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Design Commentary on Google's New To-Do Tasks App (pxlnv.com)
On the sidelines of Gmail's big refresh push, Google also released a new app called Google Tasks. It's a simple app that aims to help users manage their work and home tasks. But it's being talked about for one more reason. From a blog post: Unlike most of their other apps, though, Tasks uses an inconsistent mix of Roboto, their old brand typeface, and Product Sans, their new one. The two faces don't look good together -- it's like when Apple shipped apps that used both Helvetica and Lucida Grande. According to their announcement of Product Sans and their new logo, the typeface was supposed to be used in promotional materials and lockups, but there's no mention of it being used for product UIs. In fact, the only other product I can find that has this same inconsistent mix is the new Gmail.com, also previewed today.
It isn't just about what these typefaces look like, either, but how they're used. For example, when entering a new task, the name of the task is set in Product Sans; when it is added to the list, it becomes Roboto. Tapping on the task takes you to a details view where, now, the name of the task is in Product Sans. There are three options to add more information: if you want to add details, you'll do it in Roboto, but adding a due date will be in Product Sans. The "add subtasks" button -- well, text in the same grey as everything else except other buttons that are blue -- is set in Product Sans, but the tasks are set in Roboto.
It isn't just about what these typefaces look like, either, but how they're used. For example, when entering a new task, the name of the task is set in Product Sans; when it is added to the list, it becomes Roboto. Tapping on the task takes you to a details view where, now, the name of the task is in Product Sans. There are three options to add more information: if you want to add details, you'll do it in Roboto, but adding a due date will be in Product Sans. The "add subtasks" button -- well, text in the same grey as everything else except other buttons that are blue -- is set in Product Sans, but the tasks are set in Roboto.
It's the end of the world!
Whiny much?
"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." - Epictetus
Is there a gene that makes some people get angry about mismatched fonts, and not other people? It just seems really weird to me.
I logically understand all the stuff about fonts - why Comic Sans shouldn't be used in business presentations, and why not to mix two typefaces within a document. It makes perfect sense. But if someone actually violates these things, someone has to point it out to me or I don't notice it. But to actually write an article about it seems like... wow, really? It matters THAT much?
They have decided on the freely available Comic Sans, and that was final, a spokesman said.
WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
Unusable!!!
Your browsing history plus email didn't tell us exactly what you were doing at all times, so we made an app for you to report it to us. -love google
will ever need more than 640K
-- Bill Gates
Yawn. Don't care.
Does the new version rip out a bunch of features like most Google "upgrades?" That's all I care about.
A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
Anyone else think the typeface in the Wired article's headline sucks ass?
Oh, and it's flak, not flack. The former is from the German for anti-aircraft gun, the latter means a shill.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
You do care about fonts.
You do notice shitty layout and crappy fonts and lettering.
Maybe only subconsciously, but you do care.
There's a reason why well designed products get more attention and get used more often.
Yes, also by you.
Try this: Sit in front of an iMac with retina display and work for a few weeks.
Then go back to some regular screen resolution.
Even you will notice the difference. Promise.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
>> (sniveling voice): Tasks uses an inconsistent mix of Roboto, their old brand typeface, and Product Sans, their new one
Google doesn't give a shit: they are the fucking honey badger. You will take their 1998-era interface, type in all your personal shit, and receive the ads that are keyword-assigned to your fucking "tasks", your stupid "mail", your pointless "calender events" and all your web searches for brony warez. Why? Because you are cheap and you value moderately good searches. Just don't think you are the only one searching your digital life - that index ain't just for you.
They mixed Roboto and Product Sans? Someone needs to get smacked and learn some design basics before being let go on UX... That's like doing speed critical coding in Ruby and front-end in C. In the same app.
If you mix fonts (which you really shouldn't!), then there should
be a very significant difference between them, like sans and serif. Or fine and Ultrabold.
That would be some trash-grundgy post modern thing which will probably be out of style again next year, but you could do it if you know what you are doing.
Unless you really know what you're doing, don't mix fonts. Do the variations in weight, nothing else.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Remember when, as a user, you just went into Font Preferences and told the system which font you prefer, and your apps complied because the computer's purpose is to do whatever the user wants?
Software designers shouldn't even know what font their app uses. That's determined at runtime.
Google's tasks and reminders are seemingly two separate DBs.
Google Assistant, Keep, Inbox, and Calendar use the reminders DB. The new Gmail and Tasks use the other. Why in the holy hell these two are separate is maddening but as long they remain so it severely gimps both. Whatever Assistant defaults to should be what everything does.
Typeface nerds (anyone who gives a shit about typefaces really) are the *worst* kinds of people.
THE WORST
Seems like the priorities are usually roughly as follows:
Though, as a developer myself, I kind'a feel like that last bullet is almost never completed... someone in the management team always wants us to change some more random crap, so we never really have enough time to make things look good, let alone consistent.
Well, if it's supposed to be used for mockups, then perhaps the product UIs were not fully feature-complete, so parts of it was still using the mockup UI instead of "production" UI, perhaps?
The whole issue is probably related to the entire application being not much more than a series of libraries being imported and a dozen lines of
new code to make use of the libraries. Obviously, 1 or more of the libraries has not been updated to the new font standard.
This is where the bar is: Todo Apps. Really.
Gotta love these ads.
After very careful consideration:
Shut the fuck up and eat your onions. They're fucking Onions. Throw a little garlic in there, sauté them in butter, and call it good. Really good. Mmmm, sautéed onions.
And read your buttons. Can you read your buttons? Text all on the button, not falling off the sides? Button does what it's supposed to? Yes? Good. Then they're okay buttons. Done. Move along.
There is nothing so lame as this kind of complaining about a font. We're not talking readability here; just font style. UX "designer" pissing, whining and moaning. The moment someone says "UX" in connection with this kind of utterly pointless wittering about a bloody font style, I want to shove them off the end of a settling pond catwalk in a sewage processing plant.
I'm imagining many "Rain Man"-like panic attacks about the fonts.
Comedy gold.
I've got a Fire tablet, to access numbers from the keyboard you have to hit the 123 key, to go back to letters hit abc. Pain in the fucking ass, just put a number row above qwerty. I don't use !@$, etc much on my Fire, but I use numbers every damned time I enter a password. Which is what the Fire keyboard is used for 90% of the time.
My Android calendar defaults to day mode with no way to tell it I prefer the week or month view. No, I have to enter settings and hit month every damned time I open the calendar. I want month views 90% of the time, week views 9%, and daily 1% of the time.
Windows 10 has decided it looks better when the scroll bars are a light blue against a dark beige background. I'm sure the eyeballs of the 20 somethings designing this stuff thinks it looks rad wicked, but can't they take a prototype home to mom and dad once in a while to see what 50 year old eyes think of it? To give Microsoft credit this one seems to come and go. I suspect we get a patch tuesday, someone installs it and sez "damn, we got the wrong color scheme again" and fixes it. Next patch tuesday someone else installs it and sez "damn, we got the wrong color scheme again" and fixes it. Lather rinse repeat.
The first 2 can be fixed by downloading different apps, I have yet to find a fix for the third.
Who the heck trusts google products anymore - this must be their 5th Tasks app which obviously they will shut down after couple years. People must be fools to go with any 2-bit google app they wont haven't a hope of getting any revenue for.
..yet we're harping over font issues?
..Google Keep and tasks built into Google Calendar Seriously, the way Google duplicates apps is a sign of a company with multiple personalities.