Gmail’s new rounder look may have stolen headlines so far. However, the recent revisions also include a few practical features that might make it more popular in the long run.

Nudges

When email conversations cool off, Gmail is going to give some subtle hints on how to proceed.

In your Inbox, the date column will also give ‘nudge’ comments. If you sent the last message but received no reply, you might get the option to ‘Follow up’.

If you received an email but are yet to respond, you’ll get an in-line option to ‘Reply’.

Smart parts

When you do hit the reply, Gmail on the web will now give you some suggestions to shortcut your return message.

This is a feature that has already existed in Google’s mobile app suite, now implemented to also work when Gmail is accessed via a browser.

Gmail is also more tightly integrating with other G Suite apps, including Calendar, Keep and Tasks.

Security warnings

Gmail is now also giving big red alerts for emails it has reason to believe may be suspicious.

The advice to ‘not click any links unless you trust the sender’ could be a handy reminder for some of the less security-conscious computer users out there.

Is Gmail getting more intuitive and useful, or do the new additions make the UX more complex?

Copy Transmission is a Melbourne-based agency :: Better Brands. Loud & Clear.