Android app is software that runs on Android devices or Emulators. The apps are mainly developed on JAVA. The official development platform is Android Studio, but now we are seeing android apps developed on Visual Studio using C#.
You can get the android apps from the largest distributor Google Play Store. Moreover, you can also install them from APK files. APK stands for Android Package; it’s like a zip file containing source code, resources, and information.
Android App is built in two phases Android app Development and Android app Design. In this article, we will learn about android app design.
Let’s dig in.
Android App Design
App design is focused on UI; it is concerned with the appearance and aesthetic of the app. Designing is significantly less technical than development because we don’t have to write long lines of codes.
Designing is the first process, and to get it right, the designer first understands the horizon of the app. This process allows the designer to design the app in a better way.
The app is designed in wireframe (screen sketches of an app) then the wireframes are implemented in the development phase. The wireframes are created on different software like Adobe XD, Illustrator, Sketch etc.
In short, android app design deal with the aesthetics and User Interface of an android app.
Features of Android App Design
Many features of android app design make them more responsive and attractive than others. Let’s learn about some key features of the android app design.
Simpleness
Simpleness is crucial because a cluttered app is challenging to understand. Clutters also reduce the user’s interest in the app as it is difficult to use, which causes frustration, and the user will try to find other apps for their need.
That is why android app design uses an icon-oriented and straightforward interface. It helps the user to understand the app in a better way.
Vivid Color Scheme in Android APP Design
Android app Design always features bright and vivid color schemes because they are more eye-catchy and beautiful. The colour scheme is easy on the eyes and attracts more users. Moreover, the app also looks more appealing and professional.
Flexibility
Flexibility means feasible for every android device. There are many android smartphones with different screen size and resolution. So, an inflexible app will work perfectly on a particular device but will struggle on small and big devices.
That is why android apps have a flexible design so that the app will be compatible with android devices.
Visual Interface
Android app design uses more visual content; it has more icons and pictures than iOS, making it more understandable and easier to use. This practice not only reduces the font-weight but also provides us with more colors.
Similar Screens
Android App design uses similar screens for multiple paged app. It has a similar design and User Interface, which reduces the app size and makes it more attractive and enchanting.
Difference between Android App Design and iOS App Design
Android and iOS apps have a pretty different interface, but the functionality behind them is the same. Like WhatsApp performs the same functions, but interfaces have differences in many aspects like colours, icons, navigation, etc.
Here we will describe some key differences between android and iOS app design.
Design
iOS apps use Human Interface design. In this approach, designers use minimalism, nippy elements with flat colours and typography.
On the other hand, Android uses Material design. Material design is the upgraded version of human interface design with a hint of skeuomorphism.
Navigation
Top of the screen, we have a drawer menu or back button on the left in Android, accompanied by an action item and an overflow menu on the right side.
Top screen navigation is different in iOS; we have a previous tab along with a back button on the left and the current tab mentioned on right side with a control button.
Moreover, we have slight differences between the primary, secondary and back navigation of Android and iOS.
Buttons
The human interface design supports the title case, and the material design of the Android app uses uppercase with styled buttons.
Both android and iOS use floating buttons.
Typography
Android is using Roboto for years, and it has more white space between texts.
iOS has recently changed its font to San Francisco from Helvetica Neue. They mainly use Bold type, unlike Android, to create hierarchy.
Both systems have their differences among other elements like cards, control design, icons and screen resolution.
Popular Android App Design Template
Template are pre-designed apps that a designer can use to design an android app to meet short deadlines; as all the programming is there, you have to change the data.
Below are some popular android app templates that you can use.
Wowonder Android Messenger
This template allows you to design a chat application. The application is ready to use and has a beautiful interface. We can send and receive text messages, audio messages, audio calls and video calls; moreover, we can share and upload images.
Material X
It is an all-around UI template that allows you to use it in a wide range of apps. The template has a beautiful interface in which you can conveniently implement codes. The features of Material X include grid, list, and tab view along with a media player, social media timeline and e-commerce shopping.
Your Video Channel in Android App Design
This template allows you to develop your own video player platform like YouTube. It has YouTube integration and uses PHP and MySQL for the admin panel.
Food Delivery
Food Delivery is a solid template developed on Flutter for cross-platform mobile apps. The hefty back-end has a PHP Laravel framework for extreme security. The template can manage multiple restaurants and integrate google maps for location.
Commonly used Android App Design Software
App designers are always in search of a reliable and trustworthy designing partner on which they can design their android apps with ease.
Below are the four best android app design software that you can use for designing
Sketch
The sketch is a light UI/UX design software based on Macs. It is the perfect fit for modern designers as it works pretty much like Adobe Photoshop, but its primary function is to wireframe and prototype apps.
Adobe XD
Adobe XD is a sketch alternative app design software for Windows. XD is better, faster, and easier than the sketch, but a few missing features make the sketch superior.
Axure RP
Axure RP is an app design software for professional designers. It delivers all the functionalities that a designer required from start to end. It allows the designer to design wireframes, mockups, flowcharts, UI design, and much more, along with prototyping.
Origami Studio
Origami is a Facebook developed design software; they have used it to design apps like messenger, Facebook and Instagram. The software is now available for free, the tools are complex, but the functionality is incredible.
Best Android App Design Practice
Responsive layout in Android App Design
Android devices are available in a wide variety; we have 5-inches Android devices to 7-inches foldable mobile devices. Moreover, there are same-sized screens with more pixel density. So, the app needs to be responsive; otherwise, it will not work on different sized mobile screens.
In this case, it’s better to use dp instead of other units like px. dp stands for a density-independent pixel which means the appearance will be uniform irrespective of screen density.
Hierarchy
It allows straightforward navigation through the elements of the apps. To achieve hierarchy, the central part must have the most weight to draw attention. The other less essential elements must have lesser weight and different colour to pop the main element.
Floating Action Button
The floating action button is a symbol of android apps as it is an integral component of material design. The button represents the primary action on the screen. It uses easy to understand icon with no text.
An example of a floating action button is the compose button in WhatsApp and Gmail.