One of the things that we’re most looking forward to about Android L is definitely the awesome looking new animations that will be part of Google’s new Material Design user interface. Raveesh Bhalla, a Google Developer Expert for UX/Design, has written an excellent explanation for how Android L’s animations will work once the new platform finally releases in October.
LEARN MORE: Fantastic video tells you everything you need to know about Android L’s beautiful new design
The key, Bhalla says, is that any animation in Android L should be “governed by the rules of physics, as if it existed in the real world,” which means that any animations “must assume that the objects have some weight and mass.” To see an example of what this means in practical terms, consider that Android L animations will never just pop out of nowhere but will instead start at a specific point and expand out from there, as demonstrated in the GIF below:
As you can see, the square doesn’t just appear on the screen but starts in the lower left-hand corner and quickly spreads across the page.
Or to get another example, notice how the squares in this GIF start out as individual points and then open up together simultaneously:
Bhalla’s full analysis goes into far more detail about the practical implications on the physics of Android L’s animations. Be sure to check it out by clicking the source link below.
