Affordance
Also called perceived affordance or visual affordance
The visual cues that tell people what they can do with an element, like a raised button that looks pressable or a grip that says "drag me".
export function InviteCard() {
return (
<form className='w-96 rounded-2xl border bg-background p-6'>
<h2 className='font-semibold'>Invite your team</h2>
<p className='mt-1 text-sm text-muted-foreground'>
Teammates can edit every project.{' '}
{/* Links inside text stay underlined. */}
<a
href='/docs/roles'
className='text-blue-600 underline underline-offset-2'
>
Learn about roles
</a>
</p>
{/* A visible border says "type here". */}
<input
type='email'
aria-label='Email address'
placeholder='name@company.com'
className='mt-4 h-10 w-full rounded-lg border bg-background px-3 text-sm'
/>
<div className='mt-4 flex justify-end gap-2'>
{/* Secondary: a border still reads as a button. */}
<button
type='button'
className='h-10 cursor-pointer rounded-lg border px-4 text-sm font-medium hover:bg-muted'
>
Copy invite link
</button>
{/* Primary: a solid fill and a soft shadow look pressable. */}
<button
type='submit'
className='h-10 cursor-pointer rounded-lg bg-primary px-4 text-sm font-medium text-primary-foreground shadow-md active:translate-y-px active:shadow-sm'
>
Send invite
</button>
</div>
</form>
);
}Review the interface for affordance: make every primary action a filled button at least 40px tall, give secondary actions a visible border, underline links inside body text, give text inputs a visible border, and add a six-dot drag handle with cursor: grab to every reorderable row. Don’t rely on hover alone, since touch screens have none.
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What is Affordance?
Strictly, an affordance is what an object lets you do; in interface design the word usually means how clearly an element shows it. A button with a fill, rounded corners, and a soft shadow looks pressable. A row with a six-dot grip looks draggable. The same word as plain text, or the same row without the grip, might work exactly the same, but few people will try.
Designers also call these visible hints signifiers. Common ones are filled or raised buttons, colored and underlined links, text fields with a border, drag handles, and a pointer that changes to a hand (cursor: pointer) or a grabbing hand (cursor: grab).
Weak affordances are a common problem in minimal and flat designs, where buttons turn into bare text and inputs lose their borders. If people hesitate or miss a feature, add a cue. Touch screens have no hover or cursor, so the cue has to be visible without them.
Related terms
All termsButton variants
A set of button styles, such as primary, secondary, outline, ghost, destructive, and link, that shows which action on a screen matters most.
Hover effect
A visual change, such as a lift, glow, or zoom, that happens when the mouse pointer moves over an element to show it can be clicked.
Drag to reorder
A list you can rearrange by dragging an item to a new spot while the other items slide aside to make room.
Flat design
A design style that uses solid colors, simple shapes, and clean type, with no gradients, textures, or realistic shadows.
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