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> Computer UIs need animations for the same reason they need shadows, gradients, and momentum: The thing about design principles is that the designer picks the

> Computer UIs need animations for the same reason they need shadows, gradients, and momentum: The thing about design principles is that the designer picks the one that justifies their decision, which is more like fashion than anything. For example: Windows 8 swept away shadow, and semi-transparent material in the name of flat design, making it resemble Windows 2.0. Windows 10 brought back shadow. Windows 11 brought back Semi-transparent material and also rounded corners buttons from Windows 2.0. Gradients have been banished and missing for a decade, but I am waiting for a come-back. > because these are aspects of the physical world that we already know how to interpert, so can be used "for free" to aid our understanding of the UI. The above could also apply to more than just shadows, gradients, and momentum. Skeuomorphic icons help users understand functions but we have shape & outlines resembling hieroglyphs. I doubt we are getting skeuomorphic icons back ever because font icons are just too awesome for designers. Most real world buttons are elevated off the surface to let us know it is pressable, but digital buttons now just have a white or colored pill shape around it. I can't recall the last time I saw a pill shaped button in the real world.

faceplanted 3y ago
> Most real world buttons are elevated off the surface to let us know it is pressable, but digital buttons now just have a white or colored pill shape around it. I can't recall the last time I saw a pill shaped button in the real world. Well not really, real world buttons are elevated off the surface because of the practicalities of producing buttons and attaching them to a surface, some of the material has to be above the surface and some below for it to clamp on. Buttons are also usually produced as separate components and thus tend to be round or square because it's more mechanically simple and suits the most use cases, labels can be put around the button. Computers have completely different mechanics, all buttons can be a bespoke size and shape, and they're inherently not tactile, the pill shape is just the easiest way to allow a button with variable width for variable font sized text, because it's easier to put the text on the button itself digitally than irl.
- aembleton 3y ago
  In the real world, toggle switches cannot jump instantly from one state to another but on a computer they can because of completely different mechanics. Either we want to resemble the real world or we don't or it depends on what is currently fashionable.

faceplanted 3y ago

> Most real world buttons are elevated off the surface to let us know it is pressable, but digital buttons now just have a white or colored pill shape around it. I can't recall the last time I saw a pill shaped button in the real world. Well not really, real world buttons are elevated off the surface because of the practicalities of producing buttons and attaching them to a surface, some of the material has to be above the surface and some below for it to clamp on. Buttons are also usually produced as separate components and thus tend to be round or square because it's more mechanically simple and suits the most use cases, labels can be put around the button. Computers have completely different mechanics, all buttons can be a bespoke size and shape, and they're inherently not tactile, the pill shape is just the easiest way to allow a button with variable width for variable font sized text, because it's easier to put the text on the button itself digitally than irl.

aembleton 3y ago
In the real world, toggle switches cannot jump instantly from one state to another but on a computer they can because of completely different mechanics. Either we want to resemble the real world or we don't or it depends on what is currently fashionable.