It’s not only Facebook that has been on a mission to revamp its look. Google is apparently working on reworking Gmail’s look. This was revealed when someone accidentally leaked a video that showed the upcoming Gmail updates.
In the video, Google user experience designer Jason Cornwell talked about the updates. He said Gmail was given a “completely redesigned look and feel.†The aim was to make Gmail as “clean, simple, and intuitive as possible.
Here are the updates and changes you will see from Gmail soon:
Themes
Google has already implemented Themes for Gmail. The new themes are supposed to be high resolution images that can be used to decorate the backdrop of Gmail.
Customizations
Customization is a feature that all good email clients should have. Gmail is implementing a new set of customization upgrades in this cycle. For example, Gmail will now automatically adjust to fit your browser window whenever you resize it. There are also new customization options for the inbox that can be accessed in the options tab, which is located in the gear icon. The new customizations include allowing more space for each email. This is a welcome option for those who access Gmail using small screens.
Conversations
Gmail will implement a new chat protocol where the conversations you have with another Gmail user is linked together as one seamless conversation thread. Gmail will also format the emails so that it will look like topic posts. This decision was made to make the emails more readable and also make it feel like you are conducting a real conversation. An additional improvement is that the profile picture of the person who sends you email will pop-up when you read the email. There is talk that this is a step towards Gmail’s integration with Google+.
New search functions
The search function is very important especially if you’ve already amassed a lot of emails. The new search function now shows a drop down menu that offers a number of features to assist you in finding what you’re looking for faster and more accurately. The additional search parameters include indicating from whom or to whom an email was sent, the subject, the addition or omission of certain words, whether an email has an attachment, the date, or even all of the said parameters.
Smart Ads
Even though this was not discussed in the video, the screens shown in the video indicate that Smart Ads are going to be introduced to Gmail. This is an addition that will surely get flak from Gmail users.
Originally posted on October 24, 2011 @ 6:53 am