# Skeuomorph > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Skeuomorph > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Skeuomorph.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeuomorph > Source revision: 1357199464 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Design element borrowed from original medium}} {{use dmy dates|date=July 2025}} thumb|Electric light bulbs in the shape of candle flames A '''skeuomorph''' (also spelled '''skiamorph''', {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|k|juː|ə|ˌ|m|ɔːr|f|,_|ˈ|s|k|juː|oʊ|-}}){{refn|{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Skeuomorph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227055843/https://www.lexico.com/definition/skeuomorph |url-status=dead |archive-date=2019-12-27 |title=Skeuomorph |dictionary=[Lexico](/source/Lexico) UK English Dictionary |publisher=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press)}} }}{{refn|{{Dictionary.com|access-date=2016-01-22|Skeuomorph}}}} is a derivative object that retains ornamental [design](/source/design) cues (attributes) from structures that were necessary in the original.{{cite book|last=Basalla|first=George|title=The Evolution of Technology|year=1988|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, UK|isbn=0-521-29681-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/evolutionoftechn00basa/page/107 107]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/evolutionoftechn00basa/page/107}} Skeuomorphs are typically used to make something new feel familiar and thus easier to understand and use. They employ elements that, while essential to the original object, serve no pragmatic purpose in the new system, except for identification. Examples include [pottery](/source/pottery) embellished with imitation [rivet](/source/rivet)s reminiscent of similar pots made of metal,{{cite dictionary|title=Skeuomorph|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/skeuomorph?s=t|dictionary=dictionary.com|access-date=7 December 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015002140/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/skeuomorph?s=t|archive-date=15 October 2013}} or a software calendar that imitates the appearance of binding on a paper desk calendar.{{cite magazine|last=Thompson|first=Clive|title=Clive Thompson on Analog Designs in the Digital Age|magazine=Wired|volume=20|issue=2|url=https://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/01/st_thompson_analog/|publisher=Wired Magazine|access-date=7 December 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121222211646/http://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/01/st_thompson_analog|archive-date=22 December 2012|date=2012-01-31}} == Etymology and scope == The term ''skeuomorph'' is compounded from the [Greek](/source/Greek_language) ''skeuos'' (σκεῦος), meaning "container or tool", and ''morphḗ'' (μορφή), meaning "shape". It has been applied to material objects since 1890.{{cite book|last=March|first=H. Colley|chapter=The Meaning of Ornament; or its archaeology and its psychology|title=Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society|year=1889| publication-date=1890 |volume=VII|editor=Charles W. Sutton|pages=172, 187|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=910vAAAAMAAJ&q=%22skeuomorph%22&pg=PA172|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202165310/https://books.google.com/books?id=910vAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA172&dq=%22skeuomorph%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JjzCUP2UB7T9iQLl_YGIDw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22skeuomorph%22&f=false|archive-date=2018-02-02}} In graphical computer interfaces starting in the 1980s, skeuomorphs are a design convention for graphic elements.{{cite web|last=Gessler|first=Nicholas|title=Skeuomorphs and Cultural Algorithms|url=http://www.skeuomorph.com/|access-date=7 December 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624065316/http://www.skeuomorph.com/|archive-date=24 June 2012}} Skeuomorphs may be deliberately employed to make a new design more familiar and comfortable or may be the result of cultural influences and norms on the designer. They may be the artistic expression on the part of the designer. The usability researcher and academic [Don Norman](/source/Don_Norman) describes skeuomorphism in terms of cultural constraints: interactions with a system that are learned only through culture. Norman also popularized perceived [affordance](/source/affordance)s, where the user can tell what an object provides or does based on its appearance, which skeuomorphism can enable.{{cite web | title=Affordances and Design | last=Norman | first=Donald | url=http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/affordances_and.html | access-date=2012-12-03 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120145620/http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/affordances_and.html | archive-date=2012-11-20 }} The concept of skeuomorphism overlaps with other design concepts. [Mimesis](/source/Mimesis) is an imitation, coming directly from the Greek word.{{cite web | last=Janusheske | first=Jeffrey | title=Thesis: Mimesis to Skeuomorph? | url=http://www.jfree-design.com/2012/02/14/thesis-mimesis-to-skeuomorph/ | access-date=2012-12-03 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215081556/http://www.jfree-design.com/2012/02/14/thesis-mimesis-to-skeuomorph/ | archive-date=2013-02-15 }} [Archetype](/source/Archetype) is the original idea or model that is emulated, where the emulations can be skeuomorphic.{{cite web | last=Sen | first=Rahul | title=Archetypes and Their Use in Mobile UX | date=5 May 2010 | url=http://johnnyholland.org/2010/05/archetypes-and-their-use-in-mobile-ux/ | access-date=2012-12-03 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121226223052/http://johnnyholland.org/2010/05/archetypes-and-their-use-in-mobile-ux/ | archive-date=2012-12-26 }} Skeuomorphism is parallel to, but different from, [path dependence](/source/path_dependence) in technology, where an element's functional behavior is maintained even when the original reasons for its design no longer exist. == Physical examples== [[File:Doric-order-labeled (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[Triglyph](/source/Triglyph) and [guttae](/source/guttae) in the [Doric order](/source/Doric_order); traditionally seen as recreating in stone functional features of the wooden [Greek temple](/source/Greek_temple)s that preceded them.]] Many features of wooden buildings were repeated in stone by the [Ancient Greeks](/source/Ancient_Greeks) when they transitioned from wood to [masonry](/source/masonry) construction. Decorative stone features in the [Doric order](/source/Doric_order) of [classical architecture](/source/classical_architecture) in [Greek temple](/source/Greek_temple)s such as [triglyph](/source/triglyph)s, [mutules](/source/mutules), [guttae](/source/guttae), and [modillions](/source/modillions) are supposed to be derived from true structural and functional features of the early wooden temples. The triglyph and guttae are seen as recreating, respectively, the carved beam-ends and six wooden pegs driven in to secure the beam in place.{{cite book |title=Artful Crafts: Ancient Greek Silverware and Pottery |last1=Vickers |first1=Michael |last2=Gill |first2=David |year=1996 |publisher=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press) |location=Oxford |isbn=0-198-15070-9 }}{{cite book |author-link=John Summerson |last=Summerson |first=John |title=[The Classical Language of Architecture](/source/The_Classical_Language_of_Architecture) |pages=128, 133 |year=1980 |publisher=[Thames and Hudson](/source/Thames_and_Hudson) |series=World of Art |isbn=0500201773}} Historically, high-status items such as the [Minoans](/source/Minoans)' elaborate and expensive silver cups were recreated for a wider market using [pottery](/source/pottery), a cheaper material. The exchange of shapes between metalwork and ceramics, often from the former to the latter, is near-constant in the history of the [decorative arts](/source/decorative_arts). Sometimes pellets of clay are used to evoke the [rivet](/source/rivet)s of the metal originals.{{cite web | last=Knappet | first=Carl | title=Photographs, Skeuomorphs and Marionettes | url=http://mcu.sagepub.com/content/7/1/97 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201184641/http://mcu.sagepub.com/content/7/1/97 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2013-02-01 }} There is also evidence of skeuomorphism in material transitions. Leather and pottery often carry over features from the wooden counterparts of previous generations. Clay pottery has also been found bearing rope-shaped protrusions, pointing to craftsmen seeking familiar shapes and processes while working with new materials.{{cite book | last=Manby | first=T.G. | title=Unbaked Urns of Rudely Shape: essays on British and Irish pottery for Ian Longworth | year=1995 | publisher=Oxbow Books and others | location=Oxford | isbn=0946897948 | pages=81–84}} Another example is the small non-functional handles on glass maple syrup bottles, which evoke stoneware jug handles.{{Cite web |title=Why Do Maple Syrup Containers Have Tiny Handles? |first=Jen |last=Messier |work=Brooklyn Brainery |date=21 Jun 2012 |access-date=25 February 2023 |url= https://brooklynbrainery.com/blog/why-do-maple-syrup-containers-have-tiny-handles}} In this context, skeuomorphs exist as traits sought in other objects, either for their social desirability or psychological comforts. In the modern era, cheaper plastic items often mimic more expensive wooden and metal products,{{cite book |last1=Norman |first1=Don |author1-link=Don Norman |title=The Design of Everyday Things: Revised & Expanded Edition |date=2013 |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-465-05065-9 |page=159 |ref=Norman 2013}} though they are only skeuomorphic if new ornamentation references the original functionality,{{Cite book |last=Bullock |first=Alan |title=The Norton Dictionary of Modern Thought |pages=[https://archive.org/details/nortondictionary0000unse/page/795 795–796] |year=1999 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-393-04696-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/nortondictionary0000unse/page/795 }} such as molded screw heads in molded plastic items.{{Cite book |title=Totally weird and wonderful words |last1=Winchester |first1=Simon |last2=Lederer |first2=Richard |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0195312120 |editor-last=McKean |editor-first=Erin |location=Oxford |chapter=Foreword |oclc=70060979 |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/totallyweirdwond0000unse }} The lever on a mechanical slot machine, or "[one-armed bandit](/source/one-armed_bandit)", is skeuomorphic on a modern video slot machine, since mechanical force is no longer necessary. Articles of clothing are also given skeuomorphic treatment; for example, faux buckles on certain strap shoes such as [Mary Jane](/source/Mary_Jane_(shoe))s for small children, which retain the aesthetic but use [velcro](/source/velcro) fastening to make them easier to use. [[File:1986ChryslerLeBaronTownCountryStationWagon.jpg|thumb|[Chrysler LeBaron](/source/Chrysler_LeBaron) ''Town & Country'' (1986)]] [Automotive design](/source/Automotive_design) has historically been full of physical skeuomorphisms, such as the transformation from wooden framed and bodied early vehicles produced by [coachworks](/source/coachworks) to those which incorporated both functional wood and steel (referred to as "[woodies](/source/Woodie_(car_body_style))") to, ultimately, simulated vinyl woodgrain cladding entirely for style by the 1960s. Other examples include thinly faux chrome-plated plastic components and imitation leather, gold, interior wood, pearl, or crystal jeweled elements. In ''[The Design of Everyday Things](/source/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things)'', [Don Norman](/source/Don_Norman) notes that early automobiles were designed after horse-drawn [carriages](/source/Carriage). Indeed, the early automobile design [Horsey Horseless](/source/Horsey_Horseless) even included a wooden horse head on the front to try to minimize scaring the real animals.{{Cite magazine |title=Well That Didn't Work: The 1899 Car With a Full-Size Wooden Horse Head Stuck to the Front |first=Alex |last=Davies |magazine=WIRED |date=10 Feb 2015 |access-date=6 November 2019 |url= https://www.wired.com/2015/02/well-didnt-work-1899-car-full-size-wooden-horse-head-stuck-front/}} In the 1970s, [opera window](/source/opera_window)s and [vinyl roof](/source/vinyl_roof)s on many luxury sedan cars similarly imitated carriage work from the [horse and buggy](/source/horse_and_buggy) era. {{Asof|2019}}, most [electric car](/source/electric_car)s feature prominent front grilles, even though there is little need for intake of air to [cool](/source/Internal_combustion_engine_cooling) an absent [internal combustion engine](/source/internal_combustion_engine).{{cite web |last1=Torchinsky |first1=Jason |title=Why Do All These Electric Cars Have Grilles? |url=https://jalopnik.com/why-do-all-these-electric-cars-have-grilles-5964070 |website=Jalopnik |date=29 November 2012 |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=2019-04-05}} == Virtual examples == [[File:Redstair GEARcompressor.png|thumb|right|Skeuomorph in user interface (hardware-like user interface) with emulating [control knob](/source/control_knob)s for manipulating digital audio in the Redstair GEARcompressor [Audio Unit](/source/Audio_Unit)-Plugin]] Due to the relatively abstract nature of computing, many [operating systems](/source/operating_systems) have a skeuomorphic [graphical user interface](/source/graphical_user_interface) that emulates the aesthetics of physical objects to aid familiarity. A prominent example is the [desktop metaphor](/source/desktop_metaphor), which represents programs and filesystem objects as if they were objects on the user's desk. At the extreme, interfaces such as [Microsoft Bob](/source/Microsoft_Bob) extend the metaphor to the user's entire computing experience, representing different programs as objects in a home.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/14/magazine/facing-the-future.html|title=Facing the Future|last=Manes|first=Stephen|work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)|date=1995-01-17|access-date=2021-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111004640/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/14/magazine/facing-the-future.html|archive-date=2014-11-11|url-status=live}} Skeuomorphs are also used by individual computer programs, often representing the program's interface as a physical object with a similar function. Examples include a digital contact list resembling a [Rolodex](/source/Rolodex){{cite web |last=Worstall |first=Tim |title=The Real Problem With Apple: Skeuomorphism In iOS |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/09/12/the-real-problem-with-apple-skeuomorphism-in-ios/ |work=Forbes |access-date=8 December 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204021844/http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/09/12/the-real-problem-with-apple-skeuomorphism-in-ios/ |archive-date=4 December 2012 }} and IBM's 1998 [RealThings](/source/RealThings) package.{{cite conference |first=John |last=Mullaly |title=IBM RealThings|date=April 1998 |book-title=CHI 98 conference summary on Human factors in computing systems|publisher=[ACM Press](/source/Association_for_Computing_Machinery) |doi=10.1145/286498.286505 |isbn=1-58113-028-7|pages=13–14 }} [Software calculator](/source/Software_calculator)s often resemble physical [calculator](/source/calculator)s. Software clocks may resemble a [clock face](/source/clock_face) with moving hands. A more extreme example is found in some music [synthesis](/source/Synthesizer) and [audio processing](/source/Audio_signal_processing) software packages, which closely emulate physical musical instruments and audio equipment complete with buttons and dials.{{cite news|last1=G.F.|title=User interfaces: Skeu you|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/11/user-interfaces|newspaper=[The Economist](/source/The_Economist)|access-date=3 March 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308015117/http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/11/user-interfaces|archive-date=8 March 2016|date=2012-11-08}} [Icons](/source/Icon_(computing)) of GUIs may also depict skeuomorphic representations of physical objects, such as an image of a physical paper folder to represent computer files in the [desktop metaphor](/source/desktop_metaphor) or an image of a [bell](/source/bell) for representing [notifications](/source/Notification_system). Virtual skeuomorphs can also be auditory. The shutter-click sound emitted by most [camera phone](/source/camera_phone)s when taking a picture is an auditory skeuomorph.{{cite web |last1=McNeil |first1=Joanne |title=Skeuomorphic Sounds: Digital Camera Shutter Clicks and Car Door Clunks |date=14 July 2011 |url=https://rhizome.org/editorial/2011/jul/14/skeuomorphic-sounds/ |website=Rhizome |access-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307014351/https://rhizome.org/editorial/2011/jul/14/skeuomorphic-sounds/ |archive-date=7 March 2016 }} Other familiar examples are the paper-crumpling sound when a document is trashed{{cite magazine |first=John |last=Seabrook |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/08/what-should-a-nine-thousand-pound-electric-vehicle-sound-like |title=What Should a Nine-Thousand-Pound Electric Vehicle Sound Like? |magazine=[The New Yorker](/source/The_New_Yorker) |date=August 2022 }} and sound engines in an electric car mimicking the sound of an internal combustion engine.{{Cite web |date=May 17, 2021 |url=https://www.pentagram.com/news/electric-car-sound-design |title=Electric Car Sound Design |website=Pentagram}} Other virtual skeuomorphs do not employ literal images of some physical object; but rather allude to [ritual human heuristics or heuristic motifs](/source/Familiarity_heuristic), such as slider bars that emulate [linear potentiometers](/source/Potentiometer) and [visual tabs](/source/Tab_(interface)) that behave like physical tabbed file folders. Another example is the swiping hand gesture for turning the "pages" or screens of a tablet display.{{cite web |first=John |last=Pavlus |title=An E-Book UI That Lets You Flip Digital Pages, Just Like A Real Book |date=31 May 2012 |url=http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669802/an-e-book-ui-that-lets-you-flip-digital-pages-just-like-a-real-book |publisher=Co.Design |access-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322193502/http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669802/an-e-book-ui-that-lets-you-flip-digital-pages-just-like-a-real-book |archive-date=22 March 2016 }}{{cite web |last1=Baker |first1=Justin |title=Skeuomorphic Design — A controversial UX approach that is making a comeback |url=https://medium.muz.li/skeuomorphic-design-a-controversial-ux-approach-that-is-making-a-comeback-a0b6e93eb4bb |website=Muzli – Design Inspiration |publisher=Medium |access-date=2019-04-05 |date=20 November 2017}} In some cases, skeuomorphs start out as direct representations of physical objects, but later become indirectly symbolic of the task they represent (such as a drawing of a [floppy disk](/source/floppy_disk) to represent "save", which persisted even after floppy disks were no longer widely used for data storage). Some virtual skeuomorphs have become emblematic of certain companies or time periods. [Apple Inc.](/source/Apple_Inc.), while under the direction of [Steve Jobs](/source/Steve_Jobs), was known for its wide usage of skeuomorphic designs in [Mac OS X](/source/Mac_OS_X) and various applications. This changed after Jobs's death when [Scott Forstall](/source/Scott_Forstall), described as "the most vocal and high-ranking proponent of the visual design style favored by Mr. Jobs", resigned. Apple designer [Jonathan Ive](/source/Jonathan_Ive) took over some of Forstall's responsibilities and had "made his distaste for the visual ornamentation in Apple's mobile software known within the company".{{cite news |last2=Bilton |first2=Nick |date=2012-10-31 |title=Apple Shake-Up Could Lead to Design Shift |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/technology/apple-shake-up-could-mean-end-to-real-world-images-in-software.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |newspaper=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |volume=CLXII |issue=55,941 |last1=Wingfield |first1=Nick |access-date=2012-11-05 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104084356/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/technology/apple-shake-up-could-mean-end-to-real-world-images-in-software.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |archive-date=2012-11-04}} With the announcement of [iOS 7](/source/iOS_7) at [WWDC](/source/WWDC) in 2013, Apple officially shifted from skeuomorphism to a [more simplified design](/source/Flat_Design), thus beginning the so-called "death of skeuomorphism" at Apple.{{cite web |date=2013-06-11 |title=A Eulogy for Skeuomorphism |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-eulogy-for-skeumorphism/|department=Motherboard |last1=Evans |first1=Claire |access-date=2013-06-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613043144/http://motherboard.vice.com/read/a-eulogy-for-skeumorphism|archive-date=2013-06-13}} Skeuomorphism is also a key component of [Frutiger Aero](/source/Frutiger_Aero), an Internet aesthetic derived from mid-2000s user interface designs, including [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft)'s skeuomorph design from [Windows XP](/source/Windows_XP) to [Windows 7](/source/Windows_7).{{Cite news |last=Bramley |first=Ellie Violet |date=2023-12-14 |title=Frutiger Aero: the Windows screen saver design trend taking TikTok by storm |url=https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/dec/14/frutiger-aero-the-windows-screen-saver-design-trend-taking-tiktok-by-storm |access-date=2024-07-19 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} == In design == thumb|Pushbutton telephone with imitation rotary dial [Retrofuturism](/source/Retrofuturism) incorporates visual motifs from old predictions of the future, especially {{clarify|text=visions of electro-industrialism.|date=January 2022}}{{cite web |title=21 examples of skeuomorphism |url=https://www.popicon.com/blogs/iconography/21-examples-of-skeuomorphism |website=Popicon |access-date=2019-04-05 |language=en |author1=Popicon }}{{failed verification|date=January 2022}} Skeuomorphic design is frequently incorporated in retrowave or [synthwave](/source/synthwave) illustrations. Skeuomorphic design is closely linked with [metamodernism](/source/metamodernism). Skeuomorphic design seems to be preferred by older recipient groups, often referred to as "[digital immigrants](/source/Digital_native)", while "[digital natives](/source/Digital_native)" tend to favor [flat design](/source/flat_design) over skeuomorphisms. However, younger people are still able to understand the signifiers that skeuomorphic design employs. A better user experience could be measured for each respective design philosophy among digital natives and immigrants.{{Cite journal|last1=Spiliotopoulos|first1=Konstantinos|last2=Rigou|first2=Maria|last3=Sirmakessis|first3=Spiros|date=2018-06-04|title=A Comparative Study of Skeuomorphic and Flat Design from a UX Perspective|journal=Multimodal Technologies and Interaction|language=en|volume=2|issue=2|pages=31|doi=10.3390/mti2020031|issn=2414-4088|doi-access=free}} === Arguments in favor === An argument in favor of skeuomorphic design in digital devices is that signifiers to affordances help those familiar with the original item learn to use the digital version. Interaction paradigms for computer devices are culturally entrenched; proposals for change often spawn debate. [Don Norman](/source/Don_Norman) describes this process as a form of [cultural heritage](/source/cultural_heritage), and credits skeuomorphism with easing transitions to newer technology, stating that it "gives comfort and makes learning easier" until the newer devices no longer need to resemble their predecessors. Compared to flat design, skeuomorphic design seems to facilitate a fast navigation through graphic user interfaces, because icons are more easily recognized and less abstract than their minimalistic counterparts found in flat design. === Arguments against === The arguments against virtual skeuomorphic design are that skeuomorphic interface elements are harder to operate and take up more screen space than standard interface elements, that this breaks [operating system interface design standards](/source/Human_interface_guidelines), that it causes an inconsistent [look and feel](/source/look_and_feel) between applications,{{cite magazine|last=Carr|first=Austin|title=Will Apple's Tacky Software-Design Philosophy Cause A Revolt?|url=http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670760/will-apples-tacky-software-design-philosophy-cause-a-revolt|magazine=Fast Company|access-date=11 December 2012|quote=The issue is two-fold: first, that traditional visual metaphors no longer translate to modern users; and second, that excessive digital imitation of real-world objects creates confusion among users.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215043327/http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670760/will-apples-tacky-software-design-philosophy-cause-a-revolt|archive-date=15 December 2012}} that skeuomorphic interface elements rarely incorporate numeric input or feedback for accurately setting a value, that many users may have no experience with the original device being emulated, that skeuomorphic design can increase [cognitive load](/source/cognitive_load) with visual noise that after a few uses gives little or no value to the user, that skeuomorphic design limits creativity by grounding the user experience to physical counterparts,{{cite book |last1=Sharp |first1=Helen |last2=Rogers |first2=Yvonne |last3=Preece |first3=Jenny |title=Interaction Design: Beyond Human–Computer Interaction |edition=2nd |page=62 |publisher=[John Wiley & Sons](/source/John_Wiley_%26_Sons) |year=2007 }} and that skeuomorphic designs often do not accurately represent underlying system state or data types due to inappropriate [mimesis](/source/mimesis). For example, an analog gauge interface may be read less precisely than a digital one. == See also == {{Portal|Electronics}} * [Anachronism](/source/Anachronism) * [Dead metaphor](/source/Dead_metaphor) * [Facadism](/source/Facadism) * [Flat design](/source/Flat_design) * [Frutiger Aero](/source/Frutiger_Aero) * [Human interface guidelines](/source/Human_interface_guidelines) * [Intuition](/source/Intuition) * [Neumorphism](/source/Neumorphism) * [Spandrel](/source/Spandrel_(biology)) * [Trompe-l'œil](/source/Trompe-l'%C5%93il), 2D artwork using realistic optical illusions to simulate three dimensions * [Vestigiality](/source/Vestigiality) == Footnotes == {{reflist|30em}} == General references == {{Refbegin}} * {{cite book |last1=Flecker |first1=Manuel |chapter=An Age of Intermateriality: Skeuomorphism and Intermateriality between the Late Republic and Early Empire |editor-first1=Annette |editor-last1=Haug |editor-first2=Adrian |editor-last2=Hielscher |editor-first3=Michael T. |editor-last3=Lauritsen |title=Materiality in Roman Art and Architecture: Aesthetics, Semantics and Function |location=Berlin |year=2021 |pages=265–283 |publisher=De Gruyter |doi=10.1515/9783110764734-015 |doi-access=free}} * Freeth, C. M., & Taylor, T. F. (2001). ''Skeuomorphism in Scythia: Deference and Emulation'', Olbia ta antichnii svit. Kiev: British Academy; Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. p. 150. {{Refend}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Skeuomorphism}} {{Wiktionary}} * {{cite web |last1=Moon |first1=Jessica |title=A Showcase of 50 Skeuomorphic Designs |url=https://www.dtelepathy.com/blog/inspiration/50-skeuomorphic-designs |website=Telepathy |access-date=2019-04-05 |archive-date=2019-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405213051/https://www.dtelepathy.com/blog/inspiration/50-skeuomorphic-designs |url-status=dead }} * [https://flatisbad.com/ flatisbad.com] a selection of user experience studies on skeuomorphism maintained by Lomonosov Moscow State University, Laboratory of Work Psychology Category:Architectural elements Category:Computer accessibility Category:Design Category:Graphical user interfaces Category:Industrial design Category:Product design --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Skeuomorph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeuomorph) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeuomorph?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.