Android User Interface Design: Implementing Material Design for Developers

Build Android 6 Material Design Apps That Are Stunningly Attractive, Functional, and Intuitive

As Android development has matured and grown increasingly competitive, developers have recognized the crucial importance of good design. With Material Design, Google introduced its most radical visual changes ever, and made effective design even more essential. Android 6 and the design support library continue to push mobile design forward.

In Android User Interface Design, Second Edition, leading Android developer and user experience (UX) advocate Ian G. Clifton shows how to combine exceptional usability and outstanding visual appeal. Clifton helps you build apps that new users can succeed with instantly: apps that leverage users’ previous experience previous experience, reflect platform conventions, and never test their patience.

You won’t need any design experience: Clifton walks you through the entire process, from wireframes and flowcharts to finished apps with polished animations and advanced compositing. You’ll find hands-on case studies and extensive downloadable sample code, including complete finished apps.

• Integrate Material Design into backward compatible Android 6 apps
• Understand views, the building blocks of Android user interfaces
• Make the most of wireframes and conceptual prototypes
• Apply user-centered design throughout
• Master the essentials of typography and iconography
• Use custom themes and styles for consistent visuals
• Handle inputs and scrolling
• Create beautiful transition animations
• Use advanced components like spans and image caches
• Work with the canvas, color filters, shaders, and image compositing
• Combine multiple views into efficient custom components
• Customize views to meet unique drawing or interaction requirements
• Maximize downloads by designing compelling app store assets

Step by step, this guide bridges the gap between Android developers and designers, so you can collaborate on world-class app designs…or do it all yourself!

“This well-presented, easy-to-grasp book gets to the heart of Android User Interface Design. Well worth the reading time!”
–Dr. Adam Porter, University of Maryland, Fraunhofer Center for Experimental Software Engineering

“Ian’s grasp of Android is fantastic, and this book is a great read for any developer or designer. I’ve personally worked on 30+ Android applications, and I was learning new tips with every chapter.”
–Cameron Banga, Lead Designer, 9magnets, LLC

Table of Contents

Part I The Basics of Android User Interfaces
Chapter 1 Android Ui And Material Design
Chapter 2 Understanding Views—The Ui Building Blocks
Chapter 3 Creating Full Layouts With View Groups And Fragments
Chapter 4 Adding App Graphics And Resources

Part II The Full Design and Development Process
Chapter 5 Starting A New App
Chapter 6 Prototyping And Developing The App Foundation
Chapter 7 Designing The Visuals
Chapter 8 Applying The Design
Chapter 9 Polishing With Animations

Part III Advanced Topics for Android User Interfaces
Chapter 10 Using Advanced Techniques
Chapter 11 Working With The Canvas And Advanced Drawing
Chapter 12 Developing Custom Views
Chapter 13 Handling Input And Scrolling
Appendix A Google Play Assets
Appendix B Common Task Reference