Skeuomorphism

Definitions

1. A design approach where digital interface elements mimic the appearance and textures of their real-world counterparts — leather textures on calendar apps, wood-grain bookshelves, or metallic toggle switches — to leverage users' existing physical-world mental models.

   In plain English: Making digital things look like real-world objects. Think of the old iPhone calculator that looked like a physical calculator, or a reading app designed to look like an actual bookshelf. It went out of fashion around 2013.

   Example: "Apple's old Notes app had a fake yellow legal pad with torn edges and stitched leather — peak skeuomorphism before Jony Ive flattened everything in iOS 7."

Related Terms

• Dark Mode
• Flat Design
• Material Design