Material Design brings massive UI overhaul for Android L

Google has just released the details on the new look and feel that it has in mind for Android L, named Material Design.

Material Design will completely overhaul the user interface in the next version of Android, bringing tweaks and changes to typography, grids, space, scale, color, and use of imagery. Not only that, but Material Design will be used unify the look and feel of all Google’s software over a range of devices, including laptops and tablets. Google is also extending its software UI to the web, via its Polymer initiative. The entire interface is based on what Google calls a “unifying theory of a rationalized space and a system of motion”.

You’ll probably already have tried out the revamped Google+ interface, but Google has a lot more in store for users and app developers with Material Design. The first big change is the introduction of real-time lighting and shadowing for apps, allowing app developers to specify an elevation for their apps and content. The aim is to give developers the power to draw the user’s eye to what’s important, as well as making everything look a little fancier.

The Material Design engine opens up color and icon schemes to developers even further, allowing for a more unified look across a range of apps, which will also scale across a range of platforms. Google has also introduced a range of new swanky animations, both in app and in-between apps and activities, which can be customized based on a user’s touch.

Everything certainly looks sleek with Material Designs, and you can take a look at some of the changes in store for Android’s new UI in the video below.

The first draft of Google’s new Material Design guidelines can already be found over at Google.com/Design, and will be available for developers to try out with the developer version of Android L.