Type: Individual ProjectUnit: User Experience and Interface DesignDue Date: Tue, 10/2/18Grading Type: NumericPoints Possible: 140Assignment DetailsYou have been hired to create a mobile application

Android App Design

Jacqueline Calloway

AIU

September 23, 2018

Specifically describe the design process for an Android phone application.

Every day new apps are being developed. The apps are meant to meet different purposes, yet their development and design process is analogous. When developing an app, it is imperative to consider the app design process as well as the mobile app design strategy. Apps are designed with respect to the evolving technology. In most cases, every app development process includes strategy, idea, design, deployment, development as well as the post-launch stage.

The first stage in the design process for an Android phone application is coming up with an idea. The problem that the app is meant to resolve is first identified. Additionally, the features of the app are also formulated in the idea stage. The second stage is the identity. It is in the identity stage that targets the users of the app, the devices, and mobile platforms and the income model are identified. The third stage is nor designing the app. The app designer should concentrate on the platform design regulations, the UI design, and multi-touch signal for devices that are touch enabled. The fourth stage is identifying the approach of developing the application. The approach can either be Web, Native, or Hybrid. Web apps are usually easy and cheap to design, and they can function on diverse platforms. Native apps provide the best user experience, though they need a lot of skill and time to develop. A hybrid approach is the latest app design methodology. The hybrid approach combines the on-the-fly net coding with the prebuilt indigenous containers to provide the best results (Tsyrulnyk, 2018).

The fifth stage is developing the prototype. Basically, the prototype involves the conversion of the idea into the app using some primary functionality. It is the prototype that enables the app designer to sell the idea to the possible buyers. The sixth stage is the integration of a suitable analytic device. There are various mobile analytic tools that enhance this process. They include Flurry, Preemptive, Mixpanel, Localytics, and Google Analytics (Tsyrulnyk, 2018). The next step is identifying the beta-testers. It is through beta testing that the app designer obtains the feedback regarding the app design and integrates the ones that are relevant. The identification stage of the beta testers mostly involves goal recognition, elimination of bugs, and defining the target buyers.

The eighth stage of the design process for an Android phone application is releasing the app. The app should be released by ensuring that the right components are released, and the environment is guarded. The next stage is capturing the metrics on the use of the app. The final stage is making app upgrades. The app should be upgraded with the new features and improvements to aid its usability and relevance (Tsyrulnyk, 2018).

Include a discussion of the role of Extensible Markup Language (XML) in the design process and how XML is used in the Android application files.

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) plays a paramount role in the design process for an Android phone application. It is the XML that ensures that the information in any designed app is easily processed and comprehended. Secondly, XML ensures that an app has as many tags as possible. XML enables the app designed to interpret the importance of the content, intelligent mining of data, agents, as well as establishing fresh options for tremendously competent search engines, among others. XML ensures that the meaning of the content is easily elaborated. Additionally, XML aids in the process of data aggregation and assessment, as the structure of XML document has been designed in a way that the assessment and aggregation of documents are enhanced. XML ensures that the feel and look of a document are enhanced without changing its content (H.Vaidya and Naik, 2017).

Discuss the best practices and also the problems and solutions regarding design, layout, performance, compatibility, and security.

Advancements in technology have led to reliance on mobile phones for the effective satisfaction of daily human wants. In designing the Android mobile apps, it is imperative for the designer to effectively navigate through the existing challenges in design, performance, layout, security, and compatibility. The app designer should ensure that the physical restraints are observed during the app design process. The compatibility, shapes, designs, and performance of all the phones should align with the fixtures of the app for its effectiveness. The designer should ensure that the app is compatible and response in every phone despite its screen size (FireArt, 2018). The designed app should effectively address all the needs of the target customers without flaws. The minimalistic approach of app design should be employed to ensure the app created generates pleasing user experiences. It is crucial for the app design to design an app that has desired display among its users. The app designer should, therefore, seek the opinion of the target customers to know the color they prefer the app to have. The app gestures ought to be integrated into the app for its relevance and usability. The app designer should consult the target customers on which gestures should be present in the app. The hand-to-screen interfaces should be considered in the app design. The designer should ensure that the physical comfort of the user is promoted in the app design. The working area provided by the app too must be appealing.

Explain the difference between a light and a heavy layout and how they both relate to overall performance.

Layouts are the major part of Android apps and they directly determine the user experience. Poor implementation of the layout leads to slow UIs due to memory hungry effect. A light layout is designed to ensure that the app has no much complexity in its hierarchy structure. A heavy layout enables the app to handle complex web pages which fasten the rate of data access. It is worth noting that fewer data mostly translate to less functionality and usefulness of the app. An app with the light layout is faster and more usable, though it is challenging when it comes to handling complex data as opposed to heavy layout apps (Menzies, 2015).

References:

FireArt (2018). [online] Available at: https://fireart.studio/blog/7-best-mobile-ux-design- principles-and-best-practices/ [Accessed 23 Sep. 2018].

H.Vaidya, A. and Naik, S. (2017). Comprehensive Study and Technical Overview of Application Development in iOS, Android and Window Phone 8. International Journal of Computer Applications, 64(19), pp.9-21.

Menzies, A. (2015). Designing the app: Choosing the layout and the color scheme. British Journal of School Nursing, 10(3), pp.145-147.

Tsyrulnyk, S. (2018). MIT APP INVENTOR TO CREATE ANDROID APPLICATIONS LABORATORY COURSE WITHOUT PROGRAMMING. OPEN EDUCATIONAL E- ENVIRONMENT OF MODERN UNIVERSITY, (4), pp.91-95.