Skeuomorphism

A design style where digital elements mimic their real-world counterparts — like a notes app that looks like paper — to feel familiar.

Why it matters

It was training wheels for a world new to screens — leather calendars taught what a tap was for. The pendulum swung to flat, overcorrected (see: buttons nobody recognises), and settled: borrow the real world’s cues, skip its textures.

Related terms

Elements
Affordance
Eye Tracking
Fidelity
High-Fidelity

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