Thursday 30 September 2010

Why do iPhone apps look so much better than Android apps?


One question we often get asked is why the Android version of most original iPhone apps looks so bad in terms of design and feel. A quick comparison reveals that even Facebook has failed to develop an Android app which is anywhere close to the iPhone equivalent.

Facebook example
Facebook app on Android

Facebook app on iPhone

              
Strengths and weaknesses

good
bad
iPhone
Great combination of facebook look and feel and utilizing the iPhone app design principle
No option to show time and coverage while using the app
Android



Nothing better than the iPhone
Icons look old, not correctly sized and the colour schemes don´t seem
consistent with the Facebook website or Android design Search requires two
clicks In notifications, links open up the browser


Why is there such a big difference? Is this simply because Apple is so brilliant in terms of design? But why would Google with their simplicity and great usability across most online services not be able to take their skills to the mobile? Is there another explanation?

To answer the question we've looked at 3 different factors including the SDKs, the developers and the expectations.


1. SDKs and approval process

The main purpose of the iPhone SDK and App Store approval process is that Apple has signification control of the user experience, therefore they provided a framework for developing "standard" looking UIs. Google on the other hand took a much more liberal approach with Android arguing that developers should have total freedom in almost everything they do. Although Apple has loosened up requirements since the app market's inception, the effects of the original approach are still very obvious.

2. The developers

This is going to be a sensitive one but the truth is that most iPhone developers were originally web designers / developers with HTML, Java Script, CSS and maybe flash experience. They are usually not hard core coders. This means that they are very focused on the look and feel of a product.
Most Android developers on the other hand are Java developers with a background in coding PC applications and other more technical coding experience. Apple made iPhone development as easy as Microsoft made PC development with Visual Basic which means that the creative and design centric people can make their own apps without deep coding knowledge.

3. Expectations

In addition to this there are different expectations from users. Historically, Apple customers have been more interested in fashion and design whereas Android originally had a perception of being more techie. With both operating systems now reaching a much wider audience this is no longer true but maybe the expectations are still different between users. Despite the big differences between the iPhone version and Android version of the facebook app they both have the same rating (3.5)

So does it have to be this way?

The answer is simply NO. The Android operating system has the same capabilities as iPhone to create great looking apps even though the UI framework doesn't go as far. The only people to blame for the deficiencies in Android apps are the individuals and businesses developing the apps. In an attempt to assure that every Android app developed looks at least as good as the equivalent iPhone version,
Golden Gekko has developed an own UI framework that simplifies the creation of graphics and improves therefore the outcome, This way Android apps do not fall short on iPhone apps and the results speak for themselves.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You didn't compare the Apple/Android platform with the Web platform. :/

Anonymous said...

Interesting approach, but maybe a hasty generalization? I'm using Android on my HTC Legend and my Facebook application does not look like the one you have in your screen caps. It could be an old version or not the official app at all. Here's what it looks like on my phone (with the user name edited out): http://postimage.org/image/2dbpg4o78/


Sampo

vinfotech said...

Beside providing cool and easy accessibility, iphone gives better security and more flexible. Basically its the choice of majority today.
iphone App Design