Android design: Hard injury, android hard Injury

Android design: Hard injury, android hard Injury
[Core tips]Some Android apps are not only about the design style, but also about chaotic product interaction, resulting in inconsistent user experience. This is also a part of the reason why Android was originally designed.

A few days ago, NovaDNG introduced Android Design and embedded MIUI Design. Some Android apps are not only about Design style, but also about chaotic product interaction, resulting in inconsistent user experience, this is part of the reason why Android was originally designed.

At this year's Google I/O conference, the Android version was not updated. Google focuses on integrated services, there have been no substantive updates from 4.1 to more than a year now, and there are still many problems with Android. Developers have different understandings of Android Design, don't you want to solve it. A unified operation experience allows users to know where to perform similar operations at any time, which is an excellent operating system. Although there are many interactions after Android 4.0, there are still various problems that cause fragmentation. Different developers have different solutions for the same requirement. And Google hasn't figured out how to solve the problem of using the return key and menu key.

According to the Android 4.X design standard, physical return keys and menu keys do not actually exist. After 4. X, Google removes the menu key in the Navigation Bar. If the return key is not removed, it is in line with the user's usage habits. It is easy to click at the bottom of the screen. The menu key (the menu in 4.X is not a menu key strictly. Google calls it Action Overflow. In order to describe the image, this document uses the menu key instead) there is no location constraint in the screen, and it is almost impossible to place it wherever you want, and sometimes it is very difficult to click.

However, what we see is the ubiquitous menu, which has repeated functions, and there is no need for menus. And as long as you want to return, there is always a suitable one for you.

In fact, the menu key after is designed to weaken the menu function. It is also designed to make the interface concise and better display content. Menu integration options should be very uncommon for users, such as setting (the software does not need to change the settings frequently), scoring, feedback, logout, and help. However, it is appropriate to add a menu key to the Action Bar. Even Google Apps have unreasonable design problems.

 

Meaningless duplicate menu

Click the menu in the lower-right corner of Gmail. the pop-up options include "feedback" and "help", but click "Settings" and there is a menu in the upper-right corner, the pop-up options are "feedback" and "help ". In this way, the Split Action Bar and Main Action Bar are set with duplicate functions, which makes it difficult to unify the user experience. Looking at Evernote again, it's really a little blue compared to Gmail. In memory, Evernote should have been an Android Design-style application launched very early, and the Design is very well-fit and the system is very beautiful, however, in almost the same interaction layer, there are three menu keys to call up the "Settings" and "synchronization" options. I can't figure out why I want to direct so many scattered menus to the same operation. There is no need for a menu design to create meaningless repetition.

 

 

When you switch to the "view me" Tab of the Douban movie client, only one "setting" option is displayed after the menu key in the upper right corner is clicked, in this case, it is necessary to add the menu key with only one option in the upper right corner to find the sense of presence. You can directly use the setting options instead, but you have to use the menu key to bring up the setting. If you do not need to set menus, do not confuse them with the menu keys. In this way, the Android style is unified, but the cost of user operations is increased, which outweighs the loss.

 

The menu key should be added only when necessary. When adding the menu key, you must be clear about the functions contained in the key and the most appropriate options for these functions.If the menu contains many different options and different options are displayed in different scenarios, you can refer to the Google + client and place the menu on the Main Action Bar, this ensures consistency during Content Switching. Meizu's SmartBar originally wanted to integrate the menu in Split Action Bar and Main Action Bar to unify the key position, hoping to provide the same solution in all applications. Comments in one sentence: the ideal is very plump, and the reality is very skinny.

 

 

Unlimited tangle return

Android applications usually have built-in return on the interface, which is also in the upper left corner of the iOS page. However, as the screen size of the mobile phone is becoming more and more flat, it is increasingly difficult to click the return in the upper left corner of the operation. As a result, the Return key in the upper-left corner is becoming more and more like a false one, and even cannot be seen as a button. The return on the Navigation Bar is at the system layer and can be returned at any time. Not only can the application return the previous layer, but also can return from an application to the previous application that calls the application (this requirement exists, however, you can use the task switching method instead of using the return key to return to the previous application. For example, it is very easy to slide the switching task with a gesture on the iPad, is there a better solution than a ready-to-use switchover task on a mobile phone? You can also consider using various sensors ).

In many cases, after you press the return key, you do not even know which layer will be returned. In addition, some applications provide too many return methods, such as the design of Yiyun music. There are three return methods on the music playing interface to the previous layer, not to mention clicking the menu key to bring up the design of "back to home", and then looking at the Flipboard, there are also three return methods, in addition to the return in the upper left and lower left corner, but also the return of the right slide gesture, gestures are much more powerful than those returned after the menus are called up by Netease cloud music. To cultivate the user's habit of a natural operation method, it is not always good to know how to perform similar tasks clearly and give users more choices, this will not only increase the learning cost for users, but also lead to inconsistent experience. You do not need to add new interaction methods to the product, adding a gesture to a product also takes into account the fit of the gesture in the entire product.

 

There are still no rules for exiting the application. If you have to use the return key to exit the application, you can press the return key once to exit directly. If you need to quickly connect to the application and press the return key twice to exit, you can also press the return key to pop up a window to prompt you if you want to exit. You can also add the exit option to the application. In the dialog box that appears, the "Confirm" and "cancel" locations are inconsistent. There is no prompt for a single response, which makes the user feel insecure. the pop-up prompt puts another stress on the user's choice. Even two responses and exits, sometimes the design is redundant. This is thanks to the Return key at the Android system layer. By the way, I spoke about the design of the Youku client. After I click a return key on the homepage, the light blue banner is displayed on the top of the page, prompting the user that the white and light blue are very weak, so that the prompt is too gentle, it is also placed at the top. Maybe you don't want me to leave, but since I decided to leave, please let me go cleanly. Otherwise, I often feel no feedback after clicking back.

 

In my opinion, it is better to send a prompt to the user after two return exits. If a pop-up window shows a prompt to the user, it is better to directly exit by one return key. All Google's Apps exit directly with the return key. There is no prompt. Which of the following methods is more in line with the user's expectations? I don't know, but I have no specific user research, I only know that Google does not adopt a standard to exit the application. In fact, the Home key, as a stable exit, will not change. It is most reasonable to exit the application. The iPhone was done right at the beginning. Of course, some obsessive-compulsive users have to come back and end the application, you can't feel at ease when you kill the process.

Now the return key in the upper left corner is more like a label pointing to the top layer, and the style of the button has been deprecated. To keep the margin, Google makes the return in the upper right corner very small, but the trigger area is very large. You can click the text or icon to return to the upper layer. So we can see different situations. In addition, let's talk about the MIUI. Click the return button in the upper left corner of the MIUI system. The return key is highlighted, but the user can hardly see the feedback. This highlight is meaningless. Meizu simply removes the return from the upper left corner of the system.

 

In addition, in the design of Google +, return symbols are used to call up the left drawer menu. Many applications also follow this style, so the return key in the upper left corner sometimes calls up the drawer menu, sometimes it is returned to the previous layer. The same design has different effects. Although the impact is not great, it is indeed not a good design. However, in the new Google Drive and Earth versions, the menu style has been changed. It is estimated that the subsequent applications will be changed. Be cautious when referring to Google's application design.

 

Ignored user prompt

Generally, the Android app only specifies the position of the user's current operation option in the top Main Action Bar. What is invisible in the previous step. On iOS, no matter which step of the operation, you can clearly see the current operation options and where the previous step is. When there are not many application interaction layers, it may be insignificant design, however, the user experience may be significantly different in some continuously redirected applications.

For example, in the App Store Design, the current position and the information returned from the previous layer on the left are displayed on the top Title. When downloading Coogle Maps, we can see recommendations and jump to Chrome, the top Title will show that I jumped from the Google Maps application. Click here to return to the application information of Google Maps. In Google Play, you can jump from the introduction of an App to another App step by step. You do not know the position you are operating when you go deeper. Click the return in the Main Action Bar at the top, and do not know to return to that layer. Apps are always displayed. Coupled with the feedback that the return key on the Navigation Bar is inconsistent with the return key in the upper left corner, there is no sense of security and lack of control.

 

What is good interaction is to let the user know at a glance what kind of feedback will be generated after clicking a button, in line with the user's expected results.Android still has a lot of room for improvement in detail processing. In my downloaded application, only AirDroid is displayed in the Main Action Bar, although there are only two layers. Although the Android Design principles are followed, is this principle a reasonable solution to some problems?

In order to improve efficiency, users are not allowed to jump to the next step, so that they can complete interaction at this layer. Google Play 4.0 uses a card-type design style that is simple and beautiful, and the display method on the display Apps is excellent. However, the menu key design is really small, and the trigger area is acceptable, however, the menu is too small to exist. The interface is much more neat, but it is not that convenient to click. The buttons on the App Store are much larger and concise.In the simple interface and functional design, we need to constantly break in and find a good balance point, which requires both simple and beautiful interface presentation and simple and convenient interaction.

 

 

Holo is just a theme Style

Follow the Android design specifications, not necessarily the holo style. For example, the design of the top Tab of the Path Android version complies with the specifications in terms of operation methods, and beautifies the UI design. If all apps are Holo topics, users are prone to aesthetic fatigue. Looking at the Google Keep card design, although it is not the design standard that Google recommends to Android Developers, the design trend of Google can also be seen from the settings of the new Google Play Store, developers can also refer to this type of card design, and there is no need to die on the Tab.

So far, I still think that the design logic of the iPhone is the simplest and most durable, although some design is not reasonable. For example, if you organize a large number of apps (in combination with iTunes, you can still say that), the returned results in the upper-left corner do not conform to the clicking habits (given that iPhone 5's single-handed screen operations can work together ). Its design specifications unify the overall experience of the system and give many developers the space to design, such as Path, Clear, Mailbox and other outstanding applications. Android is imitating and catching up with each other. fragmentation is not only incompatible with the chaos of version 2.X-4.X. Although the design style of Android has gradually become a climate, however, the design logic still needs to be improved. At least some interaction methods should be unified.

Unless otherwise stated, geek observation is an original report of geek Park. For more information, see the author and original article links.
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Android buttons include images by default. The called image resources are controlled by specific codes. Developers must understand the implementation methods of these codes, droiddraw generates some pre-written code to call the default image.

The UI design involves many principles, such as point-to-point display, effect implementation, interface human-computer interaction principle, and memory usage optimization, therefore, the interface of different dpi is not just a simple adjustment of the png size (if it is just a simple scaling, it is much faster to use the global code ). Different UI designers have their own different implementation methods. For example, I prefer to use photo to execute Batch scripts.

Android Interface Design Problems

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