The flat color user interface trend + apps with gestures, Part II: A Happy Medium

Right after I wrote my last post, I saw this post from Jeremy Olson, "Buttons are not the enemy," where he made a valid point that it only makes sense to have gesture-only interfaces on simple apps:

Virtually buttonless experiences can delight but that only works when you eliminate not just the buttons but the functions as well. Imagine if Clear attempted to include even half of the functionality of power-user apps like OmniFocus and maintain a relatively buttonless interface; it’s impossible.

I agree with this, but maybe we can make buttons feel less button-y. A great example is Figure, a .99 music making app by Propellerhead (makers of Reason).Figure is more complex than other gesturing apps like Clear. The use of buttons is necessary, yet it feels less button-y by using flat UI. But the really nice thing about Figure is the great use of animations. When you touch a flat knob button, the animations signal there is some gesturing involved to "turn" the knobs. The mix of levers, buttons and gestures that make this app really fun to play with. This is 'The Happy Medium' to me.If this Figure followed the skeuomorphism theme, it would probably look more like Propellerhead's other product, Reason. The realistic knobs feel dated and it doesn't feel nearly as modern or fun.[see part I]