A reputable Android app developer is one that renders qualitative app development service to organizations all over the world. Harnessing the maximum potential of the intricate Android software development kit platform, freelance Android developers should follow the best practices. When developing an Android app, a developer should be prepared to run it on a wide range of circumstances and devices.
Top 10 best practices for Android Application Developers
For those seeking Android application development, looking to hire dedicated Android developer is a must. For a developer to be ahead of the competition and to be able to provide highly effective applications, it is imperative to follow best practices. The following are the top ten best practices that developers should adhere to.
- Secure the users. Keeping the data and information of users should be one of the topmost priorities in mobile application development. Mobile apps are vulnerable and this is something that a developer should consider when starting to build an application. This implies the understanding of network components, data encryption when transferring personal data or information or data stored in the cloud and authentication mechanisms.
- Be a good citizen. It is always important to consider the audience when developing an application. Android developers should act like good citizens. A common error is thinking that the app will be the only one that people will download. Consider the smartphone battery life, fast response time if the application users internet significantly, but visualize the app as well in instances when connectivity isn’t available. Define the target group form the start and keep them in mind always.
- Boost experience. Design and usability are vital elements for creating a successful Android application. A developer should make certain that the app is understandable for users. The adoption rate would grow if an app is made user-friendly and intuitive. Besides, always take into account the power of a good design methodology. The apps should impact users from the time they see it on Google Play for the first time. This can be a meaningful difference to shine in the app market. Take time to build and provide usability and good design into the app.
- Testing is key. Using an android app development software, testing is key. There are instances when a developer gets stuck in trying to fix problems that people are not asking to be fixed. Sometimes, the simplest apps are the most addictive and stick the most. Considering integrating simple features to the application and check out the ones that work and connect with the audience best. Testing the application at every stage of development is paramount. Test the performance with real users and learn to appreciate their opinion to launch the best product possible. Furthermore, take into consideration having a feedback mechanism, such as social media to integrate app analytics. Besides, it’s important to be aware of the trends in the market and several of the winning ideas for application development this year.
- Switch to Android Studio. The official website of Android explicitly states that the Android Studio is now the official IDE for the operating system. The Android studio uses the Gradle build system. It has features such as support for Maven repositories, multiple application flavors, multiple build types, .apk splits, and custom apk signing configurations. It has built-in 9-patch creator. Previews could be viewed for strings, drawables, colors, and other resources.
- Use an HTTP library, such as Retrofit or Volley. When creating a bi app, the network code could get big due to the boilerplate code. It does not only make it hard to maintain but makes debugging harder as well. Libraries such as Retrofit and Volley reduce many boilerplate and with fewer things for a developer to worry about.
- Support annotations are a developer’s friends. Another very useful tool is the support annotations library. It could be included in the project, through adding “com.android.support:support-annotations:23.4.9” to the build.gradle file. Use the metadata annotations for decorating the code to help catch bugs as well as define the rules of the code. The most common use instances for them are marking non-nullable and nullable, identifying integer as a resource and specifying which thread they should be called. As the annotations are metadata annotations, the project would compile even if a developer violate rules they defined.
- Use separate resources for debugging and releasing. Gradle enables the configuration of custom build types. Through default, two build types, debug and release are provided. It could provide separate files for every build type through making their corresponding folders that are adjacent to the main folder in the structure of the project. The folders adhere to the same structure as main and should only contain the overriding files.
- Use selectors and shapes rather than images as much as possible. Basic gradients and shapes could be drawn easily using the <shape/>t tag without using images. The resulting shapes drawn are always sharp and will not have to be built for multiple densities. A simple selector, to add a pressed state background to a button could be made and saved in the drawable folder.
- Screen interaction automation. In development, it often requires frequent checking of some scenarios and doing repetitive UI clicks on different devices. It could be quite annoying if there are three to four test devices and one has to go through a regression plan with 30 scenarios. The first step to automation is to type adb commands or even entire scripts not to interact with the device by hand anytime.
When it comes to developing Android applications, there are great tips that a developer should keep in mind.
There are various optimizations that could be done and a lot more that could be specific to a particular application. Following the best practices and will not only make it easier for Android app developers to manage and maintain the code, but it also minimizes the number of possible bugs in the application.