Google redesigns core sites, hopes to create more consistent look
Most of Google’s sites are getting a facelift in a redesign the Internet company intends to unify the look of its popular applications, according to a Google spokesperson.
In an interview with Wendy Rozeluk, from Google Canada’s Public Affairs and Communications department, it was revealed Google Maps, Google Search, Google News, Gmail and Google Calendar are among the sites under the redesign project. Already, users can see some of the tweaks in the rollout slated to run over the summer.
Google intends for these sites to look more consistent with each other, Rozeluk says. Look at Google Maps for instance; the new layout removes the top blue bar and instead a grey-toned header includes the search field and magnifying glass icon. Email icons have been enlarged and the redesign aims to improve the reading experience, Rozeluk adds.
“When you look at Maps on mobile, our goal is to have a product moving as seamlessly as possible from one device to another, so you’ll see the same kind of redesign adapted for smaller screens,” she says. The Google Search page shrinks the Google icon and also squares off some of the buttons, while also adding the voice-search capability to the search bar (the microphone icon).
Gmail already previewed a glimpse of its redesign, under the Labs section, using the theme Preview. The COMPOSE button is flushed out in red, a tweak done in response to reader feedback about easily finding the appropriate button to send emails, Rozeluk notes. Red will be the colour of primary actions, not just on Gmail but on other Google sites as well.
“We think of users first,” Rozeluk says. The redesign hopes to create a consistency users will appreciate, she adds. Google News will also be redesigned to highlight the same grey bar fronting the top of Google Maps.
There have also been reports of Google Apps soon to undergo a similar facelift. But Rozeluk notes sites such as YouTube won’t be undergoing a redesign as part of this initiative.