DraStic

So, I just discovered this app tonight and I'm so glad to see there's an amazingly done Nintendo DS emulator for Android! One of my biggest frustrations though is the controls. I feel like it's very difficult to move with the D-pad, with it sometimes failing to register, directions registering in different places depending on how they're hit, and overall repeatedly having to lift your finger from the screen and tap again to change directions.

I don't know if this will fix it, but it certainly seemed to help on My Boy--allowing you to resize the D-pad. I increased the size of the D-pad in My Boy and it feels much nicer and easier to control, with almost no issues at all. It would be great if this could be added to Drastic soon!

The issues with the D-pad you describe should only happen, if it's overlapping the DS touchscreen. This is already resolved in the current beta and will be in the next release.

You can however resize and move the D-Pad (seems to be one of the best hidden features in DraStic at the moment).
Hold one of the screen layout buttons until the layout editor opens. There you can freely resize and move the screens, and via 'Menu'->'Edit controller layout' do the same for the controls.