Design
-Digital experiences for cars should complement and augment driving, not demand the driver's -attention. Designing these experiences for cars is fundamentally different than in the case of -phones and tablets. It requires rethinking how these experiences unfold.
+Android Auto extends users' digital ecosystem into their cars, allowing drivers to stay +connected to their virtual worlds while staying focused on the road ahead.
-Design Principles
+Because driving is the primary activity in the car, any digital experiences should be designed +to complement and augment that activity. They should never demand the user's attention.
-Glanceable. We designed Android Auto to reduce UI complexity, optimize user -interactions, and lower cognitive load. Effective apps show just enough information -and only provide features that do not require excessive menu interaction and navigation.
+Designing for cars is fundamentally different than designing for phones or tablets, and +requires rethinking how experiences unfold. Because attention is limited and not all tasks are +possible in the car, effective apps leverage the entire set of devices that drivers have, +leveraging the app experience on those devices, outside of the car, to set the stage for simple +experiences while driving.
+ +Android Auto experiences are:
+ +Glanceable and simple. Driving requires users' full attention. In-car software +should not. Android Auto was designed to simplify not only the UI, but to optimize interactions +and require less thinking, induce lower cognitive load, and ultimately, be safer. Effective apps +provide just enough information in the minimum amount of time the user needs to glance at it and +return their attention back to the road. Apps should also reduce the number of features to only +those that are safe and drive-appropriate.
Predictive, yet predictable. Android Auto leverages rich, contextual awareness -to keep the driver informed about important situations. Timely help is combined with predictable -functions. Effective apps use patterns for common tasks and show timely information only when -relevant.
+to keep the driver informed about important situations during the drive. Rich, timely help is +combined with predictable functions. Effective apps make use of the patterns for common tasks and +show timely information only when relevant. -Connected. Android Auto works with apps that drivers already use in other -devices. Android Auto promotes a continuous app experience from phones and tablets to cars, -providing access to user's existing settings, subscriptions, and digital libraries. Experiences -that bring personal content and context from other devices are part of Android Auto.
+Connected. By leveraging the user's personal ecosystem of apps and services, +Android Auto promotes a continuous experience from phone to car to other devices. The user's +music, destinations, and virtual ecosystem are always available to augment the drive. Experiences +that leverage personal context and other devices are naturally part of Android Auto.
+ +Naturally integrated. Android Auto blends the user's apps with the car, +creating a truly integrated experience that leverages what is unique about each car. By using +the screens, controls, and capabilities of the vehicle, Android Auto feels like an extension of +the car.
-Integrated. Android Auto blends your apps with the vehicle's entertainment -system, creating a truly integrated experience in every car. By using the vehicle's screen and -controls, apps feel tailored to each car.
Architecture
-The Android Auto app projects your app's customized UI on the vehicle's screen. To communicate +
The Android Auto app shows your app's customized UI on the vehicle's screen. To communicate with the Android Auto app, your media app implements a set of media interfaces.
+
Figure 1 - Architecture of Android Auto.
@@ -215,11 +234,9 @@ Android device and lets users select one of them from an scrollable list:Primary App Template
-After the user selects a media app, the display shows the primary app template. Figure -3 shows the elements of this template that you can customize:
- -You can customize the primary app template to show your own icons, app name, and -background images. Figure 4 shows an example of a customized template:
+After the user selects a media app, the display shows the primary app template. +You can customize this template to show your own icons, app name, and +background images. Figure 3 shows an example of a customized template:
- Figure 4. A customized template. + Figure 3. A customized template.
@@ -245,7 +262,7 @@ background images. Figure 4 shows an example of a customized template:The primary app template supports four main actions on the action bar, four auxiliary actions on the overflow bar, and the Return action. You can use standard controls and customize -the actions and icons, as shown in Figure 5.
+the actions and icons, as shown in Figure 4.
- Figure 5. Custom extra actions. + Figure 4. Custom extra actions.
Drawer Transitions
-For browse actions, the display shows the drawer transition and template:
- -After the transition from the primary app template to the drawer template, the drawer -appears on the center. The customized drawer template shows the media containers and -media files provided by the media service in your app. You can also customize drawers -with icons for list items.
+For browse actions, the display shows the drawer transition and template, as shown in +Figure 5.
- Figure 4. Generic and customized drawer templates. + Figure 5. Generic and customized drawer templates.
+After the transition from the primary app template to the drawer template, the drawer +appears on the center. The customized drawer template shows the media containers and +media files provided by the media service in your app. You can also customize drawers +with icons for list items.
+ +Day and Night Transitions
-All the templates support different color schemes for day and night, as shown in -Figure 8. The platform provides the state (day or night) and makes adjustments automatically.
+All the templates support different color schemes for day and night. +The platform provides the state (day or night) and makes adjustments automatically.