Android Design & Development
Disney Movies Anywhere
Disney Movies Anywhere allowed users to link Disney films purchased on iTunes Store and other digital services into a unified library.
Our consulting team was engaged to integrate Chromecast into the app, but we continued to work on features for over two years.
I focused mostly on interface development and was pivotal in bringing Material Design to DMA.
role
role
role
Senior Android Developer, Product Designer
Contribution
Contribution
Contribution
- DMA for Android, Android TV, & Amazon Fire
- Design system using Android styles
- UI development, animations, & transitions
- Chromecast client & receiver
- Video player & accessibility features
- Movies Anywhere prototype
- Training & mentoring designers
Tools
Android Studio, Illustrator, Photoshop
Design Story
Dawn of Material Design
Dawn of Material Design
The summer before DMA for Android was scheduled to launch, Google introduced Material Design at Google IO in 2014.
Material Design examples introduced at Google IO, 2014
DMA for iOS vs. DMA for Android
Design conflict
DMA's design was signed off at the beginning of 2014, months before Material Design was announced. The design & product teams were all iPhone users, so their attention was not on IO.
Meanwhile, Android users were frustrated about being treated as “second class citizens”. Many high profile companies were releasing Android apps that looked like iOS knockoffs, so users started punishing these apps with low ratings in the Google Play Store.
I tried several times to bring this to their attention, but they were reluctant to make changes, despite the fact that their design was heavily influenced by iOS 6.
Material Design goes live
Two things happened in October — only six weeks before our launch — to add to the pressure: Google updated the Play Store with a massive Material Design overhaul and released the Lollipop SDK beta (with Material Design components) to developers.
Google Play Store's first Material Design update, October 2014
Video Player: before & after slider
My impact
As soon as the new SDK was released, I spent two weeks working on a proof of concept using the new Material Design component library.
My update caused some intense debates among the teams and stakeholders, but ultimately the redesign was implemented for the launch.
We received very positive reviews for the launch and the Android app ranked a full-star higher than the iOS release. In press reviews, the tech sites were overwhelmingly positive.
As soon as the new SDK was released, I spent two weeks working on a proof of concept using the new Material Design component library.
My update caused some intense debates among the teams and stakeholders, but ultimately the redesign was implemented for the launch.
We received very positive reviews for the launch and the Android app ranked a full-star higher than the iOS release. In press reviews, the tech sites were overwhelmingly positive.
“The app does feel purely native to Android, using Google’s design language throughout — it doesn’t feel at all like a quick and dirty port of the iOS app.”
- The Verge
“The Android app is bright, bold, and very close to the new Material Design guidelines… in line with Google's vision.”
- Android Central
Some before & after sliders
Featured page
Movie Collection
Details dialog
Selected works
Time JournalProductivity app for iPhone, iPad, & macOS
OmnicellDesign component library, responsive web design, & interactive kiosks
Starsky RoboticsUX research & design for a remote-driving system
Star Wars APIAndroid design & code exercise
Exercise GoalsProduct design exercise
Disney Movies AnywhereSenior Android Developer, Product Designer
DayframeAutomated photo frame for social media
HD WidgetsPopular widget app
App StatsPlay Store app tracking & metrics
CloudskipperFree music player
Flash2000 - 2011
Elemental Design1994 - 2003