The classic example of a rotating door handle [flickr: sk8geek]

The design of a rotating door handle, for example, suggests how to use it, but does not give us context for what it is or why we should use it. Smartphone or lawnmower, before we figure out how something works, we usually ask what kind of a thing it is and why we should use it in the first place.

Reconsidering Skeuomorphs as Cultural Affordances

Skeuomorphs are stories of utility frozen in time. A new kind of affordance—a cultural affordance—that provides the context we need to understand the possibilities for action. They don’t work because they coddle or educate the user—digital wood grain shelves and page-flips didn’t teach people how to read ebooks—they work because they leverage a user’s past experience and apply that understanding to something new.

Take this electric kettle for example. Though thousands of variations exist, we still understand the basic shape as a vessel for heating water. Designers have used a variety of cultural affordances to communicate this purpose. The tapering shape—originally larger on the bottom to maximize contact with the heat source—is no longer a requirement, but remains a key feature. The exaggerated, arching handle amplifies the kettle-ness of the object. Even the electric plug plays a role. Expanded to the scale of a stovetop heating element, it indicates where to put the kettle for use, though this modern version transmits electricity, not heat.

The kettle retains the basic shape of its ancestors and through that shape conveys its purpose. Its form is no longer tied to its literal function, but rather to functional analogs of the past. In the digital realm, where there are fewer precedents for utility, figurative design has long played a critical role in helping people make sense of new products.

The tabbed folders and icons in the Xerox Alto interface

Xerox Alto, the first commercially available graphical user interface (GUI), laid the groundwork for design metaphors like representational icons, tabs, and “spatial” organization. But there are many more ways to guide users through an interface beyond the ubiquitous tabbed folder metaphor introduced by the Alto. Other metaphor-like conventions like visual synecdoche, where a part can stand for the whole—a letter icon for the inbox—or even playful visual puns, where multiple meanings can be attributed to one object, can also help people make sense of unfamiliar digital territory.

From tabs and folders to the digital “click” on today’s cameras, many cultural affordances have become standard patterns that are used by UI designers without a second thought. But as the hotel sign at the beginning of this article attests, emerging technologies without the necessary cultural affordances leave us wondering. What is it for? How will it be used? It can also leave us even a little afraid of the possibilities.

The Untapped Power of Cultural Affordances

In the last 10 years, over a billion people have started using iPhones. At least a few of those users made the mental leap between the yellow legal pad motif—the one that makes digital designerati stomachs churn—and the idea of a place to quickly jot things down. With the potential to communicate not just functionality, but identity and purpose on that scale, we shouldn’t abandon cultural affordances like skeuomorphs simply because some find them tacky or overused.

Faced with ever-increasing digitization of formerly physical products, we should not retreat to the functional, literal design of the past for shortsighted aesthetic reasons. We need to expand the conversation about what design can do through cultural affordances—not simply to address ease of use, but to communicate context, identity, purpose, and value. If we don’t, we may find our users just as wary and confused as the hotel patrons who first encountered the Edison’s innovative new electric lights.

John Payne will be speaking at the Institute of Design’s Design Research Conference, October 8-9 in Chicago.

 

Image of legal pad and pencil courtesy Shutterstock

post authorJohn Payne

John Payne
This user does not have bio yet.

Tweet
Share
Post
Share
Email
Print

Related Articles

The role of the Head of Design is transforming. Dive into how modern design leaders amplify impact, foster innovation, and shape strategic culture, redefining what it means to lead design today.

Article by Darren Smith
Head of Design is Dead, Long Live the Head of Design!
  • The article examines the evolving role of the Head of Design, highlighting shifts in expectations, responsibilities, and leadership impact within design teams.
  • It discusses how design leaders amplify team performance, foster innovation, and align design initiatives with broader business goals, especially under changing demands in leadership roles.
  • The piece emphasizes the critical value of design leadership as a multiplier for organizational success, offering insights into the unique contributions that design leaders bring to strategy, culture, and team cohesion.
Share:Head of Design is Dead, Long Live the Head of Design!
9 min read

Discover how digital twins are transforming industries by enabling innovation and reducing waste. This article delves into the power of digital twins to create virtual replicas, allowing companies to improve products, processes, and sustainability efforts before physical resources are used. Read on to see how this cutting-edge technology helps streamline operations and drive smarter, eco-friendly decisions

Article by Alla Slesarenko
How Digital Twins Drive Innovation and Minimize Waste
  • The article explores how digital twins—virtual models of physical objects—enable organizations to drive innovation by allowing testing and improvements before physical implementation.
  • It discusses how digital twins can minimize waste and increase efficiency by identifying potential issues early, ultimately optimizing resource use.
  • The piece emphasizes the role of digital twins in various sectors, showcasing their capacity to improve processes, product development, and sustainability initiatives.
Share:How Digital Twins Drive Innovation and Minimize Waste
5 min read

Is banning AI in education a solution or a missed opportunity? This thought-provoking piece dives into how outdated assessment methods may be fueling academic dishonesty — and why embracing AI could transform learning for the better.

Article by Enrique Dans
On the Question of Cheating and Dishonesty in Education in the Age of AI
  • The article challenges the view that cheating is solely a student issue, suggesting assessment reform to address deeper causes of dishonesty.
  • It advocates for evaluating AI use in education instead of banning it, encouraging responsible use to boost learning.
  • The piece critiques GPA as a limiting metric, proposing more meaningful ways to assess student capabilities.
  • The article calls for updated ethics that reward effective AI use instead of punishing adaptation.
  • It envisions AI as a transformative tool to modernize and enhance learning practices.
Share:On the Question of Cheating and Dishonesty in Education in the Age of AI
4 min read

Join the UX Magazine community!

Stay informed with exclusive content on the intersection of UX, AI agents, and agentic automation—essential reading for future-focused professionals.

Hello!

You're officially a member of the UX Magazine Community.
We're excited to have you with us!

Thank you!

To begin viewing member content, please verify your email.

Tell us about you. Enroll in the course.

    This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Check our privacy policy and