When it comes to Android app development, style and design may not trump substance, but they certainly play an important role in whether or not your Android app is successful. Here are 10 Android UI design tips -- plus a bonus one -- for improving the visual appeal of your Android apps.
![]() |
Shane Conder and Lauren Darcey--Contributing Editors, Mobile Development--have coauthored two books on Android development: an in-depth programming book entitled Android Wireless Application Development (ISBN-13: 978-0-321-62709-4) and Sams Teach Yourself Android Application Development in 24 Hours (ISBN-13: 978-0-321-67335-0). When not writing, they spend their time developing mobile software at their company and providing consulting services. | ![]() |
We've all seen apps that grind to a halt while trying to load some gigantic graphic file that is not only the wrong size, but a less-than-ideal format. The Android platform supports a number of media formats, such as PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP and WebP (Android 4.0+). PNG is the ideal format for lossless images, while JPEG quality is "tweakable."
Android also supports stretchable graphics with Nine-Patch. Consider using WebP, when available, in place of JPEG, as it may be a more efficient choice when it comes to storage and download sizes. That said, if used as a separate set of images alongside older formats, the overall package size will be larger, offsetting any benefits of using the newer format.
Applying subtle animations during screen transitions and UI control color differentiation to communicate application state changes adds professional flair to your applications. For example, fading between activities makes screen transitions less jarring, while changing the color of a button control when it is pressed highlights a user action as it is taking place, clarifying what the user is doing.
Turning on hardware acceleration, available on Android 3.x and later, may allow animations to run more smoothly. But test well, as not all features are available when hardware acceleration is enabled for the app.
Just like bad color schemes, we've all had family members send us unreadable text in some wacky font that was likely designed by demented, calligraphy-obsessed monks who drank too much mead. Certain fonts are easier to read than others.
Font size is also a factor -- make the font as big as possible without losing the balance with other screen features. Just like with a fax machine, fonts below 12pt are usually not a good idea.
The designers of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) designed a new font just for the platform -- one that is easy to read on a mobile device. It's called Roboto.
Many of the most successful mobile applications leverage user interface patterns that users are familiar with. They have simple, streamlined user interfaces that use controls as they were intended to be used. Don't try to be too different when it comes to user interface controls and screen design. Just keep it simple and in line with how the rest of the platform behaves. Use the platform as a cue for how your app should look and behave.
If you are creating a UI that is different, make sure to use objective methods such as user studies and A/B-style testing to compare against a more traditional version of your UI to determine if it is better -- i.e. more efficient, easier to use, and perhaps more pleasant looking.
Advertiser Disclosure: