The New Gmail Is Here, with a New Look, Streamlined Conversations, Better Search

Google is ready to unveil the redesigned Gmail. It's been working on it for months and the brand new design is finally ready to roll out. The changes go beyond skin deep, there's a revamped search box, a new conversation view and other improvements.

Google unveiled a preview of what the new Gmail could look like last summer, in order to get real-world feedback on some of the changes. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that if you were using the preview theme you'll get the new look before everyone else.

In fact, the notification about the new design will start popping up over the next few days.

The design is completely changed, of course, that's the first thing you'll notice, but it's in tune with the rest of Google, there shouldn't be anything too surprising here.

Streamlined conversation view

The more important changes are the functionality ones, for example, the new streamlined conversations. You'll now see a profile picture next to each email, so you'll know who it's from.

"Conversation view has been completely redesigned to help you read through your email threads. You’ll now see profiles pictures for your contacts, so it’s easier to keep track of who said what. We also stripped out as much as possible so you can focus on communicating with your friends and colleagues," Google explained.

Comfortable, Cozy and Compact display density options

You also get a few more customization options in the new Gmail, you can pick how compact or how spaced out the various elements will be, the same as with Google Docs.

HD themes

To supplement the new look, Gmail is also introducing several new themes that go with the new design and also come with better quality graphics. The older themes have been updated as well, so Gmail should look great on a high resolution display no matter what theme you use.

Better search

Google is also introducing an improved search. As soon as you click inside the search box, a number of filters and options will be available, reducing the number of steps needed to narrow down a search.

Smarter navigation and auto-resize

The new Gmail enables users to extend either their chat box or their labels section, depending on their needs. The layout also rearranges itself to whatever browser window size or display resolution you're using.

Posted in: News, Preview