Designing Native Android Apps
Making apps look and feel at home on Android
Ryan Harter
● Freelance Android Developer
● Develop mobile apps for 5+ years
● http://ryanharter.com
Differentiators
● Sharing● Widgets● Rich Notifications● Action Bar● Navigation● Launcher Icons● Launch Image
Sharing
● Support Dynamic Sharing● Let user choose app based on type
○ image○ text○ url○ etc.
● Multiple sharing dialog options
Sharing - Standard and Custom
Sharing - Quick Share
Widgets
● Provide quick access to information● No need to launch app● Support Basic Interaction
○ Lists○ Galleries○ Buttons
● Resizable
● Encourages Launcher Placement!● Prime Real Estate
Widgets - Examples
Widgets - Resizing
Rich Notifications
● Support Rich Contents (more than just text)○ Images○ Dynamic Data
● Interaction○ Allow (read: Promote) Interaction
● Expandable● Ongoing Notifications
○ Give Users Data and Control
● Promotes Interaction
Rich Notifications - Examples
Rich Notifications - Ongoing
Action Bar
● Contain Custom Controls● Most used Action Items● Action Overflow for lower priority actions
○ This is behind the menu button for phones that have one
● Split to utilize space● Can contain navigation (Tabs or Spinner)
Action Bar - Standard
1. Logo (defaults to App Icon)a. Provides Contextb. Can include up affordance
2. Spinner Navigationa. Top level navigationb. Defaults to current Activity name
3. Action Items4. Overflow Menu
Action Bar - Split and Sizes
Action Bar - Contextual
● Contextual Action Bar○ Used for selected items/text
● Change appearance to add context
● Provide action items for selected data
Navigation
Two Navigation Styles● Temporal
○ System back button○ Never put on screen, required on all devices
● Hierarchical○ Up Button (Top left of Action Bar)
Navigation
Navigation - List Exception
Launcher Icons
● Distinct Silhouette○ Makes your app easier to find○ Allows added branding
● Top-down Perspective● Multiple Per App
○ Each Activity can have it’s own launcher icon
● Allows added branding in launcher icon● Eases discovery
Launcher Icons - Distinct Silhouettes
Launcher Icons - Multiple
● G+ Photos & Google+○ Multiple entry points ○ Support main use cases
● Use Sparingly
Launch Image
● Not a splash screen○ Apple guidelines say to make it look like an empty
first view, doesn’t make sense on Android● No purpose on Android
Resources
Excellent resources for Android Design Guidelines
http://developer.android.com/design/index.html