Jason Crawford - Latest Comments

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Mary C. — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:17:00 -0000

google has zit interest in users or their needs. google is end-oriented. what suits google suits google. end of topic. google help in any dept is wste of time and google feedback is waste of time. overall google really truly does nto care about usability or what users want or think. google is navel-gazing, egocentric company that can do no wrong.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Beth Rogers-Ho — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:50:50 -0000

Rock on! Thanks for this. So helpful!

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

elizabethkw — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:44:52 -0000

I went here http://qwerjk.com/revert-gmail and now have the classic gmail again. I have no idea how this stuff works, but I am more than happy :-))

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

FiftySeven57 — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:17:03 -0000

Everything about the new gmail is so flat and generic/:scroll bar/icons/markers etc. I switched back to html permanently, just to get back that little sliding blue lozenge on the scroll bar. That light grey floatey edge scroller thing is aggravating. I like a feeling of precision when I work. The old gmail had a certain gravity about it. The new gmail looks like it's for people who never have messy desks.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

marsha shandur — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:30:35 -0000

THANK YOU!

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Oh Cheers — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:53:44 -0000

Do you really think old Gmail was "ugly"? It's an email system. An innovative email system that clusters emails on the basis of conversation, but JUST an email system. Gmail never was attractive. Gmail will never be attractive. Gmail USED TO BE highly functional. Gmail is now LESS FUNCTIONAL. Thanks Google! Thanks a bunch! Way to alienate your userbase! On the plus side Gmail has had autoforwarding since day 1 so hopefully changing provider will be relatively pain free...

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Oh Cheers — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:49:59 -0000

I agree with Joe, Asf and the author. This low contrast nonsense IS hard to read and I'll bet a classic British 20p that Google will concede eventually. I held off as long as possible before the changeover and I'm TRYING to make use of it, but for me (even as a youngster!) the new Gmail is NOT fit for purpose. It is NOT as clear to read, even in UGLY high contrast mode. I don't know how much CHANG they're putting up their noses at Google, but they're MIGHTY arrogant to kill off an otherwise pleasing and satisfactory interface in favour of this cooler-than-thou lameness.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Oh Cheers — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:45:53 -0000

New Coke vs. Classic Coke would be a neat analogy for leaving otherwise happy users in the cold as we've had a lame product foist upon us without our consultation. Otherwise we leave in droves and the strike will hit Google where it hurts - less ad views!

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Oh Cheers — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:44:11 -0000

The new design is terrible. Changing to compact and high contrast are the only conciliatory options available to users who don't love acres of white and hopelessly gentle low contrast between read and unread mail. Gee, thanks Google, for limiting choice and imposing your arrogance upon us mere users. Thanks Google for your mighty wisdom in choosing clinical prettiness over functionality. Google, have you become APPLE?! :(

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

shankness — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:11:46 -0000

In the new layout, switch to cozy + blue theme. Much better way to cope with the new design.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

shankness — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:10:13 -0000

Here is my own way to make g-mail look better..
http://shankness.wordpress.com...
I like the new layout better than the old one actually..

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

flamboyant999 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:36:18 -0000

Thanks for these tips, Jason, but I still hate the new GMail look, especially the limited space with the folders/labels on the left side bar competing with all my Chat contacts from showing up. Stupid re-design.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Ed Middlebrook — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:53:13 -0000

dble post sorry

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Ed Middlebrook — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:52:57 -0000

I used some of the tweaks mentioned in this article.......much much better!

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

TooManyJens — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:15:53 -0000

"not even Timeline"

Wow. You're kinder than me. Timeline is an unrepentant piece of crap.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

TooManyJens — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:13:51 -0000

"It's not objectively worse."

It absolutely is objectively worse for those of us who now can't use the web interface at all because it's literally headache-inducing.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Susan C. Mohn — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:44:50 -0000

Need the darker background - there are only 3 or 4 available - but it does help with seeing things.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

nanette22 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:58:23 -0000

In addition to getting rid of the markers on the "important" yellow flags that are so distracting and make it difficult for the eye to parse through e-mail, you can also teach Gmail to know what's important or not. I'm experimenting with deselecting the "important" flag, to try to teach the program that nothing's important. (Hmm, that sounds like a larger statement about life, but we can ignore that.) We'll see if it works...

Thanks for the suggestions!

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

nanette22 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:53:32 -0000

I, too, get a headache from it even with the so-called "high contrast" theme. Will try IMAP.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Lance Haun — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:51:19 -0000

The irony of calling me out while excusing absolutism in design preference.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

resnyc — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:48:36 -0000

everything g is doing now is about delivering ads to the user and delivering the user to g circles.

we who are experienced look forward to the day, not long from now, when you wake up and suddenly think of yourself as "old".

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

resnyc — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:44:40 -0000

pedantry

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

jasoncrawford — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:56:00 -0000

You can create labels in Gmail. They are basically folders.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

RebelNC — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:12:33 -0000

Thanks for your suggestions, Jason. The new Gmail interface is atrocious as others have mentioned, but your recommended changes make a bad situation better. One feature that Gmail still doesn't include is the ability to create folders in which to place messages by subject category. Virtually all other email clients have the option of creating folders, but not Gmail. They never have.

Re: How to cope with the Gmail redesign

Ted Siniscalchi — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:22:47 -0000

Outstanding article, Jason. I've been grousing about the new look ever since it came out. I couldn't even find the boxes to check mark the different emails. I had to use a dark background but at least now I can find the boxes again without having to guess "I think it goes here." After making these changes I don't feel nearly as perturbed as I did about the "new look" (new Coke, anyone?). Thanks for the tips.