Google’s newest redesign of its Play Store furthers its effort to create a cohesive, minimalist interface as its new branding mark. For myself Google’s design aesthetic has become more pleasant and properly blends real-world icons with a digital interface – a much preferable look to that of iOS.

This is a matter of preference, of course. The icon-based interface of iOS and its emphasis on the use of skeumorphism work well for many and serve as a useful link to the past. Also, whatever one makes of the UI of iOS, it still is the vast ecosystem of apps that make the iPhone and iPad worthy of paying attention to.

The new look brings larger icons, more content recommendations and less digital clutter. The top of the new home page contains links to the major content areas of Google Play; the icons have been tweaked to match the flatter look.

Gone are the panels which tried to squeeze too much information into a small space. The highlighted apps, movies and other features fit well inside the page; view them by scrolling down.

Those coming from the App Store may feel an instinctive pull to swipe through the promoted items. Instead you need to hit the “Read More” link to see further items from that category. Navigating is accomplished through swiping the sliding panels, which is one of the key UI characteristics of the Holo design. Watch the bar along the top to keep track of where you are. Fortunately more Android apps are beginning to use this design aesthetic, which is bringing some much-needed consistency to Android applications.

Each app page is essentially the same as the previous iteration of Google Play, save for the font changes and lightened background color. Also there is still that tight integration with Google+, which requires you have an account with Google’s social service in order to leave review or give content a +1.  [Read more...]