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In the world of Android app design, Android Material Design plays a crucial role. It offers a standardized and user-friendly approach to crafting interfaces. This blog will take you through the ins and outs of Android Material Design, from understanding its components to learning how to use its UI toolkit and following some essential design tips based on the material design guide.
1. Android Material Design UI Toolkit
Android Material Design is an interface design language introduced by Google at the 2014 I/O Conference. Initially, it was mainly focused on interface design rather than being developer-centric, which led to its limited adoption. However, before the new I/O Conference in 2015, Google released a design support library for developers. This library encapsulated the most representative controls and effects in Material Design. Designers often turn to the Material Design UI toolkit to make their interface designs more standardized and convenient, all while adhering to the principles outlined in the material design guide. We're going to explore a widely - used Android Material Design UI toolkit in Pixso's resource community.
When designing an Android user interface, there are four key components to keep in mind.
Core Elements of an Android Interface
Content Area: This is where your app's main content—text, images, videos, and illustrations—comes to life, telling its story.
Status Bar: Positioned at the top, this slim 24dp-high bar displays essential device info, like battery life, network signal, and notifications.
App Bar: Located just below the status bar, it typically includes the app's title and key icons, with the title set to 18sp for clarity.
Bottom Navigation Bar: Found at the bottom of the screen, this bar helps users navigate the app. It usually contains 2 to 5 tabs; going beyond this can overwhelm users. If needed, use text labels instead of icons, and keep icons simple for easy understanding.
Cards: Organizing Content with Style
Cards are versatile containers for presenting information in a clear format. They can hold photos, text, or links, making them great for showcasing varied content. When grouped, they create a card set, maintaining a structured and appealing layout.
Margins and Edges: Mastering Spacing
Proper spacing is key to a balanced interface. Here's a brief guide:
Standard Margins: The default left and right margin is 16dp. While 8dp or 24dp may be used, avoid margins smaller than 16dp.
Content Inside Cards: Use an 8dp margin for text or images in a card, ensuring at least a 12dp gap between the content and the card's edge.
Beginner Tip: Start with 16dp margins on both sides and experiment with spacing as you gain experience.
Buttons: Designing for Interaction
Buttons are crucial for user interaction, so their design matters:
Ideal Size: Aim for buttons to be 48dp high for easy tapping. The minimum touchable area should be 48x48dp to prevent accidental clicks.
Spacing Between Buttons: Maintain at least a 16dp gap between side-by-side buttons to avoid mis-taps.
Text Labels: For a 48dp-high button, set text size between 14-16sp. If using uppercase letters, reduce to 12sp, but don't go smaller.
Avoid Tiny Buttons: Buttons shorter than 32dp can be hard to tap, especially for important actions like Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons. For primary actions, keep the height between 40-56dp.
By focusing on these components, you can create an Android app that is visually appealing and user-friendly. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced designer, these guidelines will help you craft polished interfaces.
2. Using the Material Design UI Toolkit
Now that we've covered the components, let's see how to use the Material Design UI toolkit in Pixso in accordance with the material design guide.
-Step 1: Create a Pixso Account: Open the Pixso official website in your browser and register for a free Pixso account. Pixso is an efficient online design collaboration tool that offers a wealth of resources for designers.
-Step 2: Find the Android Material UI Toolkit: After logging into Pixso, enter "Material Design" in the search box of the resource community to find the Android Material UI toolkit. The Pixso resource community is a treasure trove filled with various design resources.
-Step 3: Edit Online: Once you've found the toolkit, open it and start editing online in the Pixso workspace. This allows you to customize the components according to your design needs.
Moreover, Pixso's resource community has design systems and component libraries from numerous companies, such as Arco Design, Ant Design, and Element. All these resources can be used with a single click, enabling you to learn the latest design norms and unify the visual effects of your projects. You can save colors, text styles, and layer styles as resources and share them as component resources with your team, facilitating quick reuse. You can download and use the Material Design templates for free by registering for a Pixso account.
3. Android Material Design Tips
-Avoid Distorting Icons and Text Layers: To prevent icons from deforming, use the "Constrain Proportions" property on the right-hand side of Pixso after selecting the icon.
-Don't Drag and Zoom Layers Arbitrarily: In most cases, this will result in pixel fragmentation, which can affect the accuracy of values read by front-end developers.
-Stick to Whole Pixels: Avoid using broken pixels like 44.23 or 39.97. Designers should round these values to whole pixels and try to follow the 8dp standard as much as possible.
-Use Components Consistently: Don't use multiple styles for different instances of the same UI element. Instead, use components whenever possible, which will save you a significant amount of time.
Final Thoughts
Android Material Design is a vital asset in Android app design. Embracing its principles is crucial for crafting appealing and functional interfaces. Components like the status bar, app bar, content area, and bottom navigation bar, along with cards, are key to usability and visual appeal. Following margin and button guidelines ensures a consistent, user-friendly experience across devices.
Using the Android Material Design UI toolkit in Pixso is straightforward. Its community resources offer inspiration and tools for efficient, consistent design, all in line with the material design guide. Design tips like avoiding icon distortion and consistent component use enhance design quality and streamline development. Whether you're a novice or an expert, Android Material Design is your go-to. Embrace it, experiment, and create delightful, functional Android apps. Start building interfaces users will adore!
