Nothing tastes better than the product of your own hard work. This applies everywhere, from cooking to Android, where you can modify almost every element of the UI either by editing smali code or by using an Xposed Framework modules. XDA is your source for a limitless supply of guides explaining what needs to be done in order to achieve the desired effect on your device.

One such guide was recently published by XDA Senior Member DanielFlorin who showed what could be done with the Sony Xperia phones to make their UI more beautiful. DanielFlorin's guide contains instructions about how to make the status bar semi-transparent, how to move the toggles under the clock, and how to change the separator background in Settings. All these modifications can be done at the XML level, so you don't have to dive into smali code, which is the result of old school APKTool decompilation.

The lack of smali edits make this guide easier than most to follow. Your device will instantly change its look after pushing the SystemUI.apk back to your device and rebooting it. And with some time and effort, the effect is sure to please.

If you want to learn about modifying your Android device's look, this guide is a good place to get started. You can find it in the SystemUI, Settings small mods guide thread.