Android & Co - open source goes mobile

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Dan Romescu Premium Member Group moderator
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Designing For Android
For designers, Android is the elephant in the room when it comes to app design. As much as designers would like to think it’s an iOS world in which all anyones cares about are iPhones, iPads and the App Store, nobody can ignore that Android currently has the majority of smartphone market share and that it is being used on everything from tablets to e-readers. In short, the Google Android platform is quickly becoming ubiquitous, and brands are starting to notice.

But let’s face it. Android’s multiple devices and form factors make it feel like designing for it is an uphill battle. And its cryptic documentation is hardly a starting point for designing and producing great apps. Surf the Web for resources on Android design and you’ll find little there to guide you.

If all this feels discouraging (and if it’s the reason you’re not designing apps for Android), you’re not alone. Fortunately, Android is beginning to address the issues with multiple devices and screen sizes, and device makers are slowly arriving at standards that will eventually reduce complexity.

This article will help designers become familiar with what they need to know to get started with Android and to deliver the right assets to the development team. The topics we’ll cover are:

Demystifying Android screen densities,
Learning the fundamentals of Android design via design patterns,
Design assets your developer needs,
How to get screenshots,
What Android 3 is about, and what’s on the horizon.

Here the complete article: http://coding.smashingmagazine.com/2011/06/30/designing-for-...
- 07 Jul 2011, 04:49 am
Dan Romescu wrote: > For designers, Android is the elephant in the room when it comes to > app design. As much as designers would like to think it’s an iOS > world in which all anyones cares about are iPhones, iPads and the App > Store, nobody can ignore that Android currently has the majority of > smartphone market share and that it is being used on everything from > tablets to e-readers. In short, the Google Android platform is > quickly becoming ubiquitous, and brands are starting to notice. > > But let’s face it. Android’s multiple devices and form factors make > it feel like designing for it is an uphill battle. And its cryptic > documentation is hardly a starting point for designing and producing > great apps. Surf the Web for resources on Android design and you’ll > find little there to guide you. > > If all this feels discouraging (and if it’s the reason you’re not > designing apps for Android), you’re not alone. Fortunately, Android > is beginning to address the issues with multiple devices and screen > sizes, and device makers are slowly arriving at standards that will > eventually reduce complexity. > > This article will help designers become familiar with what they need > to know to get started with Android and to deliver the right assets > to the development team. The topics we’ll cover are: > > Demystifying Android screen densities, > Learning the fundamentals of Android design via design patterns, > Design assets your developer needs, > How to get screenshots, > What Android 3 is about, and what’s on the horizon. > > Here the complete article: > http://coding.smashingmagazine.com/2011/06/30/designing-for-android/

Android & Co - open source goes mobile

Designing For Android