Do as We Say, Not as We Do

Here’s a video from last year, with three guys from Google talking about how to properly design apps for Android. Starting around the 6:00 mark, their specific example is about sharing icons. They recommend against using the iOS arrow-coming-out-of-a-box sharing icon when designing for Android, and instead using Android’s standard sideways-V icon. So far so good, right? “Follow the idioms and standards of the platform you’re writing for” is good sound advice.

But Google is doing just the opposite with nearly all of their iOS apps. They’re not adhering to iOS design idioms — they’re adhering to their own Material Design style. Look no further than the “sharing” button in the iOS YouTube app — it’s Android’s.

★ Tuesday, 4 November 2014