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For those who want to develop great-looking and intuitive Android applications, Material Design is the best choice. Material Design is an approach in designing interfaces that was designed by Google and it gives priority in its design to the experience of the user across the various devices. In this blog post, you will learn all about Material Design and what you need to know to make the best of it when creating Android apps. As a business person, you know the need to provide your clients with an app that has as many features as possible, is safe, and can expand as the business grows. 

Understanding Material Design

Material Design can be described as a language of designing applications, although it does not operate with words, but with the help of elements. Think of it as a guide that makes your app look good and functional on different devices including phones and tablets. It’s all about presenting the app in a way that is easy to understand for the users and they should not get lost while using it. 

Material Design is not only about aesthetics but it also has intelligence involved in it. This way, it employs shadow, movement, and depth to lead the users; thus, the app is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. The way buttons appear on the screen, the way menus slide in and out and all such actions feel smooth and real. 

In adopting Material Design, you are not only making your application beautiful but also friendly and easy to use. It is a method of how to make sure that people do not only download your app, but also use it and enjoy it. 

The Principles of Material Design

Material Design in mobile app development is based on some principles that allow not only to make the application beautiful but also logical. These are as follows:

• First of all, there is a concept of ‘materiality’ referring to the metaphorical meaning. This idea is all about treating items on the screen as if they are made of physical material. As with real life, such materials can grow and shrink, and while doing so they can even transform their shape, but they cannot pop in out of nowhere and they cannot dematerialize into thin air either. This is useful to the users as it teaches them how to conduct themselves around your app since it is modeled on the physical world. 
• This principle is about ensuring that every element in the app has a function and is easy to comprehend by the users. The use of colors, typography, and imagery is such that they attract attention and direct the user’s attention to the necessary information. It is all about ensuring that your app is sending out the right message and at the same time it is well designed. 
• Finally, there is the motion that is also very essential in the whole process. The movement of things in your app is not just an aesthetic, it has purpose. Navigation is applied to lead people, to tell them where to move and what to do, in an unobtrusive manner. Some are like when a person beckons you to come with him or her, it is a sign as to what the next step is without having to tell you. 

Material Design Components and How to Use Them

Material Design is a gold mine of components that are like lego pieces for your Android application. It is like having a set of clothes that are already made and you simply select the one that you want and join them to create a new product. Such components can be buttons which the users can click, cards which can contain some information or tabs to switch between different parts of your application. They are intended to ensure that the application not only looks great but is also easy and simple to use for the users. 

The above components are central to the design of a good app. For example, the button should be put in the place where it is easy to find it and click and the design of the button should give a clue that it can be clicked. Cards are good when it comes to presenting some pieces of information in a clear and structured manner for the user to comprehend. Tabs are useful in breaking down the content into different sections that the users can easily flip between without getting confused. 

These components are very versatile, and this is the beauty of it. They can be made to match the rest of the app’s layout and design, thus creating continuity in your app. This implies that one can be able to change colors, shapes, and sizes to correspond with the style of the app, ensuring that all the features are well coordinated. 

Best Practices for Implementing Material Design

It might look like a daunting task to get Material Design right in your Android apps, but you should know that it is very much possible with the right strategies in mind. Below are some tips that you should consider to ensure that the process is as efficient as possible and the app is as user-friendly as possible. 

• First of all, it is necessary to follow the guidelines that Google offers within Material Design. These are like your guide to the promised land, or in this case, how to make your app not just pretty to look at, but also easy to use. These guidelines should be viewed more as a recipe book for the chef, which is necessary to produce something brilliant. 
• After that, it is vital to check your app on different devices and their screens. This helps to make sure that your app is going to look good on both a normal phone as well as a tablet. Suppose you invited people over for a party and ensured that everyone could be comfortably accommodated regardless of the turnout. 
• Finally, do not forget about your app performance. Users like smooth animation and fast transitions between screens. It is like ensuring that the elevator in a tall building is fast and efficient – it just improves everyone’s day. 

Overcoming Common Challenges in Material Design Implementation

As you incorporate Material Design in your Android applications, there are some issues that you are likely to encounter. One of the big problems is to maintain the application’s interface consistent across the screens. There are various sizes and resolutions of the screens on every phone and tablet. This means that your app can appear well-designed on one device and not so well on the other. To correct this, one has to test the app on many devices so that the problem does not occur frequently. Thus, it is possible to ensure that it always stays neat, regardless of where it is being utilized. 

Another challenge that you may experience is the compatibility of your app with the older versions of the devices. Not all users have the newest phone or tablet, thus it is necessary to test your app on older models as well. This may mean spending some time to ensure that your animations do not cause the app to lag on these devices. 

Finally, it is often challenging to keep everything neat and clean, and all the elements homogeneous. Since there are many parts of your app such as menus, buttons, and screens, it becomes possible to have a mismatched design. One must remember that it is a good practice to verify that all the elements correspond to Material Design from time to time. This is beneficial in maintaining the neatness and consistency of your app’s interface. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be said that Material Design integration into your Android apps is a wise decision. It is all about creating applications that not only are aesthetically appealing but are also easy to use by the users. When employing Material Design, what you are doing is submerging yourself in the basic concepts, toying with the elements and components, and adhering to some of the fundamental guidelines, you are already on the right track. Of course, you will face some obstacles on the way, for example, to make your app look gorgeous on all the devices or to make it run on the older ones. However, with a little experimentation, all these barriers can be crossed. So, why wait? Implement material design right now and see how it affects your Android applications. 

Featured Image by Jotform on Unsplash

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