I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something • Hacker News Board

Re: I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something

#81

Post by chetanahuja » Fri, May 03, 2013, 5:00 PM UTC

imjared wrote: post #56

rayiner wrote: post #51

Gmail is now a cluster fuck of terribleness. Who the hell decided it was a good idea to make you type your email in what is basically a slightly larger chat window? Who decided it would be a good idea to put the "reply" edit box at the end of a potentially very long email? Oh, and make it fit like six lines of text. I swear, this is what happens when you let a bunch of kids run the show. "My emails are rarely ever mo…

Probably the same team that has usage data for hundreds of millions of users.

Please... Usage data is irrelevant. The UI design at google is now being run by dictat from the top. User studies and survey results are massaged until they can be contorted into conclusions that suite the already made design decisions.

Re: I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something

#82

Post by esalman » Fri, May 03, 2013, 5:00 PM UTC

mixmax wrote: post #74

Here's another total usability fail: Tab sends the e-mail you're currently writing instead of indenting text. Everywhere else tab indents text, and when you write an e-mail in gmail you'd expect it to act consistently with how it's used everywhere else. Start writing in gmail, hit tab to indent some text. Congratulations you've now sent half an e-mail to you boss.... I can't fathom who thought this was a good idea.

Tab+Return sends email.

Re: I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something

#83

Post by mtalantikite » Fri, May 03, 2013, 5:01 PM UTC

Just make the switch to a desktop client. Lots of friends have been complaining about the new GMail UI and each time I recommend the same thing.

I personally use Sparrow, but it seems like it has been abandoned since Google bought it.

Re: I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something

#84

Post by jlarocco » Fri, May 03, 2013, 5:03 PM UTC

ebbv wrote: post #67

I can't remember the last Gmail change that was actually an improvement. In general Google's changes since the Google+ rollout have been 90% terrible. There's been a couple of changes to Youtube that are better (like the really big mode), but overall changes to all Google services have been bad. I feel like they've really lost the plot.

GMail changes can be mitigated by using a normal mail client via IMAP.

Obviously not an option for everybody, and not a 100% solution, but it helps a lot.

I'm also not liking recent changes at Google, so I'm in the process of transitioning away from GMail and the rest of their services for most stuff. Before too long I'll only be using it to login to sites using the "Login with GMail" buttons, and all my real email will go to a different account.

Re: I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something

#85

Post by guilhermetk » Fri, May 03, 2013, 5:04 PM UTC

One thing that annoys me in GMail is the fact that it doesn't support .eml files. Every time someone sends me an .eml I have to open my desktop mail client, wait for it to download all mails and then check what's in the file. Exporting mails to .eml would be nice.

Re: I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something

#86

Post by cmircea » Fri, May 03, 2013, 5:04 PM UTC

antonpug wrote: post #73

Time to try Outlook.com buddy. That product beats GMail anytime.

I gave it a 5 minute trial. Can't figure out if it supports multiple addresses.

Re: I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something

#87

Post by DanBC » Fri, May 03, 2013, 5:05 PM UTC

cmircea wrote: post #79

kpanghmc wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Learning the following keyboard shortcuts for formatting bullet lists made the transition to the new compose UI much less painful for me: ctrl + shift + 8 to create a new bullet list ctrl + ] to indent right ctrl + [ to indent left

Ctrl + Shift + 8? You gotta be shitting me! Ctrl + ] & [ to indent? What's wrong with Tab & Shift-Tab, like in every other app?

Uh, [tab] usually switches focus to next control, and shift-tab switches focus to previous control.

Thus, when I hit [tab] now focus is taken out of this text box and to the reply button.

Re: I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something

#88

Post by ebbv » Fri, May 03, 2013, 5:07 PM UTC

jlarocco wrote: post #84

ebbv wrote: post #67

I can't remember the last Gmail change that was actually an improvement. In general Google's changes since the Google+ rollout have been 90% terrible. There's been a couple of changes to Youtube that are better (like the really big mode), but overall changes to all Google services have been bad. I feel like they've really lost the plot.

GMail changes can be mitigated by using a normal mail client via IMAP. Obviously not an option for everybody, and not a 100% solution, but it helps a lot. I'm also not liking recent changes at Google, so I'm in the process of transitioning away from GMail and the rest of their services for most stuff. Before too long I'll only be using it to login to sites using the "Login with GMail" buttons, and all my real email w…

Except that using a mail client kills the main advantage of Gmail and why I started using it in the first place; consistent, clean interface and ubiquitous presence on all my devices.

Yeah I can install mail clients on all of my computers for Gmail, but if I'm gonna bother with a mail client I'd just use mail set up through one of my own domains on one of my own servers.

Re: I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something

#89

Post by myfonj » Fri, May 03, 2013, 5:07 PM UTC

Consider even task to "open the contacts list". Who would guess it is hidden under "Gmail logo with dropdown arrow"? [0] Yes, after such recall it is single 'clickdrag' operation, but still, recognition just passed out.

[0] https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1571982/shots/gmail-open...

Re: I feel like Gmail went from being Photoshop to Draw Something

#90

Post by tomkarlo » Fri, May 03, 2013, 5:08 PM UTC

cmircea wrote: post #75

tomkarlo wrote: post #70

Does anyone really think Photoshop is a good UX for mass consumption (which is obviously the target for Gmail)? I've been using it since version 2, and I think it's a great product, but for new users it's a miserably difficult product to learn, especially for any kind of casual use. There's a reason why users love apps like Draw Something or (more relevantly) Instagram or Paper. They're able to easily achieve the res…

Nobody thinks Photoshop has a good UX, but that's not the point; the point is it's been consistent, with only small, helpful changes. If Adobe redesigned the Photoshop interface they'd instantly love half their market share, as people using software professionally don't like or have the time to learn something new just because it's better in some odd way. Microsoft did that with Office, the whole Ribbon fiasco, but t…

Yes, but Photoshop has a totally different target market from Gmail, which is why the article's comparison is nonsensical if not entirely wrong.

Gmail is designed for everyone and has to support the full spectrum of users, in particular the new ones (because they're the ones picking new email accounts - consider that they're partially trying to target people who still don't have email). Photoshop is designed for a very select set of power users. Saying Gmail's interface is becoming less like Photoshop and that's bad makes no sense at all.

You probably wouldn't recommend Photoshop to your Grandma - you'd tell her to use Picasa or iPhoto, both of which I suspect have far more users.