Image via evernote.com.
At first glance, it seems natural: when designing notepad software, why not design it to look like a notepad? A voice recorder app should look like a microphone, right? Skeuomorphism—which we’ve, er, skewered before—has influenced so much of software design. And yet I think many of us will attest that it’s good to see that the trend, like iOS 7’s “flat” icons (though I’m not a total fan), is to keep the digital digital.
But to be generous, I do think the popularity of skeuomorphism reflects less an unwillingness to accept digital experiences as digital experiences, but more a desire to retain some of the joys of physical objects. There is something nice about scribbling into a paper notebook and to see human handwriting, but there’s also something nice about searchable archives and having all our notes tucked away in our pockets and available at a moment’s notice.
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