Skeuomorphism

The June 3rd, 2013 Time has an article about skeuomorphism, a word and concept totally new to me but apparently highly debated in user interface circles. The word was actually coined in 1890. In the example given from that article, it defines the term as vestiges of functional design that remained as decorative elements as items evolved. Stone axes that were wrapped with a leather thong to hold the head and handle together needed the thong. Later axes were held together differently, but manufacturers etched a criss-cross thong design on the handle.

 

The current discussion has more to do with GUI (graphic user interface) that retains representations that are not functionally needed. The trashcan icon for deleting items on a computer, for example. Personally, I think the carry-over of these everyday pictorial symbols makes it easier to learn and use an interface. I haven’t seen an ipad, but I guess its “bookshelves” look like wood-grained shelving. People are saying that Windows 8 has gotten away from skeuomorphs. Maybe. My sister-in-law hates Windows 8 because she doesn’t know where to look for stuff. Her visual cues are no longer there. She was a high school librarian who taught students and staff how to efficiently use computer software. Now she feels like she is fumbling along on her new computer, in part because the interface is so different.

 

Antiskeuomorphists would say that carrying over these visual representations rather than using excitingly different representations keeps us from realizing the potential of using technology in better ways. I think it is human nature to feel comfortable with interfaces where we can intuit uses. One of the people quoted in the Time article says skeuomorphs are lies; we need to move beyond them. What do you think?