Launched yesterday on Google's Android Developers YouTube channel, Android Design in Action is new video show that looks at the design of apps, and how they might better fit with the guidelines laid out in the Android Style Guide.
At the beginning of the premiere, host Roman Nurick describes the showas a spinoff of The App Clinic that focuses more on the design elements of given apps. The first episode's theme is transit apps, and Roman and guest Nick Butcher visit three apps: London Underground, London Bus Checker, and MParking, all of which have previously been featured on The App Clinic.
When first looking at an app, the focus is on picking apart its design elements and any possible problems with these, such as the user needing to scroll to get to important information. The second half of each segment focuses on redesigning the app to look and behave more in line with Google's Style guidelines, and to generally increase the usability of the app.
Though Android Design in Action is obviously aimed at developers, Android users who want to understand more about how the apps they use are designed should find it interesting. Some may find the “for developers by developers” tone daunting at times, but the show rarely wanders too deeply into this territory.
Right now there is a problem with the first episode where audio only plays on the right channel, but the team has said that they hope to fix the audio issue soon.
Does this seem like the sort of show that would keep watching, or do you think it only has appeal for developers?
Kristofer Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos. In his free time, he likes to make music, read and write short fiction.
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