Andrew Greeson
Category: Creative
05.14.2014
A few screenshots of a new Gmail interface were recently leaked revealing some interesting features that might be set to launch in the near future. There is no official word yet, however you have to figure with Microsoft adding some new components to their email client on Tuesday, these ‘leaked’ images were probably intentional and bound to come about eventually. In order to stay ahead in the web-based email services game, Google hinted at three new features that you might want to familiarize yourself with before the Gmail redesign rolls out.
More tabs, more groups, more ways to categorize:
Gmail’s current tabbing system allows for grouping emails into four categories, Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums. With the new update Google has added Travel, Purchases and Finance to the list, functioning in much the same way that the current Gmail categories work, these three new groups will give the user greater flexibility when sorting emails.
Pinning for the win:
A new pin feature is also being implemented in the redesign. Working similarly to the current ‘star’ system, this would allow a user to pin certain emails, which would then be floated to the top of your inbox. Pinning an email would alleviate the ordeal of searching through a list of flagged emails or marking an email as unread, which can become more of a hindrance than anything. Removing the pin would of course relegate the email back down to its original place in your inbox timeline.
Snoozing:
Finally, Google added a snooze option that would presumably allow a user to place an email on hold until they can properly respond to it. Once the preselected timer is up the email would then reappear as unread. The timer could range from a couple of minutes to a couple of weeks giving you plenty of time to handle more pressing matters like writing that blog post for your company’s site.
