Google Gently Nudges Devs Toward More Unified Android Designs

Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) is a big step for the platform, and Google is clearly interested in maintaining some level of uniformity across the ICS-based products created by developers. In a blog post, the Android User Experience Team announced a new site called Android Design, which is chock full of practical advice and guides for anyone developing for ICS.

The idea is to make apps simple and beautiful. The post, written by head of the Android visual design group Christian Robertson states:

To help you in that mission, we’re introducing Android Design: the place to learn about principles, building blocks, and patterns for creating world-class Android user interfaces. Whether you’re a UI professional or a developer playing that role, these docs show you how to make good design decisions, big and small.

Robertson promises even more in-depth content for Android Design soon, but there’s already plenty there. We suppose that experienced developers may find the guides oversimplified, but it’s nevertheless a clean, beautiful site with lots of great details--not unlike the apps that the Android team is hoping the site will help generate.