I am generally against skeuomorphism, and prefer what this article refers to as "flat"" design. However, one of the difficulties I've come across with flat design is the ability to communicate the affordance of actionable items (i.e., buttons) vs. non-actionable items (i.e., content and images).
As an example, I would classify the Windows Phone as an OS that has fully embraced flat design. However, after using it for 6 months, I constantly find myself confused on where I can click vs. not. Other apps have trained me to recognize buttons through gradients and bezels. This becomes even more important on the phone as there is no "hover" state that helps one explore click-able areas. I found it helpful is to introduce hints of skeuomorphism when communicating affordance of actionable items, while keeping the rest minimal.
Am I the only one, or are others also experiencing this issue as well with totally "flat" designs?
> Am I the only one, or are others also experiencing this issue as well with totally "flat" designs?
I was under the impression that this was the main gripe about flat interfaces. It sure seems pretty compelling to me. Flat may be pretty, but it is demonstrably less intuitive, less functional.
It seems to me that the people advocating flat interfaces have completely missed the point of form following function, having chosen a less usable interface for what are essentially aesthetic reasons.
Yup I've had this problem as well. I think consistency and generous use of white space helps to alleviate this. As well as eliminating non-clickable items as much as possible. Ideally the content itself would be actionable without the need for buttons everywhere.
Realistically if something isn't actionable on mobile you should really be questioning what it is doing there, or whether you can simplify the interface by making it interactive.
Maybe a balanced combination of the two design philosophies can exist together where skeuomorphism is only used for actionable elements such as buttons etc. but not other elements.
It sort of reminds me of old pixelated video games where sprites stood out from the background making it almost instantly clear which elements could be interacted with.
As an example, I would classify the Windows Phone as an OS that has fully embraced flat design. However, after using it for 6 months, I constantly find myself confused on where I can click vs. not. Other apps have trained me to recognize buttons through gradients and bezels. This becomes even more important on the phone as there is no "hover" state that helps one explore click-able areas. I found it helpful is to introduce hints of skeuomorphism when communicating affordance of actionable items, while keeping the rest minimal.
Am I the only one, or are others also experiencing this issue as well with totally "flat" designs?