Modern Android UI Design Practice Exam
Modern Android UI Design Practice Exam
About Modern Android UI Design Exam
Modern Android UI design centers around creating intuitive, visually appealing, and user-friendly interfaces for mobile applications on Android devices. It is rooted in the principles of Material Design, which offers a unified design language that helps developers create consistent, interactive, and aesthetically pleasing experiences across various screen sizes and resolutions.
Knowledge Area
A key aspect of modern Android UI design is the use of responsive and adaptive layouts, ensuring seamless user experiences on a wide range of devices, from smartphones to tablets and foldable devices. Material Design guidelines focus on clean layouts, bold typography, and rich animations, using depth and shadows to create natural navigation paths for users. Dark mode support has become increasingly important, as it offers a more visually comfortable experience, particularly in low-light settings.
Additionally, modern Android UI design often incorporates gestural navigation, replacing traditional buttons with intuitive swipe gestures that maximize screen space and usability. Developers also have the flexibility to create custom UI components tailored to their app’s needs while maintaining a consistent platform experience. Smooth animations and transitions guide users through interactions, offering a fluid and continuous experience between different app states and screens.
Skills Required
To excel in modern Android UI design, professionals need a combination of technical, creative, and problem-solving skills. Key skills required include:
- A strong foundation in Android development using Java or Kotlin is essential.
- Familiarity with Android Studio, the official IDE, and Android SDK tools is crucial for designing, building, and testing Android applications.
- Understanding the principles of Material Design is vital, including its guidelines on layout, typography, color schemes, and interactive elements.
- A deep understanding of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) principles is fundamental.
- Knowledge of responsive and adaptive design techniques to ensure apps function well across various screen sizes, orientations, and devices, including tablets, smartphones, and foldable devices.
- Expertise in designing for touch-based interfaces, including implementing gestures such as swipes, taps, and pinches, to provide users with intuitive navigation and interactions.
- Proficiency in using prototyping and wireframing tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD to visually plan out app flows and interfaces before development begins.
- Skills in creating smooth animations and transitions to enhance the user experience, making interactions more fluid and providing visual feedback during app use.
- Familiarity with version control tools like Git to manage project code and collaborate effectively within development teams.
- Knowledge of designing apps with accessibility in mind, such as ensuring compatibility with screen readers, providing high-contrast text options, and implementing easy navigation for users with disabilities.
- The ability to optimize UI performance for speed and efficiency, ensuring that apps run smoothly and provide a responsive user experience without unnecessary lag.
- Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills to identify and resolve issues related to UI elements, user flows, and device compatibility.
- Effective communication skills to work closely with other team members, including developers, product managers, and stakeholders, ensuring that design solutions align with the overall project goals and user needs.
Who should take the Exam?
The exam is ideal for professionals who are involved in Android development, UI/UX design, and mobile application development. Specifically, it is suited for:
- Android Developers
- UI/UX Designers
- Mobile App Designers
- Software Engineers
- Product Managers
- Individuals Pursuing Certification
- Companies and teams focused on enhancing their Android app design capabilities.
Course Outline
The Modern Android UI Design Exam covers the following topics -
Domain 1 - Windows Machine Setup for Development
○ Installing and setting up Android Studio
○ Creating and running a Kotlin module
○ Using Kotlin Playground for online code editing
Domain 2 - Mac Machine Setup for Development
○ Installing and configuring Android Studio
○ Creating a Kotlin module within an Android project
○ Using Kotlin Playground for online code editing
Domain 3 - Build Your First Jetpack Compose App
○ Demo of the app
○ Setting up the BizCard app with Android Compose surface layout and preview
○ Creating a card and modifying its properties with a modifier
○ Adding profile images, columns, and dividers
○ Challenge: Adjusting divider parameters (solution included)
○ Adding the card info section and portfolio button
○ Creating a content composable function
○ Implementing a LazyColumn layout and toggle functionality
○ Finalizing the BizCard app
Domain 4 - Kotlin Programming Language Fundamentals - Variable Types
○ Introduction to Kotlin’s var and val keywords
○ Initializing variables and understanding basic types such as Int and String
○ Exploring the long type and floating-point types
○ Kotlin operators overview
Domain 5 - Kotlin Fundamentals - Loops and Branching
○ Overview of loops and branching in Kotlin
○ Using the if statement and when expression, including range functionality
○ Implementing the for loop
Domain 6 - Kotlin Fundamentals - Functions
○ Introduction to creating functions in Kotlin
○ Working with functions that accept parameters and return values
○ Exploring default and named arguments
○ Introduction to lambda expressions and their usage
○ Challenges and solutions related to lambda expressions
Domain 7 - Kotlin Fundamentals - Collections
○ Introduction to collections in Kotlin
○ Using methods on lists and working with sets and maps
○ Initializing and filtering collections
○ Section summary on collections
Domain 8 - Kotlin - Intermediate Object-Oriented Programming Concepts
○ Introduction to object-oriented programming (OOP) and creating your first class
○ Understanding primary constructors, init block, and inheritance
○ Working with interface classes and extension functions
○ Creating data classes and understanding their usage
Domain 9 - Kotlin - Advanced Concepts
○ Introduction to generics and their usage
○ Understanding enums and state management
○ Improving enums with sealed classes and their creation
Domain 10 - Introduction to Jetpack Compose and Fundamentals
○ Overview of Jetpack Compose and understanding the imperative approach
○ Basics of Compose project: Preview and Compose annotations
○ Creating composable functions and using modifiers
○ Building simple UI components such as a circle and incrementing a counter
○ State hoisting in Compose applications
Domain 11 - Android Real Device Setup
○ Steps to set up an Android device for development
Domain 12 - Build a Tip Calculator App
○ Demo of the JetTip app
○ Setting up the container function and top header
○ Creating customizable input fields and round icon buttons
○ Refactoring the input field and adding a slider
○ Implementing state hoisting and code refactor
Domain 13 - Build a Movie App - Introduction to Scaffold and LazyColumn
○ Overview of Scaffold composable and LazyColumn for displaying movies
○ Setting up navigation structure with Home and Details screens
○ Implementing back navigation and top app bar
Domain 14 - Movie App - Improvements
○ Adding a movie data class and displaying images using Coil
○ Expanding card functionality and finishing the details screen
Domain 15 - Introduction to ViewModel - Build a Note App
○ Demo of the Note app
○ Setting up the app with text fields and buttons
○ Managing state and data in Compose using ViewModel
Domain 16 - Note App Improvements - ROOM and Dependency Injection - Hilt
○ Overview of Android ROOM and Hilt for dependency injection
○ Setting up Hilt dependencies and ROOM database architecture
○ Implementing coroutines, flow state, and testing the Note app with ROOM
Domain 17 - JetTrivia App - Parsing JSON: Retrofit and Clean Architecture
○ Setting up the JetTrivia app with Retrofit and clean architecture principles
○ Parsing JSON and integrating Hilt with Retrofit for data fetching
○ Building the app UI with composable functions and handling the progress bar
Domain 18 - Build a Weather Forecast App
○ Demo of the weather forecast app
○ Setting up the project, API key, and navigation structure
○ Displaying weather data, integrating a splash screen, and refining the UI
○ Implementing ROOM for saving favorite cities and adding settings functionality
○ Finalizing the app with metric and imperial units adjustments