According to a recent report published on KantarWorldPanel.com, Android finished 2013 strongly, showing year-on-year share growth across 12 major global markets including Europe, USA, Latin America, China and Japan. The constantly growing popularity and market share of the mobile operating system will encourage many enterprises to invest in Android app development. With more and more companies entering the app market, mobile app development on Android has become both challenging and competitive. So enterprises, nowadays, must implement several best practices to effectuate their mobile application development.
Best 6 Practices for Mobile Application Development on Android
1) Concentrate on Aesthetics
The aesthetic appeal of the application will have a huge impact on its popularity. Before checking the features and functionality of the app, many users consider its visual appeal. So the UI/UX design must complement several screens and mobile devices. As you cannot predict the mobile device of the user, the look and feel of the app must be checked across multiple mobile devices.
2) Make the Navigation Intuitive
The Android app can further keep the users engaged through efficient and intuitive navigation options. You can always deliver richer user experience by optimizing the screen hierarchy. For instance, you can optimize the lateral navigation feature of the app by including tabs. Also, you can opt for lean UX design to complement the needs of individual users in a realistic way.
3) Curtail Notification
You can always use the notification feature of the Android app to convey sensitive information or breaking news to the users. But you must remember that the excessive notifications can affect the user experience negatively. So you must curtail the user notification to prevent information overload. At the same time, the app must allow users to turn all notification off simply by clicking on a link or button. The reduced notification will further contribute towards making the UX design more efficient.
4) Save Memory
Often mobile device users carry out several tasks and processes at a time. Therefore, adequate memory must be available for each process to run smoothly. There are also chances that the device may hung or end up in a deadlock due to lack of required memory. So you have to consider several options to ensure that the app saves memory by consuming the least amount of RAM. You can always save memory by using local objects and variables, while avoiding global variables. Similarly, the variables must be assigned to null after their usage. The simple view hierarchy in the UI design will further contribute towards consuming lesser amount of RAM.
5) Optimize the Android Code
Android application developers write code using Java programming language. Also, they use third party java libraries and APIs optimize the performance and functionality of the app. But Java can be sluggish some times, despite being a simple, robust and widely used programming language. So you must select the UI carefully, along with avoiding poor coding tactics. You can enhance the code efficiency by replacing old libraries with the most recent and updated libraries. Further, the coding can be optimized by loop complexities. You can even consider writing native code of the application using the C language and NDK compiled.
6) Make the App Flawless
You must remember that each user has option to choose from several apps of similar nature. So its performance must be flawless to impress and engage the users. Similar to software applications, a mobile application also needs to be tested thoroughly. Before the app is launched, your team must carry out rigorous testing to identify and fix the bugs, errors and flaws that affect its performance. It is also important to evaluate the functionality and performance of the Android application based on adequate quality guidelines to deliver a flawless user experience.
Along with keeping in mind the best practices for mobile app development on Android, an organization also need to constantly monitor in the changing habits and preferences of users. At the same time, the app must avail the innovative features and functionality of the latest Android devices delivers richer user experience.
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