Skeuomorphic Design: How Product Developers might Boost User Engagement
On Skeuomorphism
Skeuomorphism is a design technique that leverages eliciting familiarity via things like visual elements to make a new product or interface feel more intuitive and familiar to users. For example, digital bookshelves that are designed to look like real bookshelves or virtual assistants with anthropomorphic features are examples of skeuomorphic design.
Skeuomorphism can be a great idea for new product developers for several reasons:
Familiarity: By using familiar visual metaphors, skeuomorphic design can make a new product feel more approachable and easier to use, especially for people who may be less tech-savvy or unfamiliar with new interfaces. This can lead to faster adoption and better user engagement.
Emotional appeal: Skeuomorphic designs can also have a strong emotional appeal, tapping into people's nostalgia, sense of comfort, or even their sense of humor. This can help create a positive emotional connection between the user and the product, leading to greater loyalty and enthusiasm.
Brand recognition: Skeuomorphic design can also help create a strong visual identity for a product or brand, making it more recognizable and memorable. This is especially important for new products that are trying to establish themselves in a crowded market.
However, it's worth noting that skeuomorphic design can also have some drawbacks. It can make a product look dated or cliched if not executed well, and it can also be less effective for products that are highly innovative or completely new to the market. Ultimately, the decision to use skeuomorphic design should be based on a thorough understanding of the product and the target audience, and should be balanced against other design considerations such as functionality, usability, and aesthetics.
Some great examples
There have been many examples of skeuomorphic design over the years, but here are a few notable ones:
Apple's iOS6: The earlier versions of Apple's iOS software used a lot of skeuomorphic design, such as the Notes app, which was designed to look like a yellow legal pad, complete with simulated torn edges and ruled lines. Another example was the Game Center app, which was designed to look like a felt gaming table.
Instagram: Instagram's original logo was designed to look like a vintage camera, complete with a rainbow stripe that mimicked the color bands found on old Polaroid cameras. The app itself also used a lot of skeuomorphic design, with virtual buttons that looked like real camera dials and retro-inspired filters.
Microsoft Windows: Microsoft has used skeuomorphic design in many of its products over the years, such as the "ribbon" interface used in its Office software, which was designed to look like a physical file folder. Another example is the "Metro" design language used in Windows Phone and Windows 8, which used flat, colorful tiles that were designed to evoke the look of real-world building blocks.
The iBooks app: Apple's iBooks app uses a lot of skeuomorphic design to make the experience of reading digital books feel more like reading a physical book. The app's interface includes a virtual bookshelf that displays book covers, and the pages of the digital books themselves are designed to look like real pages with simulated textures and shadows.
Skeuomorphs in industrial design: Skeuomorphic design is not limited to digital products. It can also be found in many physical products, such as the plastic casing on many car key fobs, which are designed to look like metal keys, or the decorative stitching on leather upholstery, which mimics the stitching found on traditional hand-sewn leather goods.
On Integrating skeumorphic design into your product
If you're considering integrating skeuomorphic design into your product, here are some ways to approach it:
Identify the appropriate visual metaphors: Think about the aspects of your product that could benefit from the use of familiar visual metaphors. For example, if you're designing a digital notebook app, you might consider using a skeuomorphic design that mimics the look of a traditional paper notebook.
Balance realism with usability: It's important to strike a balance between creating a design that looks realistic and one that is easy to use. For example, a skeuomorphic design that mimics a physical object too closely may not work well on a touch screen interface.
Use textures and shadows: One way to create a more realistic and tactile feel in your design is to use textures and shadows to simulate the look of real-world materials. For example, a virtual leather surface could include simulated stitching and shading to make it look more like real leather.
Emphasize the benefits: When using skeuomorphic design, it's important to make sure that it's not just for the sake of aesthetics, but that it also enhances the functionality and user experience of the product. Make sure to highlight the benefits of the design to users.
Keep it simple: A skeuomorphic design that is too complex can be overwhelming or confusing to users. Make sure to keep the design simple and intuitive, with a focus on the most important features.
Overall, when using skeuomorphic design, it's important to balance the desire for familiarity and emotional appeal with usability and functionality, to create a design that is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.
