Skeuomorphic realism certainly didn't start with the iPhone. Anybody who has dabbled in music production knows it's been around since the 90s. Here are some pieces of software I've been using for the better part of the last decade:
Unlike apps for the iPhone, these virtual knobs and sliders don't benefit from a touch screen. No keybindings. No tabbing between them. Just reduced functionality and wasted screen real estate for the sake of looking ``cool'' to people with crappy taste.
For this reason, I've come to despise so-called realism in technology. Even the tried-and-true desktop metaphor seems like an outdated crutch for helping old people understand computers. How does imagining manilla folders help the next generation of computer users understand directory structures when they've seen more computers in their time than file cabinets? It's time to can the metaphors and let computers be computers.
Unlike apps for the iPhone, these virtual knobs and sliders don't benefit from a touch screen. No keybindings. No tabbing between them. Just reduced functionality and wasted screen real estate for the sake of looking ``cool'' to people with crappy taste.
I strongly disagree; where apps are emulating the sounds of particular pieces of musical hardware (which plugins frequently are) there's a distinct plus in having the same layout as the emulated device.
While there's a lot of value in providing more direct controls in this context (eg envelopes, EQ curves, and so forth), many of these are not ideal for performance (as opposed to composition) because they either constrict the performer by requiring use of a mouse, or provide insufficient tactile feedback because of the limitations of glass. Despite the limitations of abstraction, knobs, sliders, and buttons still work incredibly well for physical performance - hence the popularity of generic MIDI controllers which map to virtual controls in the software plugins.
Now it's also true that one could use physical controls to manage the sort of manipulations that are hard to abstract in hardware while being relatively easy to do in software, such as additive or granular synthesis; and there have been a few applications that combine excellent sonic potential with excellent UX (such as Borderlands Granular [1] or AudioGL [2] but making the most of these requires a good deal of domain knowledge that makes them inaccessible to other musicians.
I eventually (mostly) stopped using software plugins, but not because of dissatisfaction with the UX paradigm; I just went back to using hardware. I like having ~100 physical controls, plus my deck looks like the Enterprise :-)
PS in general I hate skeumorphism and strongly prefer flat design...but I think there's much more justification for it in domains like this, not least because one is often blending a mix of old and new technology in music production; it's not unusual to combine digital aduio manipulation with analog or acoustic sources and treatments.
It is. The first hour or so is sort of tough to get with because the interface is so minimal, but it's very powerful. He's financing development through the beta and although I don't do much composition on the computer now I think I'm going to buy a license from him because it's so different from anything else out there. It sounds filthy, and I mean that in a positive way.
Ableton Live has completely toned down the realism but kept the knob-based interface. When you interact with them using a mouse or on a touch-screen, these on-screen knobs seem skeuomorphic, but you can 'keybind' them to a knob on your hardware (e.g. on your USB midi controller).
The 1:1 mapping between the hardware and on-screen knobs is a great design decision.
The author seems to confuse UI patterns with skeuomorphism, and both of you overlook the many years of UX/UI evolution of the original device. Skeuomorphism is there to make it seem familiar. UI patterns are often repeated because previous layouts are optimimal.
As for folders it's simple. They look like folders today because early folder icons looked like folders and that's what people look for to find them.
Can you clarify? I would say some UI patterns are skeuomorphic (on/off toggle switch) while some aren't (dropdown menus). But I don't see where there's a confusion between the two?
An on / off switch has two states and the current state should be clear and obvious. That's a UI pattern that applies to both real world switches and on-screen switches.
Making an on-screen switch look like a light switch, or a metal toggle switch from an old piece of equipment - that's skeuomorphism.
Actually, when I wrote that "it all started with the iPhone" I meant the current trend of realistic toggles, checkboxes, wood textures, etc. in mobile and web apps.
I completely agree that skeuomorphism and realism are nothing new, but I do think the iPhone gave them a newfound popularity among designers.
But at least with music interfaces the levels are quite different. As a long-time user of music UI, pianos tend to have glossy white and black keys, knobs may have shading, there may be fake screws in the faceplates. Those elements are meant to look like and mimic their physical counterparts.
Comments
Skeuomorphic realism certainly didn't start with the iPhone. Anybody who has dabbled in music production knows it's been around since the 90s. Here are some pieces of software I've been using for the better part of the last decade:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/16/92028519_6c7f4a6d50.jpg
http://www.migmusic.com/bin/pro52.jpg
Unlike apps for the iPhone, these virtual knobs and sliders don't benefit from a touch screen. No keybindings. No tabbing between them. Just reduced functionality and wasted screen real estate for the sake of looking ``cool'' to people with crappy taste.
For this reason, I've come to despise so-called realism in technology. Even the tried-and-true desktop metaphor seems like an outdated crutch for helping old people understand computers. How does imagining manilla folders help the next generation of computer users understand directory structures when they've seen more computers in their time than file cabinets? It's time to can the metaphors and let computers be computers.
Unlike apps for the iPhone, these virtual knobs and sliders don't benefit from a touch screen. No keybindings. No tabbing between them. Just reduced functionality and wasted screen real estate for the sake of looking ``cool'' to people with crappy taste.
I strongly disagree; where apps are emulating the sounds of particular pieces of musical hardware (which plugins frequently are) there's a distinct plus in having the same layout as the emulated device.
While there's a lot of value in providing more direct controls in this context (eg envelopes, EQ curves, and so forth), many of these are not ideal for performance (as opposed to composition) because they either constrict the performer by requiring use of a mouse, or provide insufficient tactile feedback because of the limitations of glass. Despite the limitations of abstraction, knobs, sliders, and buttons still work incredibly well for physical performance - hence the popularity of generic MIDI controllers which map to virtual controls in the software plugins.
Now it's also true that one could use physical controls to manage the sort of manipulations that are hard to abstract in hardware while being relatively easy to do in software, such as additive or granular synthesis; and there have been a few applications that combine excellent sonic potential with excellent UX (such as Borderlands Granular [1] or AudioGL [2] but making the most of these requires a good deal of domain knowledge that makes them inaccessible to other musicians.
I eventually (mostly) stopped using software plugins, but not because of dissatisfaction with the UX paradigm; I just went back to using hardware. I like having ~100 physical controls, plus my deck looks like the Enterprise :-)
1. http://www.borderlands-granular.com/app/
2. https://www.audiogl.com/en/ BTW this seems like an ideal excuse for an Oculus Rift.
PS in general I hate skeumorphism and strongly prefer flat design...but I think there's much more justification for it in domains like this, not least because one is often blending a mix of old and new technology in music production; it's not unusual to combine digital aduio manipulation with analog or acoustic sources and treatments.
>AudioGL
That looks insane. Trying it when I get home from work.
It is. The first hour or so is sort of tough to get with because the interface is so minimal, but it's very powerful. He's financing development through the beta and although I don't do much composition on the computer now I think I'm going to buy a license from him because it's so different from anything else out there. It sounds filthy, and I mean that in a positive way.
Ableton Live has completely toned down the realism but kept the knob-based interface. When you interact with them using a mouse or on a touch-screen, these on-screen knobs seem skeuomorphic, but you can 'keybind' them to a knob on your hardware (e.g. on your USB midi controller).
The 1:1 mapping between the hardware and on-screen knobs is a great design decision.
The author seems to confuse UI patterns with skeuomorphism, and both of you overlook the many years of UX/UI evolution of the original device. Skeuomorphism is there to make it seem familiar. UI patterns are often repeated because previous layouts are optimimal.
As for folders it's simple. They look like folders today because early folder icons looked like folders and that's what people look for to find them.
Can you clarify? I would say some UI patterns are skeuomorphic (on/off toggle switch) while some aren't (dropdown menus). But I don't see where there's a confusion between the two?
An on / off switch has two states and the current state should be clear and obvious. That's a UI pattern that applies to both real world switches and on-screen switches.
Making an on-screen switch look like a light switch, or a metal toggle switch from an old piece of equipment - that's skeuomorphism.
"A skeuomorph is a physical ornament or design on an object copied from a form of the object when made from another material or by other techniques"
an on/off toggle isn't skeuomorph, it's symbolic.
Actually, when I wrote that "it all started with the iPhone" I meant the current trend of realistic toggles, checkboxes, wood textures, etc. in mobile and web apps.
I completely agree that skeuomorphism and realism are nothing new, but I do think the iPhone gave them a newfound popularity among designers.
> realistic toggles,
iPhone invented the "guess whether OFF = light blue and ON = dark blue, or vice versa", not realistic toggles.
Skeuomorphism in UI has been around since the original Macintosh.
But at least with music interfaces the levels are quite different. As a long-time user of music UI, pianos tend to have glossy white and black keys, knobs may have shading, there may be fake screws in the faceplates. Those elements are meant to look like and mimic their physical counterparts.