In all fairness, I hope we wouldn’t. OOUI has so much more elements that
have no alternative in Apex theme, even accessible checkboxes are not
present in Apex (see
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T162849).
Retiring Apex, not reinstating it, seems like the best solution at this
point, since Wikimedia developers and designers have a pretty average
track record when it comes to consistent development of alternative
solutions (e. g., current skins).
The research itself is a bit misleading and sensationalising: it doesn’t
compare stylistic elements of flat design and skeuomorphism, it
essentially compares bad design practices (bad styling of CTA/primary
button, styling tabs like some kind of buttons, styling links like text)
and good practices. It should not be taken at word, although usually
Nielsen Norman Group have good points in their studies.
On 06/09/2017 13:22, Bartosz Dziewoński wrote:
OOUI was originally created with a classic design for
buttons and
other fields, and that theme (now called 'Apex') is still available
and maintained.
https://doc.wikimedia.org/oojs-ui/master/demos/?theme=apex We could
switch to it at a moment's notice. Personally I wouldn't mind seeing
it again ;)
Still, buttons in the default theme are not entirely "flat", they have
at least borders (or strong backgrounds) to distinguish them. The
biggest problem is the existence of 'frameless' buttons (in both
themes), which look just like normal text if they don't have an icon
or something.