Is it time to get rid of skeuomorphism? Before you could answer that question,
you would probably like me to give you a definition for that word. A skeuomorph is a
design on an object that resembles another object. If you are a car aficionado, think of the
simulated wood grain on some of earlier model stations wagons. If you like pottery, think
of the imitation rivets that make it look like a metal pot.

My focus in this column is not on cars or pots. I want to talk about the interface in
computer applications. In order to introduce new computer users to an application,
software designers used graphic images that mimicked the real world. You place
documents and other articles in file folders. You take notes in notebooks. Your calendar
displays days in an animated function that allows you to flip the calendar. Your eBook
collection sits on a wooden shelf in your computer’s book section. You play cards on a
felt poker table.

The argument in favor of skeuomorphism originally was compelling. People
unfamiliar with computers would find it easy to use these computer applications because
visually they were similar to what they were doing in the real world. They were taking
notes in notebooks. They were putting books on a shelf. They were playing cards on a
card table. All of this took place on a computer screen that looked like desktop. Using
skeuomorphism made sense because it was easy for the user and intuitive.

The question today is whether they are necessary. Most people have been using
computers for many years. Even children grow up learning computers at a young age and
probably do not need these visual devices to know how to use a computer and its
applications. In fact, in our computerized world they might not even understand some of
these interfaces.

We may like the look of books on a wooden bookshelf or the look of taking notes
on a leather-bound notebook. That is fine if we want to nostalgic. Let’s also acknowledge
that we don’t need them. A simple, clean interface might be enough.