The debate among the users of various mobile platforms has been going on for years now. Supporters of certain operating systems would continue to support them because they are used to its interface and functionality. However, a new and fresh idea can always break the bond between a brand and its loyal followers. This is what Google did when it brought Android into the world and gave the biggest smartphone makers of the world today a chance to compete with Apple. However, there was something missing in Google’s Android operating system that people with more knowledge of design and interface always knew.
The missing thing in Android was uniformity and predictability of actions. Furthermore, the experience of Google’s offerings across various devices was different. On the other hand, iOS from Apple had always been great in that it offered a consistent experience to its users not only on the iOS but even the applications that were developed by developers from around the world. Now, when you used Apple iPhone you were having the Apple experience. On the other hand, you were not having any Google experience when you used the many Android devices out there in the market.
To make its presence known in its products, Google came up with this new philosophy on design that it named as Material Design. In short, once you are going to learn to add ‘Material Design to Android app’, you will see that Material Design is not just a new way of designing the elements of applications but it is the oath to do things Google’s way. Everything that is accomplished through Google’s Material Design will have Google in it. Google has intended to achieve this by introducing the paper and ink aspects into designing. When applied on Android we are talking about a designing philosophy from Google soon flushing through every aspect of Android operating systems across all devices in the world.
Edges, buttons, motions, shadows, animations, color contrasts etc. everything will now follow the Material Design philosophy. Some of Material Design can be experienced through Android Lollipop. Now, when you use any of the Google’s services such as Gmail, Google+, Keep, YouTube, Photos etc. you will have rich and consistent experience. The buttons will look to follow a certain standards and when you move from one page of the application to another the transitions will be in a particular way. A hierarchy will be maintained and flat design will not be the only thing to deal with for designers.
In short, what you have to understand about Material Design for Android is that it will make users know Android as they have never known before – where they will know what their actions would do in an application and every blinking icon, expanded window, floating button, color etc. would mean something to them. Animation would be a big part of this new designing philosophy. You will notice more sensibly used colors that would mean something to the users. Clicking on a particular image or element will take you a step deeper with certain transition effect. Wherever in the application you are, you will know how to go back and from where to.