Amount of beautiful apps in Android Market has steadily increased in the last months. I think that more and more companies are reacting to the massive traction Android platform has.
Another recent positive development is the quality of Google's own apps. I've been hoping for long time that Google would only release high quality and well designed apps and act as an example to everyone else. I think that change is finally happening.
I wrote about "Visual appeal of Android apps" also back in April.
Android Market
(Market link)
The new Android Market design is both functional and visually good. I've written posts related to the new Android Market before (Elsewhere in the web - Pushing Pixels, How to tell users that more content is available - ie. indicating horizontal swipe, UI design patterns in Google+ and Android Market)
Google Music Beta
(Market link)
Google's Music app follows UI patterns and is very easy to use. It is also visually appealing. The changing background colors and translucent action bar are nice ideas and fit into a music app perfectly. Google designers' and engineers' attention to details is admirable in this case. Kudos.
Buildings
(Market link)
Design of the Buildings app is very impressive. The app has feel of Android app and it uses Android UI patterns. Everything from icons to the fine background gradients are beautiful.
The app is also available on iOS (iTunes link). Comparing screenshots of both versions shows that the Android version is by far superior on it's design and also that the app team has done a great job translating their iOS design into Android platform.
An additional mention has to be made to the excellent way the app handles login or more specifically lack of forced login. When users first open the app they see the following screen. It clearly explains what users gain by registering but also lets users try the app without having to do it. Superb work!
Paper Camera
(Market link)
I generally oppose redesigning the whole widget toolkit for an app as it creates inconsistency and possible stability and usability problems. In case of Paper Camera I make an exception. Style of the app perfectly matches the content. Very nicely done!
Conclusion
Just in six short months the quality of an average Android app has risen tremendously. Arguably we're still behind the iOS app quality but nobody can deny that the difference is getting smaller really fast. This is a change I'm very happy to see.
Another recent positive development is the quality of Google's own apps. I've been hoping for long time that Google would only release high quality and well designed apps and act as an example to everyone else. I think that change is finally happening.
I wrote about "Visual appeal of Android apps" also back in April.
Android Market
(Market link)
The new Android Market design is both functional and visually good. I've written posts related to the new Android Market before (Elsewhere in the web - Pushing Pixels, How to tell users that more content is available - ie. indicating horizontal swipe, UI design patterns in Google+ and Android Market)
Google Music Beta
(Market link)
Google's Music app follows UI patterns and is very easy to use. It is also visually appealing. The changing background colors and translucent action bar are nice ideas and fit into a music app perfectly. Google designers' and engineers' attention to details is admirable in this case. Kudos.
Buildings
(Market link)
Design of the Buildings app is very impressive. The app has feel of Android app and it uses Android UI patterns. Everything from icons to the fine background gradients are beautiful.
The app is also available on iOS (iTunes link). Comparing screenshots of both versions shows that the Android version is by far superior on it's design and also that the app team has done a great job translating their iOS design into Android platform.
An additional mention has to be made to the excellent way the app handles login or more specifically lack of forced login. When users first open the app they see the following screen. It clearly explains what users gain by registering but also lets users try the app without having to do it. Superb work!
LinkedIn
LinkedIn recently revised their Android and iOS app. Now, this is an interesting one. The new design is visually very nice. On the other hand the app doesn't follow many of Android's UI patterns.
The Android version is very similar to the iOS version. Designers at LinkedIn have done a good job to find a middle ground and design that suits both platforms. This is the first app design that I've seen that works on both platforms with minimal change.
Paper Camera
(Market link)
I generally oppose redesigning the whole widget toolkit for an app as it creates inconsistency and possible stability and usability problems. In case of Paper Camera I make an exception. Style of the app perfectly matches the content. Very nicely done!
Conclusion
Just in six short months the quality of an average Android app has risen tremendously. Arguably we're still behind the iOS app quality but nobody can deny that the difference is getting smaller really fast. This is a change I'm very happy to see.
I strongly disagree about the new Market app. The new Market UI is noisy, chaotic, and filled with huge, intrusive advertisements. It is next to impossible to discern what is an image, what is an ad, and what is an actual button. The app is much more difficult to navigate among the noisy images to find what I'm looking for. The menu links at the top of each category are not only difficult to use, but you can't see what all the selections are at a glance. When you try to swipe the category menu left and right, you get sidebars appearing unexpectedly.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThere aren't actually any ads in the market place app as such. Are you talking about the featured tab?
You bring up an interesting point about the tabs. I didn't have that same opinion when I first used it as I was already familiar with the categories from the web market place. But your observation might very well be true with new users and not so frequent users. I'd like to see some user tests of the app.
how can we make the UI like Paper Camera??It is so simple and beautiful.The embedding of the buttons in the custom hand made paper art.Can plz anyone suggest.
ReplyDeleteRgds,
saurabh
I disagree about the google music app. Color changes looks strange...
ReplyDeleteThe LinkedIn app and it's pull down top action bar is more annoying than anything, especially given the convention around the visible top action bar in Android; it feels like an extra click to reveal something constantly.
ReplyDelete