[IxDA Discuss] Affordances in interface design

[Cecily Walker]

Hi Everyone,

I have a question that I'll preface with statement. I work for a
company that builds accounting software for the desktop. Screens for
data entry (i.e., paying bills, creating invoices) were designed to
look like the paper forms they were based on, and have looked like
this since the Windows 3.1 version of the software.

Research has shown us that new users frequently find this design
confusing. Stakeholders have told us that they want to hold on to this
design because "It's what our users are used to."

My question is this - does anyone have any resources that talk about
affordances in application design? If you don't have any resources,
I'll take opinions: how important is it that a  "Create Invoice"
screen resemble a paper invoice? How important is it that a payments
screen looks like a check?

Thanks in advance for your responses,
Cecily