I would like to contribute a design proposal for Calculator-inator. Before diving into the specifics, I'd like to reference two existing issues that discuss the Material You Theme: Issue #1 and Issue #16.
I appreciate the efforts to integrate the Material You theme into the application. However, I would like to share my perspective on why the standard Material You Theme might not be the most suitable choice for a calculator app. Notably, there are already numerous apps adopting the same theme, such as yetCalc, mintcalc, unitto and zCalc, to name a few. This saturation might result in a lack of distinctiveness for your app among others.
Another concern I have pertains to the significant space occupied by assigning each button a background color and the required padding. I believe this space could be used more efficiently. Instead of requiring users to toggle to view the history, it could be beneficial to display it by default, saving users an extra step and enhancing the overall user experience. This feature could also set your app apart from others.
Having expressed my concerns about the Material You Theme, I would like to introduce some design changes in my proposal. Firstly, as mentioned earlier, I suggest displaying the history by default without the need for a toggle or button. A minor adjustment involves incorporating evenly distributed icons for switching between the calculator, converter, currency converter, and settings functions.
Another significant alteration is the inclusion of a button to switch to advanced mathematical operators, replacing the sidebar. This change addresses the issue where the same gesture on Android is interpreted as a "back" action.
Additionally, I propose prefixing each result with an equals sign to provide clarity in the presentation of calculations. To enhance accessibility, I recommend implementing a design swap: pressing the equals sign should transition the result to light text (#e4e2e6) and the calculation to darkened text (#535a73).
Regarding the color scheme, I have adjusted the background to #1b1a1f, light text to #e4e2e6, and darkened text to #535a73. I have also incorporated the Swap Icon, available under the MIT License and created by Adam Whitcroft. The chosen font is Manrope.
I hope you find these suggestions intriguing and consider them for the future development of Calculator-inator. I am open to further discussions and collaboration to refine these ideas.
Thank you for your time and dedication to maintaining this excellent open-source project.