/real-world-metaphors

name: real-world-metaphors
description: Cards, drawers, carousels and other patterns borrowed from the physical world. Use when designing layout patterns, gestures or navigation paradigms.
metadata:
  priority: 6
  pathPatterns:
    - "components/**"
    - "src/components/**"
    - "**/*.tsx"
    - "**/*.jsx"
    - "design-system/**"
    - "ui/**"
  promptSignals:
    phrases:
      - "card"
      - "carousel"
      - "drawer"
      - "metaphor"
      - "physical"
      - "skeuomorphic"
      - "gesture"
      - "swipe"
retrieval:
  aliases:
    - real world metaphors
    - skeuomorphism
    - physical ui patterns
    - card pattern
    - carousel
    - drawer navigation
  intents:
    - make ui feel intuitive
    - choose a layout pattern
    - design a card component
    - use familiar patterns
  examples:
    - should I use a card or a list here
    - make this feel more natural to interact with
    - which pattern fits this content best

Real-World Metaphors in UI

UI patterns borrowed from the physical world reduce the learning curve because users already know how they work. A card feels like something you can pick up. A carousel feels like flipping through a stack. A drawer feels like it slides out from the side. These metaphors carry affordance — the user knows what to do before reading any instructions.

Use them deliberately, not decoratively.

Common Metaphors and When to Use Them

Card

A card is a bounded, self-contained unit of content — like a physical index card or a product on a shelf.

**Use when:**

• Content items are discrete and comparable (products, people, articles, tasks)
• Each item needs to be scanned quickly and potentially acted on
• Items benefit from a visual thumbnail, image, or icon

**Key properties:**

• Cards should be graspable: elevation (`--shadow-sm`), border-radius, and clear boundary
• All cards in a set should be the same width; height can vary with content
• One primary action per card — secondary actions appear on hover or inside a detail view
• Cards imply "I can pick this up and do something with it" — if nothing happens on click, use a list instead

Carousel / Horizontal Scroll

A carousel borrows from the physical act of flipping through a stack or sliding items along a rail.

**Use when:**

• There are more items than fit the viewport and browsing is the primary mode
• Items have a natural visual order (steps, featured content, media)
• The user is expected to explore, not to find a specific item

**Caution:**

• Carousels hide content — important items should not live only inside a carousel
• Auto-advancing carousels reduce user control; prefer user-driven navigation
• On mobile, a horizontal scroll without explicit navigation dots feels more natural than arrows

Drawer / Side Panel

A drawer slides in from an edge, like a physical desk drawer — it brings additional context without replacing the current view.

**Use when:**

• Secondary detail is needed without losing context of the main view
• Editing or configuring an item while keeping the list visible behind
• Mobile navigation patterns (hamburger menu opens a side drawer)

**Key properties:**

• The drawer should feel anchored to an edge — left for navigation, right for detail/settings
• Always provide a clear close action (× button and clicking outside)
• The content behind should dim slightly (overlay) to signal the drawer is a layer above

Accordion

Like a physical folder that expands to reveal contents — collapses to save space, expands to show detail.

**Use when:**

• Content has a clear parent–child hierarchy
• Most users need only a few sections at a time
• Vertical space is constrained

Tabs

Like physical divider tabs in a binder — select a tab to see its section.

**Use when:**

• Content is divided into mutually exclusive, peer-level sections
• The user switches between sections frequently
• All tabs are equally relevant to the same context

**Caution:** Tabs imply peer-level, equal-importance sections. Do not use tabs for hierarchical navigation (use breadcrumbs or sidebar instead).

Tooltip

Like a sticky note attached to an object — appears on hover, provides brief additional context.

**Use when:**

• An icon or control needs a short label that would clutter the layout if always visible
• A term or value needs brief explanation in context

**Not a replacement for:** clear labels, inline help text, or documentation for complex features.

Principles for Using Metaphors Well

1. **The metaphor should match the interaction** — a card that does nothing on click creates a false affordance 2. **Don't mix metaphors** — a carousel inside a card inside a drawer creates cognitive noise 3. **Mobile borrows different metaphors than desktop** — swipe-to-dismiss, bottom sheets, and pull-to-refresh are mobile-native; forcing them onto desktop feels wrong in both directions 4. **Elevation reinforces the metaphor** — a card without shadow doesn't feel graspable; a drawer without an overlay doesn't feel layered

Review Checklist

• [ ] Does the chosen pattern match the physical metaphor users will intuit?
• [ ] Do cards have a clear primary action — not just decoration?
• [ ] Does the carousel or horizontal scroll have navigation affordance (dots, arrows, or partial next item visible)?
• [ ] Do drawers dim the background content to signal layering?
• [ ] Are physical metaphors consistent — the same pattern used for the same type of content throughout the product?