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Intro to Android

Lab: Design Chunking

In this lab we will learn about the Android visual paradigms by exploring the designs of existing applications. This will help us develop a process for breaking down a design into implementable pieces. This will come in handy when starting new screens.

After we finish this lab, we'll be ready to start building our application.

Please refer to the class handout for parts 1, 2, & 3. A solution handout details how the designs could be broken down.

Android Design

Let's get familiar with the Android design site:

http://developer.android.com/design/building-blocks/index.html

This excellent resource lists the items you can use as well as best practices for the platform. We won't be covering Android design in detail, but this resource is a great starting place for understanding the design language of the platform.

Make sure to check out Material Design resources to see what is coming with the L release later this year! Check out this video for more information on trainsitioning from Holo to Material.

Note: See the appendix for more design resources.

Discussion Questions

  • What do you find interesting about the design language?
  • How does it differ from other platforms? Can you think of other platform features that don't feel at home on Android?
  • Do you find the navigation paradigms intuitive?
  • What do you think of the evolution of Android's design through the ages?
  • What do you think of Material Design? Had you heard anything about it before the class?

Part 1: Class Design

We'll break down the design of the Google Music app as a class.

Part 2: Pair Design

Please pair up, analyze the view, and identify view components they may have used to construct this view.

Part 3: Class Project

Let's start our calculator!

Work with your partner to identify at least two different ways to you could break down this view into XML components. We'll start implementing soon!

The next time you're breaking down a design, think about how you can segment it into views and fragments to best support the user experience you are going for.