What is Skeuomorphism?

It is a design philosophy of making App designs resemble the corresponding physical object.

1. If you are making a flashlight app, then make the design and buttons resemble an actual physical flashlight
2. If you are making a radio app, make the design layout resemble a retro radio with the same sort of buttons and dials
3. If you are making a shopping app, make the design and check out process and purchase experience match what you would find in a grocery store or a department store

It’s a super interesting design philosophy and one which Apple, in particularly, used to really love.

Benefits of Skeuomorphism

1. The user is familiar with the physical world design
   • When the App uses a similar design and similar buttons and similar elements, everything is easy and intuitive for the user
2. The user is very familiar with the real world scenarios and user experience
   • Whatever things a user would do in your App, have precedent in the real world
   • Using Skeuomorphism and making design and user experience match the real world design means users are repeating what they have done hundreds of times before (perhaps thousands of times before)
     • It feels very comfortable and comforting and easy
3. [In Many Cases] Real world designs have been arrived at after thousands of iterations. They are sometimes very close to ‘perfect design’
   • When your App matches that design, it is very likely to be close to ‘perfect design’
4. Skeuomorphic design is often very beautiful
   • Again, real world designs are designs we have after many, many iterations
   • Many real world designs, especially retro ones, are very beautiful
   • Repeating those designs in your Apps creates a very beautiful app

Disadvantages of Skeuomorphism

1. Real World design will sometimes not translate into an App
   • This is perhaps the single biggest problem
   • Just because it works and looks good in the real world, does not mean it will work and look good in an App
2. Skeuomorphism means missing out on the opportunity to Improve the Design and the User Experience
   • If an App just takes the best real world design and replicates it, you are missing out on the opportunity to make a better design
   • Please Note: In many cases, the real world design is created after decades or even centuries of improvements. So, there might not be much room to improve
3. Skeuomorphism often means not being able to leverage the advantages of modern devices and modern technology
   • If you are re-creating a real world design, you are giving up on the possibilities that modern technology offers
   • The pain of having to learn a brand new design might be a one time pain. The benefits of using newer design might lead to consistent and daily benefits – which make the one time pain worthwhile
4. Skeuomorphism requires top level design talent to create and top level programming talent to implement
   • It’s surprisingly hard to re-create top quality real world design
   • Often there are world class user experience experts and world class domain area experts with 20, 30, 40, 50 years of experience who have perfected real world design
     • How do you match that skill and experience?

Should Slot Machine Apps use Skeuomorphism?

In 80% to 90% of cases – Yes.

Most of the time Skeuomorphism works great for Slot Machine Apps because

1. Slots lovers are very used to how slot machine works. They have decades of experience of playing the existing design of slot machines
   • A good Slot Machine App will re-create the experience and the design of proven slot machines
2. Majority of Slots lovers are not very tech savvy and not very young
   • It will be very difficult for them to switch from their existing known and understood ‘slot machine experience’ to learn a new way of playing slots
3. Slot Machines have been designed and perfected over a period of 120 years
   • The first Slot Machine was designed in 1887 or 1888
   • We’re in 2026 now and slot machines have been improved and refined consistently
4. Many of the old slot machine companies were absolute artists
   • If you look at some of the original slot machines from the 1880s and 1890s and 1910s
   • If you look at some of the slot machines from the 1930s and 1940s and 1950s
   • You see a level of beauty and effort and artistry that is breath taking

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Slot Machine Design has been refined and near-perfected over 120 years and 80% or more of the time it is best to leverage Skeuomorphism and create Slot Machine Apps which closely resemble physical real world slot machines.

The remaining 10% to 20% of the time, if you are creating something truly new and innovative, then you would have to think outside the box and step outside all the Slot Machine conventions and create something brand new.