Google's mobile operating system and applications for it.
91
votes
17answers
7k views
How could one prevent drunk users from using a mobile application?
Consider a mobile application which for some reason needs to prevent drunk users from using it (e.g. to avoid dreaded "drunk dials" or "drunk texts"). How could "sober authentication" be executed from ...
26
votes
1answer
4k views
How to handle pre-4.0 versions of Android when designing a layout?
I'm designing the UI for an Android app taking the Google User Interface guidelines into account for my Android 4.0 phone.
The current concept looks like this:
How would I go about supporting this ...
23
votes
17answers
6k views
Tools for creating mockups for mobile device UIs [closed]
I am looking for tools that can help me to create UI mockups for different mobile phones such as iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 devices. Is there any application that can do this?
21
votes
5answers
1k views
Should Android and iPhone UI be different?
I'm not completely new to developing apps, but I'm at a point where I'm trying to develop something and deploy it on several mobile platforms. To only concentrate on two major ones, suppose I'm ...
20
votes
5answers
15k views
Best Practices for UI design on Android (Usability/UX) [closed]
I'm switching for web development to Android development. I know some things about web usability and I see that UX is too often left behind on Android from my I experience with it.
As the interaction ...
20
votes
2answers
2k views
Indicate long click option to user on Android
Background:
Android has the feature of pop up menus (sort of like right click) that happen when a long click is done. This is typically done on list view but could be done anywhere. And even on list ...
19
votes
2answers
510 views
Should I follow the Android guideline or keep my app's own style when porting it from iOS?
My new project is to port an iOS app to Android platform. Before get started, I'm quite confused on whether I should follow google's guideline since some big titles on Android platform still keep the ...
19
votes
4answers
3k views
What key things form the best Android app UI?
To those of you who've built many apps, what are the things that are critical for a good UI? I'm thinking things like:
Action Bar
Well-designed icons
Use threads to keep the app responsive
A ...
18
votes
2answers
3k views
Do spinner-based date pickers on iOS & Android detract from the user's experience?
Generally speaking, the rule of thumb on mobile devices is to follow the platform conventions, and that native controls are almost always better than custom UIs. However, I'm at a loss as to whether ...
17
votes
2answers
415 views
Is swiping up/down better than swiping left/right for changing months on a calendar?
I have created a custom View to display a Calendar in Android.
The display is always 1 month. I'm using a swipe to the sides to switch months. Now I have seen some other Apps (including the installed ...
14
votes
2answers
458 views
Should I put “.” at the end of messages for mobile users?
Should I write "." at the end of messages displayed to the user in my mobile Android application?
For example:
High bandwidth required, switch to WiFi.
or
High bandwidth required, switch ...
13
votes
7answers
1k views
Ads, when the user has no internet connection
I have an Android app which, in free version, has an ad block at the top of the screen. Of course users can see ads only if they're connected to internet. If they are not connected they get the same ...
13
votes
7answers
654 views
Easy to understand public transit journey planner results
I am developing a London jouney planner app (called Pubtran London, it's on Android Market).
Somebody told me that the results are hard to understand and I was quite surprised by that. Maybe it's ...
11
votes
13answers
3k views
Custom UI vs Default UI [closed]
This question is mainly for iOS/Android developers, but anybody can answer.
Do you prefer using the default UI provided by the OS or do you prefer using custom UI. I've heard many developers argue ...
11
votes
6answers
1k views
Is it appropriate to use Metro style design for a cross-platform mobile app
I'm finding it really difficult to design UI's for android and ios after falling in love with the windows metro design.
I wondered if providing a metro style app across all platforms would be such a ...
11
votes
6answers
1k views
Should I stick to Google's Android UI Design Patterns or not?
Both the official Twitter application and Facebook application use a similar set of UI design patterns in their apps. These patterns were set out by google themselves in this blog post. The thing is ...
11
votes
6answers
6k views
iPad/iPhone alternative for hover states
I've recently updated my personal portfolio with some CSS3 and jQuery magic. I'm extremely pleased with the results and yes, it's fully responsive. But i have an issue. I've structured my portfolio ...
11
votes
4answers
449 views
Is there a better solution than breadcrumbs to cascading categories on mobile?
I am working on a mobile application (Android ICS based) where I need to show a lot of products on screen. Now the products are categorized in several categories which are on X level, where X is ...
10
votes
9answers
2k views
What is an easier unlock pattern: gesture or code?
There are two popular ways to unlock a phone. iPhone makes you type in a numerical code. Android gives you the option to draw a gesture. Which of these two is easier to remember and easier to execute?
...
10
votes
7answers
10k views
Alternatives to Microsoft Visio? [closed]
What are good alternatives to Microsoft Visio?
I use it in my Android/iPhone app design workflow to illustrate a sequence of actions. Then I can generate a PDF to share with developers. However, ...
10
votes
1answer
384 views
Is there any UX guidelines to be considered for Android desktop widgets?
While designing an android desktop widget is there as UX guidelines to be followed? what are the steps to be taken care while designing an widget?
9
votes
6answers
6k views
What tools can I use to design for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)? [closed]
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 ...
9
votes
3answers
527 views
Android: Back Button Only vs. Extra Navigation
General UX question for Android:
Assume a simple view (activity or fragment) hierarchy, like so: A --> B. The transition from A to B is added to Android's back stack.
On screen B, is it best to ...
9
votes
5answers
280 views
Have controls fade out on scroll?
Background
In our application we have a list view of contacts. In addition to the list there is a filter panel at the top of the list which provides contact type filtering through a segment control:
...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
How to structure Android app navigation with many levels?
The app I'm working on is a little like a set of sub-apps within one app, so the structure is basically as follows. Note that the subsections are a mix of tools and content (i.e. this isn't an app ...
8
votes
3answers
193 views
How should I indicate to a user that they've already viewed an item?
In a mobile app in developing, I'm showing a list of results where each item can be clicked on to view more details.
For each item in the list I'd like to indicate to the user that they've already ...
8
votes
2answers
10k views
Android List View - delete row button, delete selected button or delete from item click menu?
Android List view activity with item rows. User needs to be able delete some rows.
I know standard way in Android is to use item click menu. But it's 2 clicks. Is it best way?
8
votes
4answers
1k views
ICS style guide - Is there a standard icon to indicate drag and drop in a list view?
I searched here but didn't see an answer. I've gone through the new ICS Android design guidelines but did not see a standard icon or recommended icon for drag and drop in list views.
Is there one? ...
8
votes
2answers
382 views
What deliverables do I need to request from a visual designer for my Android app?
download bmml source – Wireframes created with Balsamiq Mockups
I am designing an Android app game for children. I have created wireframes for each screen.
I am used to requesting ...
8
votes
1answer
351 views
Checklist App (Process Documentation) Interface For Android Mobile Tablet & Phone
I'd like some help figuring out a good interface design for my app. It will be a checklist application, I guess somewhat similar to a todo list but instead of for things todo it is for documenting a ...
8
votes
6answers
2k views
best image to indicate swipe left right
What is the most appropriate image to indicate to users to swipe left or right?
i am using http://cubiq.org/swipeview but i feel like it needs a swipe indicator in the background somewhere.
Edit: for ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Are “submit” buttons important for forms on iPhone and Android apps?
When inputting text on the last text field in a form on an iPhone and Android app, the enter key can be highlighted or (on iOS anyway) renamed "done", so that tapping it will submit the form. ...
7
votes
7answers
532 views
Alternative for circles page indicator for many pages?
What's a good alternative for indicating that the user can swipe across the screen to get the next/previous item and/or showing the current position, considering that there are many pages (usually ...
7
votes
3answers
525 views
Swipe indicators on a small screen
My Android app has a screen that displays the details of an item selected from a list, as shown above. The screen allows the user to scroll to the next or previous item in the list by swiping ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
Where can you find high resolution images of Android phones?
I'm looking for high res Android phone "shell" to more effectively visualize my Android apps.
For example, the Samsung Galaxy Vibrant:
...
7
votes
4answers
528 views
How many elements are too many for one screen of a mobile (iOS/Android) application?
Without scrolling, what would be the maximum amount of centered buttons I could arrange on a vertical axis before it became too cluttered? Interface Builder gives suggested distances between ...
7
votes
2answers
460 views
How to make a text look “clickable” in mobile applications?
I first made the clickable text bold and rest all normal
Then the one who tested said he can't make out the clickable text.
I changed the color to blue, so now its much better but he even wanted me ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
Printable sketch templates for Android phones
Can you recommend a printable sketch template ("idea sheet"/6up) for Android phones?
Preferably, the template should contain several real-size screens to sketch on.
Here's what I'm using for ...
7
votes
1answer
674 views
User accessibility for mobile applications [closed]
What are key points of mobile UI accessibility?
What is a difference between mobile and desktop accessibility?
Is there any recommendations we can use?
7
votes
4answers
290 views
UX idiom for closing activity: X-icon vs up-button vs back button
We're launching a search activity when hitting the global search button (i.e. the hardware search key, if present, or a search icon in the Action Bar.) It should be noted here that the search activity ...
7
votes
2answers
232 views
Best pattern for posting to social networks
I have an app (RateBeer for Android) that allows users to post updates to the social network, like publishing a beer review, setting their current status, setting a star-rating or adding availability ...
7
votes
4answers
3k views
Activity transitions on Android
Since API Level 5, we have had easy access to overridePendingTransition, allowing us to replace the standard slide left/right transitions with all kinds of craziness. I just noticed that the latest ...
7
votes
2answers
200 views
What is the rationale behind not providing Dashboard/Home screen landscape mode?
I'm an adept Android user, but know my way around iOS as well. Something both platforms has in common is the stubborn conviction of not introducing the landscape mode for their Dashboard/Home screen ...
6
votes
5answers
534 views
Why are icons on mobile phone menu screens square or rectangular but not circular?
If you take a look at the app page of any mobile OS, for example iOS, Android, Ubuntu, Win8, BADA, etc., they all have square icons, either with rounded corner or sharp corners (shown in the first ...
6
votes
8answers
1k views
Do android users press the menu button?
I want to add a new function to my android application, but am a little bit confused in deciding where exactly to display the functionality.
I can either show it as a button in the application or add ...
6
votes
5answers
1k views
Where to put OK/Cancel on an Android activity form?
Imagine an app screen used to fill out a form and then either Ok, or Cancel - an activity that on a desktop application might be a dialog box. The keyboard will be displayed, so we have limited screen ...
6
votes
3answers
488 views
Best way to select/edit time spans in limit of a day
I'm developing an Android application which is related to a time planning. I need to show/edit some time span related information. I.e.
Shop is working 9:00-18:00 at weekdays with a hourly break ...
6
votes
3answers
565 views
Do I need to design four different apps for Android, iOS, smartphones, or have one common design?
I have to start designing for an app which will be used by Android & IOS users both on Smartphones and Tablets.
Do I need to design four different apps or have one common design and then ...
6
votes
2answers
189 views
Optionally showing more options
Say you have a form where the user must specify a number of X. For sake of example, let's say X is flowers.
For 90% of users, the type of X will be the same, let's say roses.
So you have a control ...
6
votes
3answers
537 views
Problem with avoiding right caret on Android
I am currently adapting an Android app to follow the design guidelines more and more.
One thing I am doing is removing the right carets as suggested. While this works fine for listview where each ...
