I have to create a few prototypes (Balsamiq style) for Android 4.0 (ICS). I tried looking into tools etc from previous questions and from Google, but nothing seems to work for me.
What tools can I use to design for Android 4.0?
Tell me more
×
User Experience Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for
user experience researchers and experts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
|
closed as not constructive by Benny Skogberg, JonW♦ Mar 11 at 21:00
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.
|
As mentioned above the Android Design Guide http://developer.android.com/design is a good place to start. If you are aiming at a more rough and sketchy prototype like the ones seen in Balsamiq, you should really try to draw some sketches using pen and paper. Many people are scared of picking up the sketchpad, my tip would be to have a real interface or even Balsamiq near by to be inspired from. It does not have to be more complex than to achieve good results from an early prototyping study. |
|||
|
|
|
For mockups Balsamiq is the tool to use, and it suits for any digital design aimed for mobile, tablet or desktop/laptop application. When you're designing graphic images like snapshots based on your mockup almost any image-creation tool works. I've made designs using the free tools Paint.NET and Gimp and proprietary ones as Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS-series. For my needs (and I'm not a fantastic graphic designer) the free tools work well. |
||||
|
|
|
I personally am a big fan of Axure for rapid medium fidelity prototyping and I really like the fact that you have so many widgets you can pull in to create decently high fidelity mockups However for creating high fidelity and production level mockups,my tool of choice is Photoshop I am not sure what is the level of fidelity you are looking for but this User Interface guidelines document from Android might be helpful |
||||
|
|
|
dotmartin's link at the top is probably the most comprehensive: http://developer.android.com/design/index.html Good resources for older versions below, BTW: http://speckyboy.com/2010/05/10/android-app-developers-gui-kits-icons-fonts-and-tools/ I personally use Fireworks for comps, prototypes and wireframes etc. I'm a big fan of it after switching from Photoshop 4 years ago. Fireworks, if you are not familiar, is like a light weight, nimble version of Photoshop. Its 'page' and 'state' features allow rapid development of multiple screen comps. Integration with Illustrator and Photoshop is fairly good too. |
|||||||||
|
|
Thanks everyone for your response, Although there'S no particular tool for this, but for the time being Android Design Downloads seem the most plausible option. |
|||
|
|
|
WireframeSketcher comes with a stencil for Android Ice Cream Sandwich which is loosely based on wireframing templates provided by Android design team. This stencil can be used both for Android phone and tablet apps. It includes common controls, dialogs, action bars, lists and menus. There is also a Browser control for those who want to wireframe their website for tablets. Note that I am the developer of WireframeSketcher. |
|||
|
|
