Sony
Reader App
Role
I was the visual design lead for the Sony Reader Android application. Because it was to exist on different Sony tablets, there were different challenges
Reader App (Xperia Tablet S)
Sony's successor to the Tablet S, the Xperia Tablet S, also came with a newly designed UI. Early visual exploration was done to see what Reader could look like with the new design elements. Most of the visual patterns seen in these preliminary explorations were taken from the Sony Walkman app that was being worked on for the Xperia Tablet S.
Reader App (Tablet P)
The Reader app that launched with Sony's first tablets, the Tablet P and Tablet S. Although Tablet P launched with Honeycomb, this iteration of Reader was designed for Android 2.x in order to utilize the existing code base, which was also the same code being used for mobile.. There were also alot of unknowns about Honeycomb at the time of design, which was another reason why our team decided to stick with the previous Android version upon initial launch.
Honeycomb was the first iteration of Android to take into account tablet screen real estate with the introduction of new visual and interaction patterns, so things like Fragments, Split and Multi-Pane views we could not take advantage of due to the decision to stick with the old code base.
Another challenge in this project was finding a balance between visual identity and UI component styles. The Reader burgundy color is used sparingly throughout the app due to its strong presence. Most of the UI components are toned down visually to allow the book covers to breathe life into the app.
Reader App (Tablet P)
The Tablet P was launched alongside the Tablet S with it's clam shell design. The device itself is was marketed for its portability, but a challenge to design for. Special design considerations were taken with the Tablet P, such as a fixed landscape / portrait views depending on where the user is in the app and maintaining a grid structure to avoid the content being obstructed by the thick bevel in the middle of the device.
