

Skeumorphism and storytelling - johanbrook
http://tobiasahlin.com/blog/skeumorphism-and-storytelling/

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alabut
Tldr; argues that skeumorphism has its place, when used appropriately to
immediately get across the purpose of the app.

That also accurately describes the importance of visual design overall, not
just this one particular flavor of realistic-looking interfaces. It's what
helps a product instantly "impute" what it's for, for those that read the Jobs
book.

Straightforward UX will only get you so far and if functionality were the only
thing people cared about, we'd all be driving Volvos and Ferrari would be out
of business.

~~~
Skeuomorph
There's a tremendous advantage in making new things feel "comfortably
familiar". His iPad drawing apps are great examples. I showed Paper to a Mom
recently, who immediately purchased the full kit for her kids.

It's interesting to me that the riotously successful iPhone 4 has a somehow
more familiar form than the iPhone 3. The Braun influence let Apple step out
of a specific time and make an object that doesn't feel out of place on a Mad
Men set.

[http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1w15nFNOH1qcuwbao1_500.jp...](http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1w15nFNOH1qcuwbao1_500.jpg)

It has a comfortable approachable familiarity, unlike the other plasticky
gizmos at the mobile booth in the mall. These are known materials, glass and
brushed steel, familiar to the touch, and emphasize the touchability of its
OS.

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chrisdroukas
I made this point previously on HN about Apple's Find My Friends app: in light
of how ridiculous the leather stitching looks, the friendliness of the UI
distracts users from the reality of how intrusive the app's functionality can
be.

Imagine Find My Friends with a standard grey/black iOS UI. User reactions
would quickly go from 'this is neat' to 'this is scary.'

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mouly
Usability is not a constant property. When we first see an interface we
evaluate its perceived usability. Research has shown that this is mostly a
function of its visual appeal. I think skeumorphic design has a high perceived
usability. Someone who has never seen an iPad would recognize the iBook. But
the same is not true for kindle. It does not look like a book.

After using the interface over time, our perception of usability changes. I
suspect, overtime skeumorphic design will lose its appeal overtime because
many constraints will be forced on the user artificially. Flipping pages on
the iBook may seem more work than just tapping.

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cfqycwz
Skeumorphism has its place, for sure. The drawing apps (particularly Paper)
are excellent examples: they dictate their function in an elegant and subtle
way. Paper is clearly for jotting down and collecting your thoughts. Brushes
is clearly for more intense, focused illustration/mind mapping sessions.

The example that wanders into dangerous territory, though, is the desktop
version of Photo Booth. While all the others I've mentioned serve to suggest
what the app _can do_ , Photo Booth's gaudy curtains-and-wood-paneling design
dictates what you _should do_. It limits the range of the software's potential
uses; the old grey photo booth was clearly a program for taking photos of
anything you wanted with your front camera, while the new version is more
apparently only for dicking around with your friends and taking silly
distorted pictures. The skeumorphism of Paper serves to make the app more
intuitive; the skeumorphism of Photo Booth serves only to constrict.

------
aplh
Skeumorphism design may help me to adapt to the piece of software the first
couple of seconds. However, after that it distracts me the rest of the time I
am using the software.

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emehrkay
Remember the Chris Prillo's dad tries Windows 8 video from a month ago where
he struggled to use it? He had a follow up video where he tried the beta of
Mountain Lion and said "well, I know these apps because they're the same on my
iphone, so that is kinda like cheating [because he was being tested on how
easy it is to use the os]". That is the reason why Apple is doing it.

~~~
nirvana
... but if he hadn't have had an iPhone to "cheat" from, he would have been
able to "cheat" from the desk calendar or the address book or any of the other
real life objects that Apple makes their apps look like.

------
nirvana
Skeumorphism is what makes the iPad the iPad. Instead of being a computer with
its own paradigm that you have to _learn_ , the iPad is a blank slate that
changes itself with each app. And by using Skeumorphism, Apple makes it
immediately obvious to people-- many of whom may have never used a computer
before-- what the functionality of the device is. It allows the device to
become the apps, and it makes it easy to use.

~~~
r00fus
I'm not following - how is the iPad, in itself, skeuomorphic?

It's "invisible" and therefore well designed - it puts the Apps in front. It
removes the "abstraction layer" of pointing devices, and if you watch a kid or
grandparent interact, you'll notice how the non-mouse-indoctrinated respond
far more intuitively.

~~~
antiterra
I think it's more that the 'invisibility' of the iPad benefits from
skeuomorphism to let the user know if a particular subsection of the screen is
currently acting as a viewport, drawing surface or button/control surface.

