Skeuomorphism
Rendering digital things as their physical ancestors — stitched leather, glossy buttons, page curls — so that borrowed material logic explains unfamiliar behavior.
Example usage
“The synth app is fully skeuomorphic: brushed-metal panels, rocker switches, a patch cable you drag.”
Editor’s note
Skeuomorphism is a teaching aid that outlived the lesson: the gloss and felt of early touchscreens taught a planet what was tappable, and flat design then cleared the scaffolding. It returns whenever the material changes — every translucent-glass wave is skeuomorphism with better shaders. Mock the leather if you like, but the instinct underneath was sound: an affordance borrowed is an affordance taught.