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How to start an Android app design?

over 8 years ago from , Digital Product Designer

Hey guys!

I'm Yiğit, User interface designer, mostly mobile apps. I'm working on IOS and Android apps both but IOS more, sure. So, when I starting an Android project, I'm getting confuse at the beginning. Thinking about questions like "what size of canvas I should use?", "which system I should base (like Kit Kat etc)"...

I'm using Nexus 4 screen size as canvas. When I exporting assets, upscaling to 3x or 4x design. (xxhdpi, xxxhdpi) Then export with Cut & Slice me tool. Am I on right way or is there a better way for it?

With Material Design, everything looks better for us but it's very new, so I'm not sure if I use it or not. Many Android based phones not using Lollipop. (I guess it's only Nexus 4 and 5 at the begining, not sure)

So, which way you go when you start an Android app design project? I'm wondering. Give me advices and like people have same questions.

2 comments

  • Cihad TurhanCihad Turhan, over 8 years ago

    Hi Yigit,

    I was about to ask the similar questions but I decided to search first and found out that you've just asked it.

    I've been designing for the web for 2+ years. When designing for web, things are far easier. I really wonder how you mobile designers deal with all these screen sizes for iphone and android devices. Should I create, for example, a background for all displays which means 8+ different images with different sizes?

    Also, another question is whether you guys design for iPhone and android completely separate which doubles the workload or create one and transform to another.

    If anyone knows a screencast, tutorial etc that would be very helpful.

    0 points
    • Yigit PinarbasiYigit Pinarbasi, over 8 years ago

      Hi my friend.

      Yes, we're doing it but if we use another background images for different screens. Now, I'm giving my assets with 5 another sizes. hdpi, mdpi, xhdpi, xxhdpi and now, it's new, xxxhdpi which means 4K display.

      IOS is a little bit easier than Android. With iPhone 6+, we need to give @3x assets for it but iPhone 4, 5 and 6 still same. @1x and @2x gonna work.

      Android have so much little tricks. For example there is 9-pathc png for assets and I still bearly understand it when I exporting. Sure there is assets generators for it, for example Google Android Asset Studio but sometimes it does not work the way the developer want what.

      I don't know about code. I'm beginner about codes. :) It gets things a little bit harder but I'm talking with developer on asseting stage.

      0 points