Google testing what could be 'dramatic' Gmail redesign
Google testing what could be 'dramatic' Gmail redesign
Company testing new navigation, moves Hangouts and adds
mobility functions
By Sharon Gaudin, Computerworld
May 12, 2014 04:21 PM ET
Computerworld - Google appears to be testing a dramatic
Gmail redesign that could surprise users.
Screen grabs of the redesign on sites including Geek.com
show big changes to Gmail's look and functionality. Geek.com, which appears to
be testing the changes, notes that Google is trying out new features such as
the ability to "snooze" an email, setting it to return to the top of
the user's inbox at a later time.
Google declined to comment on the screen shots or to
confirm whether it's working on a redesign of its free cloud-based service.
The company frequently tests redesigns and changes to
various products, including Gmail. While Google may test a new feature doesn't
necessarily mean it will be launched.
While Google is testing what analysts describe as
"dramatic" changes, the final product may not include all of the
modifications nor be as dramatic.
"Wow, this is a dramatic change," said Patrick
Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. "This strikes me
as an uber simplification, or dumbing down of the interface. I believe they are
getting feedback that their dual navigation UI -- one that goes vertical and
one that lies horizontally -- was confusing. Gone are the tabs, replaced by
navigation along the right rail."
Hangouts, Google's text, voice and video chat service,
also is being promoted in the redesign. The service has been raised from the
lower left corner of the Gmail page to the upper right hand corner.
"They want more integration with Google+, and this
is one aggressive way to do it," Moorhead said. "Google is constantly
looking at changes to their site to change user behavior. Some of these are
small changes, but some, like this, are major changes."
Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with ZK Research, noted that a
lot of the potential changes are focused on mobility, such as making users'
email easier to read, manage and respond to on the run.
"There are a number of new features that improved
the mobile experience," he said. "Particularly enabling users to jump
from email to other areas like travel, purchases and news without needing to
switch between apps because they can do it all from inside Gmail."
This article, Google testing what could be 'dramatic'
Gmail redesign, was originally published at Computerworld.com.
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging
technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on
Twitter at @sgaudin, on Google+ or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed. Her email
address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.
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