The Matter With GMail

What is the matter with GMail?

Gmail, is a great application, delivered (for now) at the best of all prices (free). As a consequence, they often got the hype-driven benefit of the doubt as to whether it is actually delivers a better email experience. Millions of people spent hours exploring, testing, and converting to the Google system. Was it worth it?

For many users, not yet. A growing number of people are getting that "icky-computer-feel-bad" when something doesn't work and they only dimly understanding why. Gmail is branded as a beta - though the significance of that for what is intended to remain a free service is moot. Here are the key usability flaws which need to be fixed before they provoke a backlash: ...split...

The dark side of "Search - Don't Sort".

The dark side of "search, don't sort" is "overwhelming mess." As search specialists, Google felt they could revolutionize email by abolishing the expanding thicket of folders that was accumulating in many people's email clients. Google presents the opportunity of not sorting mail but the alternative, creating labels (tags), is not less work and doesn't really have superior functionality.

• creating a label requires pretty much the same effort as creating a folder and a filter in Outlook
• labels have a reduced functionality compared to outlooks folders - there is no way to sort within a label (say for emails sent from a particular person), you would have to create a sub-label.
• you can't add your labels to their list of folders.
• you can search and retrieve all emails with a given label, but how is typing in a search term better than clicking a folder?
• the list of labels exists in the interface but is typically buried off the screen below your contacts. (Unlike their personalized search, the UI for Gmail is not customizable.)

Not for those who lack conversation skills.

Displaying “conversations” rather than individual emails is the most disorienting feature of Gmail for the newbie. Once they get over their confusion, users may prefer “conversations” but the UI designers were too zealous in forcing the behavior: they hid the subject lines in all but the original messages within the thread. As a result

• users forget to change the subject line when the subject of the email changes. (replying “James called, its urgent” to the conversation titled “casual musings on film”)
• it is easier than ever to fail to notice important emails in the now overwhelming mess that is your inbox. (How can you search for it if you don’t know it exists?)

Missing features

• drag and drop from inbox to label - currently it is impossible to view labels and drag emails into them.
• select multiple emails and forward. (shift click and control click within the message window)
• view labels as folders (we need to sort - get over it)
• auto search and refile - this used to be a missing feature but was recently added.
• filters can only have one action associated with them – it is not possible to create a filter that “marks as read”, “skips inbox” and adds label “adverts”.

Missing features:

• sort by sender/recipient.

General UI problems.

• you can’t reply to an email until you scroll past it. (the interface needs reply buttons above as well as below the messages.)
• you can’t click on an email address to send a new email to that contact.
• you can’t create a filter based on a selected email.
• lack of right click and/or rollover menus.

Why we switched in the first place.

While criticisms above may provide a lot of reasons to ditch Gmail, this is not in fact recommended. So many people are getting Gmail accounts that the additional services (talk, groups, chat, calendar) are becoming very valuable as networking tools. The point is that Gmail needs to be fixed. Whether you love or hate Microsoft, Outlook 2003 (provided it doesn’t crash and destroy your .pst file) is still the superior email client for its UI, usability and calendar/contact integration. Gmail 1.0 is worth waiting for because:

• email is much better as an online service. (for security and mobility)
• targeted ads (if you can get past the privacy issues) are a good thing.
• Gmail is fast fast fast.

Recommendations for users:

1. maintain an exit strategy: use Gmail as a POP server and download to your local email client on a regular basis. 2. keep totally separate accounts in separate windows for work and not work. 3. pester Google frequently to fix the worst of the problems listed above.

Recommendations for Google:

1. adopt the Firefox model: encourage end user/third party designed extensions and themes 2. release Gmail 1.0 (stop hiding behind the beta) with the bulk delete/archive ASAP. 3. don't be UI imperialists, assuming your are right and forcing users to change their habits. (Try, but let them opt out.)

"Search - don't sort" was their pitch, but who's sorting now?