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Stephen Headrick \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
I used iOS<\/a> for over a decade before fully switching to Android. Even today, my favorite part of iOS doesn\u2019t come from Apple itself, but instead from its third-party app community. My social media feed is filled with examples of beautiful indie iOS apps, crafted beautifully down to the most minute of details.<\/p>\n On Android, however, I struggle to find apps<\/a> with uniquely designed experiences. As long as the app technically does what it\u2019s intended to do, it gets a passing grade for most people. I\u2019ve long wanted to see that change, and I think the only way that happens is if Google leads from the top. Material 3 Expressive<\/a> shows Google is recognizing design\u2019s importance more than ever before \u2014 I prefer it to Apple\u2019s Liquid Glass \u2014 but it only matters if the design system is applied to the apps we use every day. With Google\u2019s very own Fitbit<\/a> app \u2014 the new version that\u2019s still rolling out, so you may not see it in your app yet \u2014 I see a shining example of what the future of Android apps might look like, and now I want every app I use to look this good.<\/p>\n Does app design matter to you?<\/p>\n 51 votes<\/p>\n Yes, good design is essential.<\/p>\n 61%<\/p>\n Yes, but it’s not vital to my usage.<\/p>\n 25%<\/p>\n No, I just want an app that does what it’s intended to do.<\/p>\n 14%<\/p>\n It\u2019s in the details<\/p>\n Stephen Headrick \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n To me, good design is more than meets the eye. It\u2019s a bunch of little things that add up to create an experience that just feels good to use and look at. This can be accomplished through motion design, the colors used in the UI elements, and, of course, the performance of the app.<\/p>\n In Fitbit, you get all three of those design elements<\/a> right when you open the app. A circle chart is smoothly spinning into place to show your cardio activity for the week. The app quickly syncs the latest data from your smartwatch before you would even think to do so manually, shown by an animated loading bar at the top of the screen. Simple shapes at the top of the screen show the most important fitness data, each filled with a tastefully chosen color. Text size is carefully selected to give hierarchy and clarity to the most important information. All of this is presented right when you open the app, with no lag to slow you down.<\/p>\n Stephen Headrick \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Today view animations, slowed down<\/p>\n When you begin to scroll, the floating action button at the bottom right of the screen \u2014 a common design element in Android apps \u2014 animates with a bouncy snap from its extended state to its smaller state so that it doesn\u2019t get in the way of the information you\u2019re viewing. This button isn\u2019t always so smooth in other apps I use, so it\u2019s noticeable in this app. Just one more small detail that adds to the experience.<\/p>\n Stephen Headrick \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n The pull-to-refresh animation<\/a> uses Google\u2019s stock animation designed specifically for Material 3 Expressive, and it looks great. That\u2019s the thing about Fitbit\u2019s design: it\u2019s mostly using elements accessible to any developer in Google\u2019s latest design library. The difference is that it actually took advantage of what\u2019s already available.<\/p>\n The opposite of information overload<\/p>\n Stephen Headrick \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Fitbit is also a great example of good design because it needs to present a lot of information in a way that isn\u2019t overwhelming or too dense, and it does so beautifully. Take the Fitness tab, for example. The top half of the screen shows three of the more important overview charts in a way that is simple yet informative enough to get what you need.<\/p>\n That’s the thing about Fitbit’s design: it’s mostly using elements accessible to any developer. The difference is that it actually took advantage of what’s already available.<\/p>\n The exercise<\/a> days chart is a fun example. For days where you completed a workout, the icon representing a day of the week goes from greyed out with a running person icon to colored in, signifying you completed a workout that day. To take it a step further, if you completed the specific workout from your Fitbit workout plan, the icon changes to represent the workout you did that day \u2014 a person lifting weights for the strength training workout, as an example \u2014 and the shape of the container goes from a circle to a special shape from the Material 3 Expressive<\/a> catalog to signify that you stuck to the plan you made. The chart clearly communicates a lot of information using simple icons and shapes, and you can tap into the chart for more details about the exercise days. Again, small details that add up.<\/p>\n Stephen Headrick \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Fitbit steps graph animations, slowed down<\/p>\n Perhaps the most important aspect of all, Fitbit feels snappy. There\u2019s no lag when switching between app screens, and most screens have micro animations that make the app feel more robust in everyday use. Aside from the circle graph animation in the main Today tab I mentioned above, the other three tabs (Fitness, Sleep, and Health) have small animations in their charts as well. These animations are a hallmark of modern design, and I think Android apps would feel a lot better to use if more of them implemented this into their experience.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not all, folks<\/p>\n Stephen Headrick \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing: Fitbit shouldn\u2019t even be the shining star example, it should be the baseline. We don\u2019t want every app to be a Fitbit copycat; I could even nitpick the animation speed for some elements or the lack of animations between tab screens. The fact is that Material 3 Expressive elements provide all the necessary tools to create a beautiful experience for Android and we need more of that.<\/p>\n Stephen Headrick \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I look at what developers like sinasamaki<\/a> are doing with Jetpack Compose, the standard coding language for Android UI development, and I see what\u2019s possible. That\u2019s the type of incredible design I see all over the place from our iOS friends, and although I can think of at least a few good examples of apps that are trying, it\u2019s very lacking on Android in general.<\/p>\n Looking ahead<\/p>\n Stephen Headrick \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n You might think, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you just use iOS?\u201d There\u2019s a myriad of reasons why I choose Android over iOS, but that\u2019s for another article. I\u2019m now learning Android development, and I hope to be part of the change on Android, but I have a lot of learning to do when it comes to coding.<\/p>\n Kudos to Fitbit for an incredible redesign. When you put the old version side-by-side with this new version, it\u2019s easy to see a very bright future for Android apps. Instead of just being this one app, however, I hope this is the start of a very different world of Android<\/a> apps going forward.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Google")
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