Mimicry

The act of copying properties of familiar objects, organisms, or environments in order to realize specific benefits afforded by those properties.

In nature, mimicry refers to the copying of properties of familiar objects, organisms, or environments in order to hide from or deter other organisms. For example, katydids and walking sticks mimic the leaves and branches of plants to hide from predators, and the viceroy butterfly mimics the less tasty monarch butterfly to deter predators. In design, mimicry refers to copying properties of familiar objects, organisms, or environments in order to improve the usability, likeability, or functionality of an object. There are three basic kinds of mimicry in design: surface, behavioral, and functional. ...

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