iOS7, Windows 8, and Skeuomorphism

 
            This past Wednesday, I did not waste any time in downloading iOS7, Apple’s new mobile operating system, to my iPad and iPhone. Part of the reason why is that I like to always have my devices running the latest software; I just like to keep everything current. The other part of the reason why was everything that I had been reading in the news about iOS7. The expanded capabilities of Siri, the new Control Center, and the ability to open Safari and see what web pages I had open in on my other devices were all tempting and I was excited when I was finally able to try out these new features for myself. The biggest change of all, of course, was the radically redesigned user interface, which marked a strong shift toward “flat design” and a strong shift away from “skeuomorphic design.”

                In an article for TIME Magazine this past June, Lev Grossman defines skeuomorph as “an element in an object’s design that’s no longer functionally necessary but has been retained anyway for ornamental purposes.” Grossman cites as an example of skeuomorphism the design of leather thongs. In ancient times, thongs were used for holding together tools such as stone axes, but thongs were soon rendered obsolete. However it would be quite common to still see objects with twisted-leather thong patterns etched into them just for show.

                Although as Grossman points out we do not see thongs that much anymore, skeuomorphism is still quite prevalent, particularly in software design. Digital objects do not have the same constraints as objects in real life, but they are often made to look like real objects anyway, particularly to help users understand what purpose the digital object is meant to server. On the Windows operating system, the recycle bin icon looks just like a recycle bin, and on Mac OS, the trash bin icon looks just like a trash bin. There is no particular reason why these recycle bins need to look like recycle bins; they could look like ordinary folders and they would still be trash bins. There is a legend that Steve Jobs’s private jet inspired the leather-stitching pattern in Mac OS X’s iCal calendar application, but who really cares about a design that is glossy and fancy? All that really matters is that the application works and does everything that it is advertised to do. Software designers might think that making applications look like real-world objects might help the consumer, but in reality it does not. Employing skeuomorphic design can even create false expectations; Grossman points out that a digital book may look like a book, but you cannot feel the pages or turn multiple pages at a time or fold corners down or scribble in the margins. Users do not care much for flashy design, but they do care for honesty, and sometimes a flat design is all you need to be honest.

                One of the most striking examples today of an anti-skeuomorphic OS is the Windows 8 operating system, which dispenses with the traditional desktop and instead is designed around brightly colored tiles (although you can access a traditional Windows desktop by clicking on a particular tile). The heavy criticism that Windows 8 has generated highlights one of the dangers of completely eliminating skeuomorphism; you should not eliminate it so thoroughly that it user-friendliness is compromised. With Apple’s iOS7, skeuomorphism has been significantly reduced, but users familiar with iOS will still know how to navigate the operating system and how to launch into and exit from apps. Apple has not completely removed skeuomorphism with iOS7, and that might just be alright. As Grossman points out, “It’s possible for software to be too flat. Skeuomorphism isn’t inherently bad when used responsibly. There’s nothing wrong with being user-friendly.”

                Since becoming an Apple mobile device user, I have experienced iOS4, iOS5, iOS6, and now iOS7. I enjoyed the flashy design of the native apps in the first three, but after installing iOS7 and reading Grossman’s article I realize that I did not need such flashy designs. All I really need is a design that is user-friendly and honest. Even though iOS7 has largely done away with skeuomorphism, it is still honest and user-friendly, and that is just fine with me.

 

 

Note: The article by Lev Grossman that I referred to in this blog post can be found here: http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2144110,00.html. A TIME subscription may be needed in order to view the article in full.