Flat design allows a designer to focus on more of the important aspects of a design in early stages. Choosing the right shadow, gradient, texture, whatever is

Flat design allows a designer to focus on more of the important aspects of a design in early stages. Choosing the right shadow, gradient, texture, whatever is certainly NOT going to make or break your design. Jack Dorsey has said that the best products disappear to the user, and I couldn't agree more. It doesn't matter as much what a button looks like but more what it does and that the design of that button accurately conveys what that action will be. A good design (flat or not) will bring users in but it will not retain them on it's own; functionality is clearly what makes all great products thrive. Flat designs are inherently lighter and cleaner, which allows users to focus on functionality and user experience. So then, for a novice designer, why bother trying to make complicated skeuomorphic designs that can potentially distract users? (Anyone who has tested an early product with users will know what I mean by "distract" - all those times when a tester spends most their time giving you feedback on colors, font sizes, and layouts of a design instead of the overall utility of the product.) The thought that always comes to my mind regarding this topic is how "delete" buttons are implemented. Often times a classic "trash can" icon is used to depict the delete action. But how often do you ever see an old aluminum trash can anymore? Not very often. Eventually this icon will make absolutely no sense to users (like an old proverb that your parents used to use). However, the word "delete" will likely be around for a lot longer. Using that little trash can icon might save space and help to improve the overall aesthetic of your site/app, but it will never be as clear as a big red "delete" button.