How To Design An Android App - Android Design Resources

How To Design An Android App
Hey sweethearts, I've made a few threads about design resources, icons, fonts, websites and stuff like that. But maybe you're sitting here with nothing more than an app idea swirling around in your brain. You're probably wondering where to get started and what the steps are to design an Android app from scratch. So I'll walk you through the steps you need to take to have a great design that you can then develop into an app.
Step 1- Creating a Wireframe
Alright so first things first. Start with the basics. What you need to do is create a wireframe layout that will show every page, menu, option and function of your of your app. This is what a wireframe layout will look like.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
You can checkout this guide that will walk you through how to get your wireframe setup in a way that makes sense.
Putting it All Together: Wireframing the Example App
Now you'll need a wireframe kit to get started, which will contain all the graphics that you'll need. You can piece together your wireframe in a program like Adobe Illustrator or any graphic design program that you use. Checkout this thread that lists some of the best free wireframe kits.
5 Free Android Wireframe Kits
Step 2- Stickers and Graphics
Now that you have a cute little wireframe going, it's time to get to the fun part. We are going to put together the graphical interface for your app. This is where you choose the icons, font, colors and images that will be displayed throughout your app.
To do this we are going to use stickers. What are stickers? These are a set a graphics that contain premade navigation buttons, menus, icons and everything you need for that kind of stuff. So go ahead and download the sticker sheet from Google.
Resources– Sticker sheets & icons
This sticker sheet will save you a lot of time creating those little graphics that you'd rather not spend too much time on. Another great thing about using the sticker sheet is everything will snap onto a grid, so everything will be easy to align and organize.
So at this point you are ready to integrate your own graphics. Work with your sticker sheet and add your personal touches. Make it beautiful and sassy just like my dad.
Step 3- Prototype
A prototype is a demonstration of how your app will work. This is created with software on your computer but everything can function on your Android device. This is not the same as developing the app. This is more like creating an interactive slideshow that can take advantage of all of your phones functions. Now if you're thinking that you will have to shell out some cash for a prototyping program, push that thought out of your head and vomit it out of your mouth. Papa Google has gone and adopted some companies that make fantastic prototyping software and now they're available to us for free. You're going to use some software called Pixate.
What it is:
A visual prototyping platform that allows designers to create sophisticated, fluid mobile prototypes that run natively on iOS and Android devices.
What it’s best for:
Creating complete app prototypes or crafting carefully choreographed interactions that look and feel completely real, and sharing them so entire product teams or clients can experience them right on their device.
Click to expand...
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Pixate
Alright so your Prototype is going to be a separate thing from your finished graphical design from step 2. Both of these will be very helpful to share your idea with a developer. These will also be needed if you are doing something like kickstarter to get your app funded. People will feel much more comfortable donating if they can see a live working prototype on a phone.
Alright now you know how to design your own Android app. Getting it developed is up to you. For more complex apps you'll want to look at hiring a company, for simple apps you could try sites like freelancer, and for really simple apps you could always develop it yourself. I hope this guide has helped point you in the right direction!
The End.