10 recommendations for Android mobile app UI design

With the increasing distribution of various brands of mobile phones, the industry of mobile phone applications has become more and more popular. In addition to large development teams, small teams, and individual developers, they have joined this hot industry.

Each development cycle will sooner or later come to the point where the application is nearing completion. What are you going to do next? Have you ever paid attention to the "user experience" four words? Here are a few tips to help you develop a mobile app that improves quality before it's released and maximizes the potential of the application, minimizing the negative results of user reviews and low load.

1. First Open Experience

There are many similarities between good websites and mobile apps. Both can quickly attract users or visitors. If this is not done, users will likely turn to other alternatives. Most users are reluctant to waste time figuring out how to run an app or read a complex tutorial. They will choose to abandon the app.

When the app is first opened, the same 3 questions emerge in everyone's head : Where am I? What can I do now? What can I do next?

Try to get the application to answer these questions immediately. If you can tell users in the first few seconds that this is the right product for them, they are bound to dig deeper.

(Gowalla has a good first-time start-up experience.) The passport opens slowly, allowing you to instantly see your personal information, immediate suggestions, and more actions and notifications. )

2. Convenient Input Method

Think about how you use your mobile device: The developer's phone is quietly lying on a flat desktop, connected to a PC with a large keyboard , and perhaps fully backlit. Now, think about how other people use their smartphones: walk in the hustle and bustle of the street, grab a cup of coffee in one hand, hold the device in the other, and try to figure out what their favorite team is doing.

For most of the time, people use only 1 thumbs to navigate the app. Do not be stubborn with multi-touch and similar complex input methods, think more about scrolling and touch mode. Allows people to quickly complete the screen and information between the switch and navigation. So that they can quickly get the information they need, and cherish each user's input operation.

(You can simply touch and enter text to add new tasks to the Taskos app.) Of course, you can also modify many settings, but these are just optional actions. )

3. Contrast Ratio

Your development environment may be a room with a large screen and light, but the environment for users to use the app might not be the case. Although we do not want to, but we do often need to use the mobile device in a strong sunlight environment. This can have a big impact on our viewing screen, which should be taken into account when designing the interface. Under these poor conditions, the details can be lost, the color is unclear, and some elements disappear completely due to sunlight reflection.

This does not mean that you can only design the interface into black and white, discarding all the beautiful details of the UI design. This simply means that important elements should have enough contrast to make them easily identifiable under such conditions. If you want to paint the code elements, add options such as simple text labels. This is also possible if you want to use small details and information to improve the appearance of your application, just to make sure that your UI still works without these elements.

Set a clear level for the interface, rendering the most valuable features large and bright, completely removing any unimportant content.

(Although there are many options on the SoundHound screen, the main features are clearly presented at the top of the interface with bright and bold fonts.) )

4. Do not let users wait

No one likes to wait, especially in the mobile world. We take the equipment to the train, quickly reply to the email on the car, or check the weather forecast when we get out of the house. We use the time gap to do these little things, in exchange for more time to do what we really like to do. Don't let people wait for your app to do something. Improve application performance, change the UI, and make the results you need more quickly.

Of course, everyone can understand that some tasks take some time to execute, or the application needs to download some larger packets from the network. But don't let users wait without meaning. To make them feel that the task is being carried out. Add a "select" or "Push" state to the key, and you can add a rotation symbol when the load time is short, and you can use a progress bar for a longer load time. However, never let the user face the empty screen.

Waiting is always distressing. At least let users know how long they need to wait.

(TheGoogle Reader app displays a small rotation symbol at the top of the device, which appears whenever the app loads content in the background, so you realize that you may have to wait for a while.) )

5, do not forget the horizontal presentation method

Sometimes, you may forget that mobile devices do not have a single portrait presentation. While most people can adapt to applications that only support portrait mode, there are some who prefer to use their devices horizontally, especially those with physical keyboards. With the popularity of Android tablets, the number of such users may gradually increase.

Don't assume that landscape mode simply widens the application interface. Horizontal use of the device has a completely different user experience. In this case, you can interact with the screen with two thumbs. The input becomes simpler, and in most cases you will read from left to right, not from top to bottom. In fact, if your application requires a lot of reading and text input, you should definitely have a good landscape pattern.

For the user, the landscape experience is completely different. You can take advantage of this wider layout to present information in a completely different way. For example, the buttons previously located above the screen can be moved to the side of the screen. With a wider screen, maps, charts, and pictures can be used to present new information.

(Build and improve one screen orientation before making another.) Pay attention to the pros and cons of each layout and use and refine wisely. Youtoube The official version of the app designs different layouts for different orientation patterns, both of which work perfectly in their respective aspect ratios. )

6, the application of ecological system

While you can design unique applications that serve a wide range of user goals, it is always a step in the entire action series.

Think about the features your smartphone has: phone records, contacts, text messages, emails, browsers, photos and videos,GPS and maps. Take advantage of these features. For all of these built-in modules, you don't have to make them yourself. Users are already familiar with these standard tools and do not waste their energy on these content.

The following is a simple but extremely common action flow: a call to a place you are invited to. Check the time. Check the weather. Search for the location using Google Maps . Sign in with Foursquare . So, what part of your application is bound to the whole process?

No users will simply fiddle with their mobile devices for your application. But if you succeed in making a great software, they will be willing to integrate it into the daily mobile phone usage process. Make it easy for users to share or search for interesting information on the web so they can use your apps and other apps interchangeably.

(many apps will directly bind Android 's sharing mechanism.) You can use this as an advantage of your app. )

7. Make your application more unique

Currently, There are hundreds of thousands of apps on Android market. You may often ask yourself how to break through so many of the same applications. If you're trying to build a boring black-and-white Sudoku game, or a record app based on an official code sample, it's hard to get a decent amount of downloads.

Do not think there is no good application of the current market development space. User preferences vary by application type. Some people prefer a record app that can do almost everything, and some people just need a text editing app with Sync, and others just want a record app with a clear UI .

Regardless of which direction you choose, build an application with a certain feature. The operating system and core applications have provided all the basic functionality for the user. Make certain that you can use the built-in solution to attract users to the product, so that they can stand out. Treat your app as a small robot that lives on a smartphone. It communicates with you, tells you interesting things, and helps you complete your daily affairs. Do you want your robot to be smart, cute or funny?

Keep this in mind at the beginning of your app build. People like apps that match their personalities. If you want to build a photo sharing app, you can add a variety of themes and badges to it. If you want to build a location service app, consider simplifying it to only the most basic features and automating all of your content. A small change in application design vision can change the way the entire application and users are used.

(Feedly is also a news reader that integrates Google reader , but it uses a magazine-like presentation and a clear interface design, which is the difference between this app and other readers.) )

8. Make your application more secure

After the development of the application, you are sure to upload to the market will not be hacked, don't tease! In this person can be a cottage of the country, security or pay attention to it. After all, your application is safe, you can get the benefits you deserve, and will not give your users the loss of both worlds, he le?!

So, how do you enhance the security of the applications that you intend to develop? First of all, you can use Safe.ijiami This tool to detect what you develop the application package is vulnerable to hackers, a two-minute event, you can clearly know The security risks and vulnerabilities of the APK, Finally, a detailed report can be generated. Then, according to these vulnerabilities and then do the corresponding encryption protection measures! Don't worry, different applications have different solutions, learn more about portals:http://www.ijiami.cn/appprotect_mobile_games

9. Abide by the platform guiding Principle

While your goal is to create a unique application, it doesn't mean that every part of the app is completely different. Google provides a number of guiding principles for the design and development of Android applications. Be familiar with these principles. There is less time for people to study modern smartphones than you think. Don't let your apps spread across custom interactive elements, which makes their operations more difficult.

Learning to use an Android device requires the user to adapt to touch, input, shake, or even press the hardware keys from time to times. They need to identify styles such as input area, selection box, modal dialog box, and menu. Do you really want to add more burdens to them?

Use a simple and intuitive list. In the app open screen, use large icons to present the main features. Add headings as portals to the most commonly used features, allowing users to return to the open screen at any time. If you can't significantly improve the functionality of certain operations, keep them as they are. People will agree with the consistency of the application and the entire operating system.

Seriously study Google's interface and decision-making. Be familiar with the whole principle and use these principles when developing applications. However, it should not be too rigid. If you can improve certain elements, and you are sure that your actions are better than the principles suggested, then do it bravely!

(The majority of the actions ofCatch Notes users can be achieved with the large icon feature in the app, which adheres to the basic principles and works well.) )

10. Testing

All the users are different, we must face up to this problem. You can put as much effort into your application as possible, but you can't make everyone happy. Even the need to make the application suitable for most people is a difficult task.

Don't misunderstand my statement. Before you publish your app, you must take into account that different people may have different ways of using it. You need different people to test your app to find the most annoying problems and vulnerabilities. Big companies tend to spend $ thousands of on usability research, and hundreds of different types of users in expensive labs to test applications.

While this is a great way to improve your app's UI , most independent and small developers can't afford to do so much. However, do not use this as an excuse to abandon application testing. You can conduct low-cost testing and look for different groups of users, thereby dramatically improving your application to meet the needs of more users.

Install the application prototype on your development device and spend some money on small gifts and application testing. Start with coworkers and friends, and then target strangers you've never seen before. Most people are willing to take the time to experience new things, as long as you are polite and even willing to offer rewards for their cost-taking test applications.

Let them use the app as you expect, and then look at their use in detail. Tell them what the goal is, but try to help less, but don't let them get stuck somewhere. Soon, you'll find the application's flaws and bottlenecks.

Finally, it's time to publish to the market.

Don't make some mistakes that many developers make. Admittedly, you want to publish the app to the market and see what the user is going to think. However, the last few steps will make your first release more successful.

After confirming that you have finished testing your application, we need to consider some minor issues.

The apps you upload to Android Market should also come with the following 4 types of assets:

(1) application function Description

(2) HD app icon

(3) Small promotional banners appearing on Android market

(4) Large "recommended" images displayed next to apps in the Web Edition market

Do not underestimate any of these assets. Well-written presentations and clear and beautifully designed images will make your app stand out from the crowd. Users will be aware of the extra energy you are devoting to.

10 recommendations for Android mobile app UI design