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'A Fresh, Clean Look.' Gmail Is About To Get a Makeover (fortune.com)

Google says it is working on a big refresh for Gmail on the web. From a report: The upgrade was revealed in a message from Google to administrators of G Suite accounts -- G Suite being the suite of Google services that organizations can use on their own web domains, rather than Google's. The message stated that the changes would be coming to consumer Gmail accounts, as well as G Suite accounts. Google said the refresh would include not only a "fresh, clean look for Gmail on the web," but also easy ways to access other Google services, such as Google Calendar, from the Gmail web app. The company recently started winding down its Chrome apps for all platforms but Google's own Chrome OS. Windows, Mac and Linux users are now being encouraged to instead use Google's web apps, and it's only logical that those interfaces are now getting upgraded to include the functionality that would otherwise be lost. The Verge has screenshots of the new interface.

32 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. What the fuck. No! by DarkRookie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't touch GMail. It is your only product still worth half a damn. Your Material Design system sucks. No one but you wants this refresh
    Anyone have a different/better free email service.

    --
    The millennial that doesn't like most of the stuff designed for millennials.
    1. Re:What the fuck. No! by squiggleslash · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I'm mostly anti-change on websites, but... I'm not with you on Material Design. At all. It's a great system that fixes most of the crap that UX designers have been foisting on us. It has faults, but it brings back the use of 3D after years of this obsession with flat UIs, it's easy to see what's touchable and what isn't, it works well on both mobile and desktop UIs (so you're not having to switch between two languages for icons for example), and it's pretty clean and elegant using - something I wouldn't say has ever been true of GMail.

      I saw the screenshots. They don't look worse than GMail does already. I'm hopeful this is positive change, and, for older hardware, that they leave the original UI (not the current one, but the "HTML mode" thing) available for those who need something lighter.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    2. Re:What the fuck. No! by DarkRookie · · Score: 2

      OK. I would like some examples of these.
      I don't see 3d beyond the floating button and those terrible cards. I always have issues on what is selectable or not.
      It might be clean looking, but it is not elegant. Everything is way to large.

      --
      The millennial that doesn't like most of the stuff designed for millennials.
    3. Re:What the fuck. No! by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I wouldn't have a major problem with it if I could understand the purpose, and if they would stop removing features.

      I don't understand the purpose of a phone-friendly gmail web page when they have gmail apps everywhere.

      One example of a removed feature is when they revamped the Google Voice webpage, they removed quite a few things - but most notably for me was the ability to email voicemail messages... this was useful to me because our home phone uses Google Voice and I could send my wife's messages to her.

      In general, the information content is far lower with the redesign. Good for phones, where I don't use it. Bad for desktops/laptops with high-res monitors.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    4. Re:What the fuck. No! by Hadlock · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I agree, Material Design doesn't solve any problems for me. Gmail is an app that displays a lot of information, and as near as I can tell, designers HATE having more than one piece of information on the screen at a time. I worked for an enterprise software development company and our designer kept trying to push our app from being an information rich, wonderful app for IT staff, to this Uber-inspired single-use, single datapoint dashboard. It's been a continuous disaster and the company largely failed due to the design team's insistence on transforming the application in to the single-use java app that designers apparently train for in school.
       
      I get that many users can't concentrate on a lot of data, but gmail is well laid out and doesn't need a change. Microsoft effectively nailed the email client workflow back in Outlook Express 3 and everyone has been using that template since Windows 3.1. I see no reason to change it at this point. A lot of design gets made/created, it seems, simply because designers need to validate their job(s) at the company. There are a lot of badly designed apps out there, but gmail is not one of them.
       
      Google News website is another good example of the design team running roughshod over an amazing data spigot with all sorts of levers and buttons hidden just under the surface, and ripping all that out turning it in to a dumb cell phone app that you are allowed to access from your PC.
       
      Google's design team needs to work on supporting emerging apps, not redesigning the successful ones. Google's webapps such as gmail are successful almost entirely due to their existing design.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
  2. User control by ardmhacha · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "Google is implementing smart replies for Gmail on the web, the same feature from mobile Gmail that provides suggestions to quickly reply to emails."

    I don't like that but if is easy to switch off I could live with it.

    1. Re:User control by Dragonslicer · · Score: 2

      You can turn it off in the Android app: Settings -> [your email account] -> Smart Reply. I would be surprised if the web version is different.

  3. Knowing them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I sure can't wait for an oversized design full of useless whitespace, flat design and no affordances with 50% of the content hidden.

    1. Re:Knowing them by vtcodger · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You left out the use of low contrast colors including, but not limited to, light blue on a white background and the even less readable white on light blue..

      In any case, it's a moot point. Despite having DSL fast enough to support 3 TVs streaming different programming simultaneously, gmail and Google docs are so slow and clunky from my location that I long since set up IMAP and POP interfaces for my gmail.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
  4. Oh, no! another fresh flat look! by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Why these guys casually change the look and feel without worrying about users?

    Using wordless icons makes sense in a 5 inch mobile screen. Here I have two 24 inch full def screens, and I need to guess "will this create a new message? or this? Or will it reply all? Where is that stupid gear icon? Oh, they changed it to ham-sandwich. Now ham-sandwich is gone and we got kebab. There is a + in a circle. Or sometimes there is a pencil. "

    There is no clear demarkation of where the clickable area ends. There is no delineation of clickable areas. Who designs these swipe gestures? swipe up down left right pinch and expand roll ....

    They will not rest till we all spend all our days learning new GUI every day.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:Oh, no! another fresh flat look! by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Funny

      There is a reason why the unemployment rate is hovering around historical lows.

      They're taking everyone who couldn't hold a normal job and turning them into web developers.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  5. Don't you ever wonder why by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 2
    nothing ever seems to change

    If it does it's for the worse, seems it's just a modern curse

    --Oingo Boingo

  6. Don't touch plain HTML client please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dear Google,

    Please don't touch the plain HTML web client.

    It's the one part of Gmail which is fast and efficient and doesn't need Javascript.

    Thanks. (Signed, a guy who just wants to send email without having to fight a "modern" UI.)

    1. Re:Don't touch plain HTML client please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      Let's hope that redesign team doesn't even remember about basic Html version.

    2. Re: Don't touch plain HTML client please by joemck · · Score: 2

      Yes. Keep the lightweight plain HTML version! It's a godsend when I'm stuck using a slow computer or cruddy public wifi.

  7. Are they going to fix focus on the [Send] button? by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 2

    While composing if you press TAB then the [Send] button will get focus which is to be expected.

    Except Gmail has this annoying "feature/bug" that it does NOT colorize the [Send] button with a different background color -- except with a thin dotted rectangle that is bloody hard to see. It is too easy to then press Enter thinking you are going to indent the current line except you accidently fire off the email. Thank God for the Undo at the top.

    Since Google still doesn't understand good UI here is a console snippet that will color-code the [Send] button red when it has focus.


    for( var i = 0; i < document.styleSheets.length; i++ )
            for( var j = 0; j < document.styleSheets[i].cssRules.length; j++ )
                    if( document.styleSheets[i].cssRules[j].selectorText === ".T-I-atl:focus" )
                            document.styleSheets[i].cssRules[j].style.backgroundImage = "-webkit-linear-gradient(top,#F48,#F00)";

    WTF is Gmail being re-designed when they don't even understand _basic_ UI ?

  8. Hope it's better than Google Finance makeover! by methano · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Google just finally killed their old Finance page. The new one is a complete POS. Let's hope the guys in charge of that 'improvement" don't get anywhere near Gmail.

    1. Re:Hope it's better than Google Finance makeover! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The calendar too. I used to be able to add events like "meeting tomorrow at 2PM" with natural language, now I have to fill in a form.

    2. Re:Hope it's better than Google Finance makeover! by nightfire-unique · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You have to wonder if it was their intention to exit the business altogether. I can't imagine anyone finds the new Google Finance useful at all. First time I've ever migrated back to Yahoo for anything.

      --
      A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
  9. Re:Nobody wanted Inbox, then? by DarkRookie · · Score: 2

    I find that running my head into a wall is more pleasant.

    --
    The millennial that doesn't like most of the stuff designed for millennials.
  10. No No No!! Do not want! by DatbeDank · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The jack offs already ruined calendar, now they're ruining Gmail?

    Change for the sake of change. I hate it! Silicon valley and it's adhd on design changes ffs. Let it go! If it ain't broke don't fix it.

  11. Re:Nobody wanted Inbox, then? by rickb928 · · Score: 2

    Yes. Works well for me, and is more useful than GMail on Android.

    Web version, meh.

    --
    deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
  12. Re:THIS SUCKS by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, you'll fit right in here. You should get an account and sign in.

    Welcome.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  13. Re:Well, fuck. by snookiex · · Score: 3, Informative

    Zoho is pretty decent, IMHO. In fact, the whole Zoho Suite is very interesting.

    --
    Open Source Network Inventory for the masses! Kuwaiba
  14. Re:Well, fuck. by MagicM · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you're looking to try something different, I hear good things about GMail.

  15. Re:Now with 99% more spying on you by vtcodger · · Score: 2

    It's a deal. I don't have to hassle with running a mail server, they get to collect as much worthless information on me as they desire. If they can find a customer for the data and refrain from doing stupid (and illegal) things like harvesting and selling my credit card informaiton, more power to them.

    --
    You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
  16. Ah yes, the classic "makeover." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Over they ears we have learned that software hits its functionality high point... but the company still employs people who are supposed to make it better.
    After the high point all they can do is make it worse. It is like paying cooks to make cookies and after they have the perfect dough, you tell them to keep adding ingredients. "Dog ownership is trending right now so please add stuff that is dog related to the dough.", "DIY bathroom fixes are trending right now so please add something toilet related to the dough." "My nephew is taking art classes at college and is really into driving and animals. add some roadkill related stuff to the dough", "The CEO has to have a colon exam this week, add something colon related to the dough." "... hey composting is trending right now.."
    "Man are our customers going to LOVE these cookies!"

    We call this the "Microsoft Method". Hide, remove, or break the tools. Add "pretty" and with it double the number of steps to do something. More shiny and less functionality!

  17. Function following form by sjbe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Fucking "designers" are getting way too full of themselves. Look, I grant that good industrial design is a hugely useful and can add a lot of value to a product. But WAY too many products these days (software especially) have changes for the sake of changes so designers can collect a paycheck and keep busy. My smartphone has WAY too many applications with needlessly obtuse interface decision because the "designer" thought they looked cool or wanted things to be needlessly minimalistic. It's function following form when it should be the other way around.

    It seems pretty clear that usability testing is no longer a thing in software interface design. I am SO tired of incomprehensible icons, unintuitive gestures, blind navigation spaces, hidden design elements, lack of written labels, inconsistent interfaces, and needless changes to perfectly functional software. I hate web pages that put information that should fit on one screen in a huge page forcing me to scroll endlessly over needlessly large graphics that convey little information. (Apple I'm look at you here)

  18. fresh clean look? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Fresh and Clean look == More white space, new icons with no labels, no clear clickable areas, flat blue on white color scheme you can't change.....

    I fuckin hate this new flat shit

  19. Fuck Webmail! by macraig · · Score: 5, Interesting

    To hell with that. I use Thunderbird, and for good reason. It's one extra measure of control for me, one less for Google.

  20. What for? by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While I have no vested interest in Gmail, using it sporadically and for nothing really all that important, I resent this penchant for GUI makeovers just for the sake of it. I am already familiar with the interface; I do not have the need or desire to become familiar with a new interface, which probably will allow me to do the same things, with pretty much the same level of ease or difficulty, only in a different way. I'd rather devote my time to learning other, more interesting and personally rewarding things. I am all for change and innovation, but with a purpose other than just change and innovation.

  21. Bots in the firehose!! Betcha they're Russian! by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

    Malibu Stacy has a New Hat!

    How else could crap like this get voted up to the front page?! Somebody! Please! Tell me!

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”