Skeuomorphs V.II

I was so excited to see this article on Fast Co. Design: "Apple. The name has become synonymous with good design. But it’s also had a few missteps in recent years. Skeuomorphism is taking the place of clean interfaces."

- http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670012/4-design-details-we-loved-at-apples-big-launch-and-1-we-really-hated

 

Here's another talking about the whole thing:

As both Thompson’s and Biddle’s articles describe, the philosophy that drives the majority of contemporary UIs is called skeuomorphism. Derived from the Greek words Skeuos, meaning vessel or tool, and morph, meaning shape, a skeuomorph is, according to the Oxford Dictionary, a “derivative object that retains ornamental design cues to a structure that was necessary in the original.” The term can apply to either a physical or digital creation. In other words, it means to replicate the form and material qualities of something that are no longer inherently necessary, all with the objective of making new designs “look comfortably old and familiar,” Nicholas Gessler writes in “Skeuomorphs and Cultural Algorithms.” When applied to UI, the logic here is that it will make the interface more intuitive and usable, as the user will understand how it functions based on their knowledge of the analog object it is replicating.

- http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669879/can-we-please-move-past-apples-silly-faux-real-uis

 

But what I am really fascinated with is how we choose or become with Skeuomorphs. The investigation continues.

hey! that's my work!

Bruce Nussbaum has just moved to Fast Co. Design! I was one of his students last semester and he mentioned my work in his post "F*** The Boomers, Screw the X-ers, Give Gen Y Power Now":

After observing that most visitors to MOMA and the Met hated their audio headphones--bad information, interrupted socializing and annoying technology--a group of students from Parsons decided to re-design the experience. They created a prototype iPhone app called The Museum: A New Social Experience, combining exhibition images, detailed information about the works, links to expert video conversations and consumer comments. Use it while you’re there, share it with your friends, and return to the exhibition forever after. The 19, 20 and 21-year-olds designed a better learning experience than a generation of museum designers.  My thought? If they could only be empowered to design a new university….

Read the whole thing here and admire those pics at the bottom too (!)

Thanks Professor Nussbaum!