The day starts with firing up the email. First Gmail and then Outlook. Gmail is where all my really good mail resides and Microsoft's Outlook is for the office stuff. What’s this? My old pal Gmail wants me to “switch to the new look.”
Let’s start at the beginning with why? Why the redesign of a common utilitarian email interface? Google attributes the changes to the changing landscape of devices we are using to access email.
According to their intro, “our goal is to give you a more seamless and consistent online experience -- one that works no matter which Google product you’re using or what device you’re using it on.” They go on to highlight focus aka less clutter, elasticity and effortlessness of use as guiding design principles. All that makes sense.
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Highlights of the New Gmail
Toolbar presents options as graphics rather than text. In a comforting tip of the hat for those of us who rely on muscle memory to get through email tasks, the options are in the same order as the previous Gmail. Continuing the space saving theme, some options are collapsed. You get to Contacts and Tasks by clicking on the down arrow beside “Mail” in the upper left corner.
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Display of messages, really everything on the screen, now comes in three options: comfortable, cozy and compact. The difference is the amount of space around each item. Comfortable is the largest and is the default. I’m going with compact at present.
Compose would be really difficult to miss. It’s in a red box towards the top of the left column. No hunting required.
Items in the left column adjust as you scroll. My habit has been to use an abundance of folders for storing messages. I can’t recall ever using the chat feature. Now the left column expands and adjusts as I scroll, instead of requiring me to click.
Search, Google’s basic strength has improved while remaining simple. One search box. Type what you are looking for and “search mail” and “search the web” are included as options. Click on the down arrow in that one box for quick access to filtering options that help focus and narrow search.
Making sense of conversation flow and who wrote what in lengthy email exchanges is easier with the addition of the writer’s photo, if Google has one. I still find the way email exchanges are laid out difficult in Gmail compared to Outlook.
Themes, aka the window dressing or eye candy, available are “refreshed” with new selections. My favorite Pebbles theme has become far sharper with greater color contrast. In the spirit of the impending darker days of winter, I’m going with Mahogany for now.
Bottom Line
Nice work, Google! Good job on the rollout to your devoted users by keeping us informed and giving us a temporary step back option. Definitely the right move to make towards better viewing on multiple-sized devices.
Though the new Gmail app for Apple was pulled almost as soon as it was launched due to problems, that just underscores the complexity of changes to basic tools we use every day.
Editor's Note:
Need help with basic computer skills and using the Internet? Check the local libraries for free one-hour sessions with a technology volunteer.
