Nielsen’s Principles of UI #2: Match between system and the real world.
For hiking, walking, or driving, Apple’s Compass app has all features the mechanical compass offers, a suitable replacement for any hiker’s pack. But without its mechanical predecessor, the design of many of the mobile compass apps in the App Store today wouldn’t exist. The Compass app’s interface mimics that of a mechanical compass. This design choice capitalized on the classic design of compasses that have been around for centuries.
Skeuomorphic design is passé, but its basic principle — to create an interaction that mimics one from the physical world — pulling from people’s existing knowledge and helps them easily learn an interface, with no need for training. This is the core of Nielsen’s second heuristic:
Principle #2: Match between system and the real world.
The system should speak the users’ language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
By mimicking real world objects and systems, we ease the learning curve for our users to use our new digital products.
Systems should speak the user’s language, with concepts familiar to the user. It is important to distinguish between concepts familiar to the user, and concepts familiar to you as the designer. When matching between system and the real world, we must draw on the experiences of our user base, rather than our personal experiences.
A familiar example is the use of the trash can or recycling bin icons on any computer desktop. Users recognize the trash bin shape from their own lives, and so it makes sense to drag unwanted files to these icons for disposal.
By using universally understood icons and plain language wherever possible, we seek to match user’s expectations with how a digital product should function, making the user’s experience as natural as possible.
A note from UX In Plain English
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