In defense of skeuomorphism

 Part 1: The Nest Learning Thermostat

Skeuomorphism is becoming a dirty word in Silicon Valley.This series of posts will focus on why skeuomorphism is actually important in design, how it has been put to use in the past, and how you can use it to make your products more user-friendly.

People frequently mistake skeuomorphism with photorealism. These are not the same design concepts and can actually be used independently. Photorealism is concerned with matching a product (typically a piece of software) to the physical world by recreating textures, shadows, and animations as closely to reality as possible. Skeuomorphism, at its most basic, is the intentional inclusion of ornamental design cues, or features, that were present in earlier iterations to provide a visual or functional anchor for the user.

A good example of such vestigial design can be found in the Nest Learning Thermostat. Even though it learns from your behaviors, is wirelessly connected, and has half a dozen sensors, this high-tech thermostat still uses the rotating outer dial to set the room temperature that was popularized by the ancient Honeywell counterpart.

The decades-old Honeywell thermostat compared to the Nest Learning Thermostat. Notice the similarity in shape and form factor as well.

There are dozens of ways Nest could have enabled its users to set the temperature of the room, yet their designers chose to use the very same interaction of the device it hoped to disrupt. This is not just a shameless piece of Samsung-style tech cloning, however; Nest is using the rotating steel ring as a physical link between the past and the future pieces of technology.

Hundreds of thousands of households have the white Honeywell circle mounted on their walls, and so this is a device everyone from little kids to octagenarians has used and is comfortable with. The team at Nest leveraged the comfort of the old design by incorporating it into their own design. The skeuomorphic nature of the device acts as a bridge between the past and the future, making the device easier to understand and use, all without needing to teach the user a new way to change the room’s temperature.

Nest managed to take a boring piece of household technology (calling it technology is charitable) and make it beautiful, massively functional, yet at the same time just as approachable as the old design. Sure, you can control it from your phone, and yes, it can sense when you’re in the room or when it’s sunny out, but those features would never be used by the person unless the first experience of using the device was as easy as just turning the dial.

Skeuomorphism is the ultimate set of training wheels when it comes to introducing new technology, services, or behaviors to a large audience. It acts as a translator for your product by stating, “I know this is different, but think of it like this…” and can be a powerful tool for onboarding. What’s really exciting is what happens after you’ve used those training wheels to teach everyone how to use your device. Think iOS7.

Part 2: How not to use it, or, Why Clinkle (already) needs a redesign

Takeaways:

1. Using design cues from an earlier product with a similar intention or purpose will make it easier for your users to get up to speed using yours.
2. Sometimes it is necessary to bridge the gap from revolutionary and “today” with the use of skeuomorphic ties to reduce cognitive burden. Try using physical metaphors to describe each of your product actions. (E.g. Switching modes should feel like flipping the device over.)
3. Think of your grandparents when evaluating a design, especially its onboarding. Is the product welcoming? Can anyone start using it with little instruction? How would I instruct my grandmother to use it?

Thanks to @annikamatta for your editorial insights and wise additions.