Skeuomorphism

This is a term that has existed for more than a decade and originates in the design industry. The word skeuomorph comes from the Greek words skeuos (meaning “container or tool”), and morphḗ (meaning “shape”). In UI design, this basically means how ‘digital’ designs are made to look like real world objects. The best examples of this is from the original iPhone, where the apps such as calendar, the camera, the email, compass, notes, reminder etc were all images of their real world counterpart. Additional examples include the Shopping cart, the ‘recycle bin’ in your computer, the save button that looks like a floppy disk etc.

This, however actually stems from the limit of the human brain. In order to create a new reference, the human brain always needs to ‘relate’ the new entity to a similar older and familiar entity. Hence skeuomorphism is used in many newer design principles and is mainly a topic discussed in the design community.

Skeuomorphism and Innovation.

This is not limited to the design industry. Any new area of development, be it technology, process or a completely new invention is almost always used in a skeuomorphic way before its true potential can be used and exploited in the wider sense. I got thinking about it after I heard Naval Ravikant (https://nav.al/) in a podcast explaining skeuomorphism w.r.t Web 3.0. Every new innovation needs to go through a skeuomorphic use case validation before new use cases can be created or new applications can be developed. 

• Computer (Skeumorphed to type writer —> word processor) —> Expanding to its multitude of use today

• Internet (Skeumorphed to ‘news/ magazine’ on the screen) —> Expanding to a Multi trillion dollar use cases

• Smartphone (Skeumorphed to replicating ‘camera, calendar etc) —> Expanding to its infinite use cases today

This is a step of innovation that cannot be avoided and the best innovators in history are the ones who have mastered this step. Because they are able to connect the human limitation of imagination through steps that the brain can comprehend and familiarise itself with.

How to find the ‘correct Skeuomorphic use case’

This is the most difficult challenge in the innovation area. If you go through the archives of the research community, there are a multitude of new innovations that can be used for several future application. They have a difficulty in taking off because the researchers, more often than not are unable to connect it with this fundamental aspect in the development step. The first paper on neural networks was written in 1943 by Walter Pitts and Warren McCulloch. However it was decades later that it was used in real world use cases. Linking innovative ideas to existing world problems is the is the main job of applied researchers . The best way to look at these use case is to look at current inconvenience in your environment and link that with whatever it is that you are trying to innovate. 

'Linking innovative ideas to existing world problems is the is the main job of applied researchers'

As I work for Honda, Ill use the example of one of the greatest innovators in history - Soichiro Honda himself. His first innovation was adding an IC engine to a bicycle. A really good example of skeuomorphism where the mode of mobility stayed as a bicycle (considered a cheap mode of transport) which was opposite to the expensive motorcycles that existed during that era. He then built on this and made the humble Supercub in 1958. And throughout his lifetime, he found so many applications of IC engine that he helped revolutionised several industries (Mobility, agriculture etc) by advancing that one technology.