My first Android app

Theinsideman

Hello folks,

hoping to get some feedback on my first Android app for my website WalkingRoutes.ie.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.walkingroutes.beta01

I hope to release a follow up versions of this app based on feedback. Please just bear in mind this is my first app.

Kavrocks

Firstly the UI in your screenshots is extremely nice. Very well done, especially on sticking closely to Android Design Guidelines. The massive refresh button in the ActionBar is too big and the only gripe I'd have a first glance.

The Corinthian

For a first app, it is very good - I must congratulate you. As to a quick review:

Bugs

• Some of the routes and maps seem to be a bit buggy. For example, looking at the Donegal Ards Forest Park walk, the route appears to go underwater at one stage, as well as flying west, off the screen, twice.

User Interface

• You should look at the back button navigation. For example, when you go into the county list from the home screen, the back button should bring you back to the home screen - instead it quits the app.
• The menu should realistically also be invoked if you press the menu button and ideally also via swiping - currently it can only be invoked by pressing the top left 'menu' button.
• You've an email address in your credits page - you might want to enable it to launch an email app if clicked.

Miscellaneous

• Google Maps limits usage unless you're paying for their service. This means that your app is fine now as long as very few people are using it, but if it ever took off Google Maps would stop serving you maps once the daily quota of map servings is reached. Either finding an alternative to Google Maps or paying for the service (and thus a means to pay for it) is realistically needed.
• It's a little limited where it comes to functionality or features. Presently all your app does is show a LBS enabled map with the route and an 'album' featuring a single photo. This is all well and good, but there's both need and scope to add new functionality and features, such the option to give voice directions on a route or allow users to add their own photos to each route (which then could be shown on the map and/or shared with others). This is not to dismiss your app at all, but users tend to demand a little more bang for their buck with apps (even when the app is free).

Anyhow, those are just a few things that jumped out at me. Well done again on your first app though.

Draco

The Corinthian wrote: »

[*]Google Maps limits usage unless you're paying for their service. This means that your app is fine now as long as very few people are using it, but if it ever took off Google Maps would stop serving you maps once the daily quota of map servings is reached. Either finding an alternative to Google Maps or paying for the service (and thus a means to pay for it) is realistically needed.

Only for the Web API - the app looks to be using the built in maps from the Google Play Services and they don't have a usage limit.

Theinsideman

The Corinthian wrote: »

For a first app, it is very good - I must congratulate you. As to a quick review:

Bugs

• Some of the routes and maps seem to be a bit buggy. For example, looking at the Donegal Ards Forest Park walk, the route appears to go underwater at one stage, as well as flying west, off the screen, twice.

User Interface

• You should look at the back button navigation. For example, when you go into the county list from the home screen, the back button should bring you back to the home screen - instead it quits the app.
• The menu should realistically also be invoked if you press the menu button and ideally also via swiping - currently it can only be invoked by pressing the top left 'menu' button.
• You've an email address in your credits page - you might want to enable it to launch an email app if clicked.

Miscellaneous

• Google Maps limits usage unless you're paying for their service. This means that your app is fine now as long as very few people are using it, but if it ever took off Google Maps would stop serving you maps once the daily quota of map servings is reached. Either finding an alternative to Google Maps or paying for the service (and thus a means to pay for it) is realistically needed.
• It's a little limited where it comes to functionality or features. Presently all your app does is show a LBS enabled map with the route and an 'album' featuring a single photo. This is all well and good, but there's both need and scope to add new functionality and features, such the option to give voice directions on a route or allow users to add their own photos to each route (which then could be shown on the map and/or shared with others). This is not to dismiss your app at all, but users tend to demand a little more bang for their buck with apps (even when the app is free).

Anyhow, those are just a few things that jumped out at me. Well done again on your first app though.

Hello Corinthian,

many thanks for the feedback, very much appreciate. I will try amend the app with the next version. I do have plans to add lots of additional functionality, but I thought it best to get a basic version out first and then iterate.

IS_a_Class

Draco wrote: »

the app looks to be using the built in maps from the Google Play Services

Great looking first app. If I get my first app looking half as good, I'll be delighted.

Was it difficult to integrate the maps? What would you say was the most difficult process while building your app?

Theinsideman

IS_a_Class wrote: »

Great looking first app. If I get my first app looking half as good, I'll be delighted.

Was it difficult to integrate the maps? What would you say was the most difficult process while building your app?

Thanks for the feedback, im glad you like it. Maps API is very easy to work with, prob the easiest part. Hardest part by far was developing the app so that the large amount of data required for it to work didnt take 20 mins to download(for offline use). I managed this through staggering the download first a basic list which allows the user to interact with the app, then download the thumbnails and lastly the map points. Honestly this was a bitch and a lot of apps cop out by either having large initial downloads or a loading screen when the app first runs. so im really happy over coming that.

will be adding loads of features in the next version.

cormee

Nice app. Great work. I recently downloaded a piste map app for a particular resort. It had an inbuilt emergency button that would dial emergency services. Not everyone who uses your app will be Irish, or know what our emergency services number is, so it would be nice touch, you could extend the functionality by showing the user's GPS coordinates beside the emergency button.

Theinsideman

cormee wrote: »

Nice app. Great work. I recently downloaded a piste map app for a particular resort. It had an inbuilt emergency button that would dial emergency services. Not everyone who uses your app will be Irish, or know what our emergency services number is, so it would be nice touch, you could extend the functionality by showing the user's GPS coordinates beside the emergency button.

Thats a really great idea, thanks cormee.