How much is your home screen useful with just icons? Not so much...Deep dive how to differentiate the home screen in order to increases user engagement, decreases the chance that an app will be uninstalled and increases the likelihood of its being used... Deck was presented in Droidcon NYC 19 #DCNYC19

1. Invading the home screen
Matteo Bonifazi - @mbonifazi

2. Disclaimer
Deck is dessert free

3. Outline
1. The status of my home screen
2. The push way - Shortcuts
3. The pull way - App widgets

4. My home screen

9. Outline
1. The status of my home screen
2. The push way - Shortcuts
2. The pull way - App widgets

10. App shortcut
Perform multiple actions within a short period of time
with relatively less effort
Joined in Android 7.1 - API 25

11. Static vs Dynamic vs Pinned

12. Static Shortcuts
<application ...>
...
<activity>
</activity>
…
…
<meta-data
android:name="android.app.shortcuts"
android:resource="@xml/shortcuts" />
</application>

13. Static Shortcuts
<shortcuts xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
<shortcut
android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
android:enabled="true"
android:shortcutDisabledMessage="@string/disabled_message_text"
android:shortcutLongLabel="@string/shortcut_long_text"
android:shortcutShortLabel="@string/shortcut_short_text">
<intent
android:action="android.intent.action.MAIN"
android:targetClass="<applicationId>.MainActivity"
android:targetPackage="<applicationId>" />
<intent
android:action="android.intent.action.VIEW"
...
</shortcut>
</shortcuts>

14. Static Shortcuts

15. Dynamic Shortcuts
Generated - modified - removed by ShortcutManager

16. Dynamic Shortcuts - Lifecycle
1. addDynamicShoructs / setDynamicShortcuts
2. updateShortcuts
3. removeDynamicShortcuts /
removeAllDynamicShortcuts
ShortcutInfo.Builder to create a new one.

17. Dynamic Shortcuts - Creation
val shortcutManager = getSystemService(ShortcutManager::class.java)
val thirdScreenShortcut = ShortcutInfo.Builder(this, "shortcut_third")
.setShortLabel("Third Activity")
.setLongLabel("This is long description for Third Activity")
.setIcon(Icon.createWithResource(this, R.mipmap.ic_launcher))
.setIntents(arrayOf(intentHome, thirdIntent))
.build()
shortcutManager.dynamicShortcuts = Collections.singletonList(thirdScreenShortcut)

18. Dynamic Shortcuts - Update
val thirdShortcut = ShortcutInfo.Builder(this@MainActivity, "shortcut_third")
.setShortLabel("Changed Third Activity")
.build()
shortcutManager.updateShortcuts(Arrays.asList(thirdShortcut))

19. Dynamic Shortcuts

20. Ranking Shortcuts
val thirdShortcut = ShortcutInfo.Builder(this@MainActivity, "shortcut_third")
.setRank(2)
.build()
val fourthShortcut = ShortcutInfo.Builder(this@MainActivity, "shortcut_four")
.setRank(1)
.build()
shortcutManager.updateShortcuts(Arrays.asList(thirdShortcut, fourthShortcut))

21. Tracking the usage
shortcutManager.reportShortcutUSed("id3")

22. Pinned Shortcuts
separate icons into you
home screen

23. Pinned Shortcuts

24. Pinned Shortcuts
val shortcutManager = getSystemService(ShortcutManager::class.java)
if (shortcutManager!!.isRequestPinShortcutSupported) {
val pinShortcutInfo = ShortcutInfo.Builder(context, "my-shortcut").build()
val pinnedShortcutCallbackIntent = shortcutManager.createShortcutResultIntent(pinShortcutInfo)
val successCallback = PendingIntent.getBroadcast(context, /* request code */ 0, pinnedShortcutCallbackIntent, /* flags */ 0)
shortcutManager.requestPinShortcut(pinShortcutInfo, successCallback.intentSender)
}

25. Best practices
4 Publish max four shortcuts
4 Limit description (Short 10 chars, Long 25 chars)
4 Create over update

26. Outline
1. The status of my home screen
2. The push way - Shortcuts
3. The pull way - App widgets

27. Widgets
Enable users to interact with a piece of your
application directly in the home screen.

28. Three main components:
4 AppWidgetProviderInfo - XML resource describes
App Widget meta data
4 AppWidgetProvider - BroadcastReceiver extension
to implement the widget
4 View layout - to define the UI

29. Widget Layout
Everything behind a RemoteViews

30. AppWidgetProviderInfo object
<appwidget-provider xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:initialKeyguardLayout="@layout/coffee_logger_widget"
android:initialLayout="@layout/coffee_logger_widget"
android:minHeight="110dp"
android:minWidth="180dp"
android:previewImage="@drawable/example_appwidget_preview"
android:resizeMode="horizontal|vertical"
android:updatePeriodMillis="86400000"
android:widgetCategory="home_screen">
</appwidget-provider>

31. Resizability
minWidth/minHeight = ( 70dp * cell count ) - 30dp

32. AppWidgetProvider
<receiver android:name=".CoffeeLoggerWidget">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.appwidget.action.APPWIDGET_UPDATE" />
</intent-filter>
<meta-data
android:name="android.appwidget.provider"
android:resource="@xml/coffee_logger_widget_info" />
</receiver>

33. AppWidgetProvider Lifecycle

34. AppWidgetProvider - onUpdate
class ExampleAppWidgetProvider : AppWidgetProvider()
override fun onUpdate(context: Context, appWidgetManager: AppWidgetManager, appWidgetIds: IntArray) {
// There may be multiple widgets active, so update all of them
for (appWidgetId in appWidgetIds) {
updateAppWidget(context, appWidgetManager, appWidgetId)
}
}

35. AppWidgetProvider - onUpdate
internal fun updateAppWidget(context: Context, appWidgetManager: AppWidgetManager,
appWidgetId: Int) {
val views: RemoteViews = RemoteViews( context.packageName, R.layout.appwidget_provider_layout)
.apply {
setOnClickPendingIntent(R.id.button, pendingIntent)
}
...
appWidgetManager.updateAppWidget(appWidgetId, views)
}

36. Refreshing the widget

37. Update the widget manually
/ Send a broadcast so that the Operating system updates the widget
val man = AppWidgetManager.getInstance(this)
val ids = man.getAppWidgetIds(ComponentName(this, CoffeeLoggerWidget::class.java))
val updateIntent = Intent(AppWidgetManager.ACTION_APPWIDGET_UPDATE)
updateIntent.putExtra(AppWidgetManager.EXTRA_APPWIDGET_IDS, ids)
sendBroadcast(updateIntent)

38. Update via Service
override fun onStartCommand(intent: Intent?, flags: Int, startId: Int): Int {
val appWidgetManager = AppWidgetManager.getInstance(this)
val allWidgetIds = intent?.getIntArrayExtra(AppWidgetManager.EXTRA_APPWIDGET_IDS)
//1
if (allWidgetIds != null) {
//2
for (appWidgetId in allWidgetIds) {
//3
CoffeeLoggerWidget.updateAppWidget(this, appWidgetManager, appWidgetId)
}
}
return super.onStartCommand(intent, flags, startId)
}

39. Best practices
1. smallest
2. refreshing
3. wise information

41. Customizing Home Screen
4 Users get instant access to priority functionality
4 User can see important info without opening the app
4 Apps are more visibile in the home screen with better
entry point

42. Make discoverable
Inform the user

43. My new home screen

44. References
Shortcuts tutorial - http://bit.ly/droidcon-nyc-
shortcuts
Widgets tutorial - http://bit.ly/droidcon-nyc-widget
Contacts
Twitter - @mbonifazi
Email - d e k r a 06 [ @ ] gmail.com
Codemotion - www.codemotion.com
Thanks!