In the war over what you look at when you open your smartphone, two players have won out, dominating a game that once hosted heavyweights like Blackberry, Nokia, and Microsoft. The mobile operating system environment offers up two choices, Apple or Android. While this has created a near-monolithic playing field where mobile operating systems are concerned, it offers developers a straight path to creating quality mobile content. Instead of needing to learn to develop for five different operating systems, developers can put all their time and energy into the two dominant platforms.
In this blog post, we will take a specific look at the Android platform. As a premier Android app developer, we know what it takes to make an award-winning app. The fact is, there are necessary skills that any Android app developer worth their salt should know. But what are they? Let’s take a deeper look at what makes a good Android app developer great.
Skills an experienced Android app developer should display
Although lots of Android apps may look simple, there is a lot of hard work that goes into the back end coding of these products. To build an Android application, one needs to have an in-depth understanding of programming and design. Even more, designing an Android app from scratch is akin to developing a brand new technology each time you build an app.
Capable Android app developers will have actionable experience and workable knowledge of nuanced technical concepts, from web development to user experience design. For those who already work in coding and design, developing Android apps will look similar, but there are vastly different techniques used to design a website as compared to designing an Android app.
From smaller screens to simpler processors, Android app design requires a specific set of skills to execute. Compound that with the fact that the Android OS itself comes in many different versions and functions depending on the manufacturer, and it isn’t hard to see why coders need to have a special degree of flexibility and know-how to successfully build, release, and succeed at Android app development.
Java is about more than just a cup of Joe
If there is one essential skill that an Android app developer must have to even put their toe in the water, it’s knowledge of the programming language that has been the foundation for Android since day one. Java by itself is different from JavaScript, though it shares the similarity of being object-oriented. Still, Java by itself does not accommodate every data type other programming languages do. As a result, app developers must be far more discerning and thoughtful in how they code.
One major limitation of working in the mobile device field is the scarcity of computing resources available. Though they have been advancing at an incredible clip, mobile devices have far less memory and processing power than standalone computers. With less to work with, these developers must ensure every line of code they develop serves a valuable purpose without bogging down the device. In being more precise, Android app developers write less code.
XML, SDK, and Material Design, oh my!
Of course, Android development is about more than just Java. From XML, which drives internet-based applications to Android Software Development Kits (SDK), the Android platform has a number of tools developers use to get the job done. And since Google does not maintain a consistent design aesthetic across platforms, developers have even more leeway to design according to app specifications and user experience rather than interface guidelines.
Yet, in the end, excellent Android development is about more than just the code underpinning the technology. It’s really about solid execution, creative thinking, and listening to user feedback, all principles that we at Clever Coding live by. Looking for an Android app developer you can count on to deliver an award-winning product? Well, look no further.