Google has taken a bold step with their reveal of Material Design last month. It may appear similar visually to Windows 8 and iOS 7, but upon closer inspection, it’s clearly based on conscious choices.
If you haven’t already, check out some of the samples and videos in the guidelines. Much of the design is founded in the concept of papercraft, supporting responsive, natural animations, and the notion of layers or depth.
One of my favorite points is called Meaningful Transitions. This allows for visual continuity from one screen to the next without confusing the user. For example, if a user takes an action, the app will smoothly lead the user’s focus from one view to the next, leveraging motion and animation in a logical or semi-physical way. So often, apps implement interactions that cause abrupt or random transition to the next screen, feeling artificial. I believe we lose an opportunity for software usability by ignoring how humans process objects in the physical world.
While this certainly isn’t the end-all design, it feels it’s a swing in the right direction, and hopefully the evolution will continue to be founded in human behavior rather than pure invention.
Vinasource 