Tips for Android app design to get the best out of it
Android is the most widely used open source mobile operating system in the world based on the Linux kernel. The user interface is based on Direct Manipulation.
Until recently, no direction was provided for the basic elements that every app requires. Google has since created design guidelines, which remove the burden of small design decisions from app designers and developers. We can finally focus on the core value of the apps we’re creating and ensure a consistent experience across devices.
Android app designing is not so typical if you have time for it. You can learn from many websites free of cost. IDE is also available free of cost. What you need is to learn basic of Java and a little knowledge about XML files ans it's tags. If you want to make a good app such as server based or database based then you will have to work hard.
There are three steps for the perfect app: Design--> Develop--> Distribute
1. Android Dev. Creative Vision: This contains the creative vision for developing android apps, a quick glance would help non-designers or new designers get an idea as to how to plan the design.
2. Design Principles: Similar to the above it helps new designers get an idea as to how to plan the design and how to go about actually doing it.
3. Measurement Cheat Sheet - I: A simple relational guide for sizes of various design aspects for different screen sizes and pixel densities.
4. Measurement Cheat Sheet - II: A complex guide, similar to the one above, with easier reading, naming conventions as well as UI Design and Icon Templates.
5. Android Dev. Design Presets: Materials provided by the Android Design team, which can be used without restriction. It includes Photoshop Stencils, Illustrator tool kits, Icon Kit and Color Swatches.
6. Design UI Research: A discussion how the team applied ""Pulse Studies"" (iterative research sessions) in order to put new ideas, designs, and concepts in front of users on a regular basis; it requires minimal advance planning, it can have an immediate product impact, and it can meet urgent needs.
Why are Android apps so poorly designed?
Android developers have to design for a multitude of devices and it is extremely customization so there's no real 'proper' way to design an app. (Google is now starting this by releasing the UI guidelines)
The fact that Android users are reluctant to pay for apps is also a major factor as it is hard for the developers to put time into a design when they are not receiving money.
Things were pretty haphazard before Ice Cream Sandwich and the Android Design guidelines site. I think that a lot of designers just had more experience with iOS, its look and feel, and it was a priority for their team. Meanwhile, Android has typically secondary either in timeline or importance.
The best tool to design Android apps
Exactly what Google recommends: Eclipse, and the Android emulators. Also for graphics Paint.net is a nice free app that can come in handy for icons, and other graphics.
Unless you're simply talking about Design. In which case I would actually recommend learning some HTML, using notepad++ and a browser to see what it might look like, very quickly and easily. Once you've got a look you're going for, you're going to have to learn how to design in Android's graphical XML format, which is not always the nicest, but it's not terrible either.
Real Pixels (Android Apps on Google Play). It solves one particular designer's pain - it opens your graphic without scaling it (in 100%), even if it wasn't prepared for the screen resolution of the device that you are using.
There’s a lot of work that goes into Android app development, and a lot of time too. You’ll probably become addicted to your laptop, and you’ll probably fail at first, but stick it out. There’s money to be made in app design, and if you have the right mindset, yours can be just as successful as any others out there.
