Java ME on Symbian OS: Inside the Smartphone Model

Chapter 9. Java ME Best Practices

Applying best practices is an essential part of the development process. There is so much to be considered here – quality, user experience, testing, future-proofing, optimizing resource usage, and so on. Clearly, there is no single script we can follow to write an application. Nor is there a definite set of rules.

We can, however, propose some common practices and API usage patterns. First, we explore how to improve the user experience. Second, we delve a level deeper and explore some practical Java ME patterns, including for resource usage. Then, we offer some ideas for streamlining the deployment and lifecycle of the ultimate MIDlet. Finally, we look at general guidelines for developing on Symbian OS.

Investing in the User Experience

The user experience is paramount in a Java ME application, as in any other user-facing environment. You'll have noticed discussions about the user experience throughout the book – and the reason is, clearly, that we all write software for the end user, even though that is often lost in the 'noise' of software development.

Getting the user experience right requires deliberate investment. One approach is defining key use cases in advance and making sure they are easy to access and perform well. Not all applications are use-case driven, however. In this case, we can occasionally put on our 'user' hat – assume the role of the application user – and see how we can improve the application. The two approaches can also be combined ...