Looking back on design languages, what Apple’s WWDC 2020 Keynote means for the future of design languages, and how we move on from here.

Craig Federighi during Apple’s WWDC 2020 Keynote Event.

With Apple’s WWDC 2020 just behind us last week we can now take a look at some of the interesting announcements Apple made during the week. What I like, as a designer, is that the design (both UI and UX) of the new operating systems was one of the first topics they discussed.

One thing that has got people talking is the look-and-feel of the new macOS. The internet is divided. Some like it, while others don’t. Apple is moving back towards using a Skeuomorphism-based design language for its UI.

Here’s what that means for the design languages we use in our work.

What is Skeuomorphism

Since Skeuomorphism is a design language, we first have to know what a design language is. As described by Nate Baldwin, a “design language” is used to describe the overall visual design of a digital product. It not only defines the components you use in your designs but also why you use it, when you use it and how you should use it.

“A design language is used to describe the overall visual design of a digital product.” — Nate Baldwin

Skeuomorphism is a design language is known for mimicking elements of your design as to how they look in real life. The idea is that these elements will look familiar to users since they already know what it is and how it works in real life. This will in turn help users understand what the function of the element is on screen. Some famous examples of Skeuomorphism are the recycling bin, the mail icon, and many other icons.

The mimicking of real-life objects is called an affordance, as introduced by James Gibson in 1977. Having clear affordances is a big part of a good usability design. You can’t do without, really.

“The affordances of the environment are what it offers the animal, what it provides or furnishes, either for good or ill.” — James Gibson

To give you an example, the horizontal surface of a chair affords sitting while the protrusion of a button affords pressing.

The protrusion and shadow of this button indicate that it can be pressed.

By closely replicating their real-world counterpart, elements designed following a Skeuomorphism design language show you what you can do with them since you already know what they can do in real life. It greatly helps with learning to understand how you can use your products.

#tech #design-language #ux #design #visual-design