Short answer

When designing user interfaces, lean towards flat design conventions to enhance the user's perception of usability and reduce their experienced difficulty, even if objective performance metrics show no significant difference.

Field: User-Centred Design
Source: Multimodal Technologies and Interaction (2018)
Method: Experimental study with eye-tracking and user surveys.
Evidence: Moderate effect

Users generally perceive flat user interface designs as more usable than skeuomorphic designs, even when task completion times and error rates are similar. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2018 study published in Multimodal Technologies and Interaction. Using Experimental study with eye-tracking and user surveys., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing user interfaces, lean towards flat design conventions to enhance the user's perception of usability and reduce their experienced difficulty, even if objective performance metrics show no significant difference.

Study

User-Centred DesignHigh ImpactModerate effect

Flat UI Design Enhances Perceived Usability Over Skeuomorphism

Users generally perceive flat user interface designs as more usable than skeuomorphic designs, even when task completion times and error rates are similar.

Multimodal Technologies and Interaction · 2018

Key Findings

01Users perceived flat design as more usable than skeuomorphic design.
02No significant differences were found in icon recognizability or task completion time between the two design approaches.
03Skeuomorphic design was correlated with increased experienced difficulty.
04A correlation was found between design type and System Usability Scale (SUS) scores, though not consistently across all tested websites.

Application

Design takeaway

How to apply

When developing new interfaces or redesigning existing ones, conduct user testing with both flat and skeuomorphic variations (or elements) to gauge perceived usability and user preference.

Project actions

01When comparing design styles, ensure your tasks are representative of real-world usage.
02Use standardized usability questionnaires like SUS to gather quantitative data on user perception.

Method & Evidence

AimTo investigate user perception of skeuomorphic versus flat design in user interfaces, specifically regarding icon recognizability, task completion, and overall usability and aesthetic appeal.

MethodExperimental study with eye-tracking and user surveys.

ProcedureParticipants performed tasks on websites with either skeuomorphic or flat design variations. Data on icon recognition, task completion time, errors, and subjective usability (using SUS and meCUE questionnaires) were collected, alongside eye-tracking data.

ContextUser interface design for digital applications and websites.

Variables

IV["UI Design Style (Skeuomorphic vs. Flat)"]

DV["Perceived Usability (e.g., SUS scores, user ratings)","Icon Recognizability","Task Completion Time","Number of Errors","Experienced Difficulty"]

CV["Functionality of the interface","Specific tasks performed","User demographics (ideally, though often not controlled in published studies)"]

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Direct comparison of two prevalent design trends.
+Inclusion of both objective performance metrics and subjective user perception.
+Use of eye-tracking technology to potentially understand user behavior.

Limitations

It can be challenging to isolate the effect of design style alone, as other factors like color, typography, and layout also contribute to usability.

Reliability & validity

The use of standardized questionnaires (SUS, meCUE) enhances reliability. Validity is supported by the experimental design comparing objective and subjective measures, though the generalizability of findings may be limited by the specific interfaces and participant pool used.

Think critically

While flat design is perceived as more usable, are there specific contexts or user groups for whom skeuomorphism might still offer advantages in terms of learnability or affordance?

Design Principles

"Simplicity and clarity in visual design often lead to a better perceived user experience."

This insight is crucial for designers aiming to optimize user experience. While skeuomorphism relies on familiar real-world metaphors, flat design's simplicity and clarity can lead to a more intuitive and less cognitively demanding interaction, impacting user satisfaction and efficiency.

What This Means for Your Design

Flat designs feel easier to use than designs that try to look like real-world objects, even if people complete tasks just as quickly.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this study when justifying the choice of a flat design aesthetic for your user interface, particularly if aiming to improve perceived usability.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

Research indicates that users generally perceive flat user interface designs as more usable than skeuomorphic alternatives, even when objective performance metrics such as task completion time and error rates do not significantly differ. This suggests that the clarity and simplicity inherent in flat design contribute to a more positive user experience and reduced perceived difficulty, a finding supported by studies comparing user responses to functionally equivalent interfaces.

Source

Multimodal Technologies and Interaction

A Comparative Study of Skeuomorphic and Flat Design from a UX Perspective

journal · 2018

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about flat ui design enhances perceived usability over skeuomorphism?: When designing user interfaces, lean towards flat design conventions to enhance the user's perception of usability and reduce their experienced difficulty, even if objective performance metrics show no significant difference. Evidence: Multimodal Technologies and Interaction (2018).
Why does "Flat UI Design Enhances Perceived Usability Over Skeuomorphism" matter for design?: This insight is crucial for designers aiming to optimize user experience. While skeuomorphism relies on familiar real-world metaphors, flat design's simplicity and clarity can lead to a more intuitive and less cognitively demanding interaction, impacting user satisfaction and efficiency.
How can designers apply this research?: When designing user interfaces, lean towards flat design conventions to enhance the user's perception of usability and reduce their experienced difficulty, even if objective performance metrics show no significant difference.
What were the main findings?: Users perceived flat design as more usable than skeuomorphic design.. No significant differences were found in icon recognizability or task completion time between the two design approaches.. Skeuomorphic design was correlated with increased experienced difficulty.. A correlation was found between design type and System Usability Scale (SUS) scores, though not consistently across all tested websites.
What research method was used?: Experimental study with eye-tracking and user surveys..
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2018 journal from Multimodal Technologies and Interaction.
What should I do differently in my next project?: When developing new interfaces or redesigning existing ones, conduct user testing with both flat and skeuomorphic variations (or elements) to gauge perceived usability and user preference.
What are the limitations?: The study's findings on SUS scores were not consistent across all tested websites, suggesting that other website-specific factors might influence usability perception. The sample size and demographic characteristics were not specified, which could affect generalizability.