• What Screens Want by Frank Chimero

Discussion Questions

1. What is the thesis of this article?

2. Where do you stand with the two ideological camps: flat and skeuo? 

3. What is a zoopraxiscope and how does it relate to web and interaction design? Find another example from filmmaking or another medium that has inspired digital design.


1. In the article, Frank Chimero places high significance on understanding the intrinsic nature of screen design. Specifically, he advocates for designers to consider the properties of the screen design and prioritize the adaptability and responsiveness over aesthetic considerations. By analyzing existing design case studies, Chimero emphasizes the need for the digital landscape to shift towards interfaces that resonate with the value of adaptability and responsiveness fostering a more inclusive and empowering digital landscape. The significant factor in shaping the digital environment is through the understanding of screens, no matter the type of display, size or user interaction with the screen, and to prioritize user engagement and equity. It is apparent in his analysis that Chimero is an advocator for the holistic approach to screen that transcends the mere visual aesthetics that may be designed with the intention to replace something else or for the purpose of profit. And he specifically advocates for the unexplored potential of digital interfaces to serve the diverse needs through flexiblity.

2. I think both of the ideological camps have their own pros and cons. Moreover with Flat design, it does create a sense of harmony with the screens as a medium as they are also flat in form as well. Specifically, the Flat design creates a clean, minimalist look that is easy to understand and is visually appealing to many people. In terms of the coding structure, Flat design allows for websites and applications to load faster as there is less elements to process for the screen interface. This approach in minimalism in the Flat screen design also directs the user specifically to their web interactions, showing clear navigation and it avoids ambiguity in the user’s actions. Overall, flat design is consistent and considers the accessibility that Chimero emphasizes in the article. However, flat design can lack visual hierarchy especially when it comes to display texts. This may confuse the user and in how they should navigate the web. And although simplicity is good, over-simplicity can lack visual interest, therefore lacking the user engagement with the screen interface. And in terms of accessibility, especially with touch screen devices, flat design elements may not be tapped properly which leads to the usability issues of flat design. Meanwhile Skeuo design has lots of potential to create physicality in the interfaces so that the design is more intuitive and familiar. Skeuo design can also create highly immersive experience by replicating that realism we would experience in the physical realm. In terms of usability, Skeuo design includes very clear visual cues for the users and further reduces confusion on user interaction. However, the coding of Skeuo design can take longer times to load as it will deal with more graphical elements. This may interfere with the user engagement and decrease their interests in the site. And sometimes, Skeuo design may not be consistent throughout different platforms and devices. Specifically, this may not be helpful for designing a brand identity. Personally, I do like connecting the physicality of elements to the digital landscape so I would choose Skeuo for the purpose being able to use visible metaphors to create an engaging narrative especially for the purpose of marketing or showcasing someone’s ideas.

3. A zoopraxiscope was invented by Eadweard Muybridge and it was one of the earliest forms of motion picture in the 19th century. Specifically, it consisted of a set of photographs that could be spun on a disk and in its motion, the photographs would create the illusion of motion (i.e. the horse galloping). In terms of the web and interaction design, they both create illusion of motion focusing on the perception of the users. Specifically, screen interface designs can display various aspects such as animation in the interface interactions. Like how the zoopraxiscope uses sequential images for motion, animations on the web also use sequential images called frames to stimulate movement. One example is the GIF. An example that is common in filmmaking and is common in design is storyboarding. Designers use storyboarding to visualize the user journey with rough sketches before advancing to their testing stages. In digital design, web designers can actually map out the flow of their website both online (i.e Figma) or on paper. They can prototype the interactions and experiment with visual elements before going to code their implementation. Using a series of frames allows for designers to ensure usability and increase user engagement in their screen designs.