
Google Bar: The next stage in Google redesign - sahaj
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/next-stage-in-our-redesign.html
======
richardw
I'm not one who hates on new things just because they're change, but I hate
this already.

Windows 95 brought us the Start Menu. This is a Google Start Menu. It's based
on hierarchical menus that are fiddly to navigate, especially if any terms are
long and you have to stay in a narrow row to not have it undo your last
movement. You have to move to the top, select something, move down, then if
there's a sub-menu, move right. Why not make it e.g. a 3x3 grid so I have to
move less with fewer errors and the blocks can be bigger, and you can add more
default icons without it scrolling halfway down the screen?

Besides, everyone knows clicking the logo takes you to the root page. Why are
Google retraining all future users to expect an X-bar on our websites? Now,
they can't trust what will happen when clicking that. It could be a menu, it
could take you off the page, what will it do?

And it still chooses the dumbest things as my defaults. Youtube? I've never,
ever clicked on Youtube from there. Ever. Why show it to me? Give me Calendar,
which is now on the sub-menu. Don't show me Search because I've never clicked
on that, I just hit ctrl-t and type a phrase in a new window. [edit] and
Reader is hidden but + is everywhere? Someone isn't measuring clicks, I'm
thinking.

Win95, I blame you.

[edit2] at least let me drag and drop stuff like I could in 1995, so I can
rearrange the defaults.

~~~
leak
I'm with you on every point. I'll even go as far as to say that they don't
want you to use the menu.

I'm just throwing this out there, but I think they want people to stay on the
search screen. They want you to search for everything to get to something.
Reader? Search for Reader. Gmail? Search for Gmail.

If you use search more, they have more opportunity to make money from ads. I'm
not sure how much they care about any other product so this could be why every
other product is now harder to get to.

~~~
wahnfrieden
It's not a terrible idea. How many of us use Alfred or Quicksilver or the
like?

~~~
leak
Exactly

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snowwrestler
The hover nav is a usability abomination.

It's not discoverable--the only clue it's there is a tiny arrow. On the old
bar it was totally obvious where the links were to jump to other properties.

It presents an inconsistent user interface. If you move the pointer in from
the bottom, you're on the left nav. If you move the pointer in from the top,
you're on the hover nav. It would be like getting two totally different
neighborhoods depending on whether you drove in from the north or south.

It requires precise mouse choreography. It's not enough to aim for the target,
you have to follow a specific path to get there (especially true with the
extra fly-out submenu). If you don't, you have to go back to the beginning and
start over. The old bar was a fixed set of targets--easy to hit from wherever.

~~~
bodegajed
I quit using Gmail, Google Reader and GCal this year. I didn't like how Google
bullies me into using G+.

~~~
cleverjake
And how is it doing that here?

~~~
bodegajed
Because all of these new stuff Google has been putting is a sneaky way on
putting G+ all over Google products.

Bottomline, they need develop good taste in web design.

~~~
ergo14
Last time i checked you dont need to use the evil g+ product - the nav bar was
a good thing. You just rant for no real reason in my opinion.

~~~
lukifer
I feel the same way as bodegajed; I consider the way they're littering G+
everywhere to be very tacky, akin to something I'd expect from Microsoft or
AOL. While I'm far from boycotting Google tools, it does make me want to avoid
G+ entirely.

To be clear, though: I think this new bar in general is a usability
improvement. The gray bar looked like ass, and having a consistent search box
does make sense.

~~~
gujk
I did it. I logged out of Gmail/G+ in my primary browser, to unbreak Search,
and I use a private window for Gmail.

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Timothee
And Reader is pushed further and further away…

It was in the black bar initially, between Photos and Web, but for whatever
reason, was pushed down the "more" menu to be replaced by "Sites", which I'm
pretty sure nobody has ever ever used.

From the video (which by the way, sometimes has Reader in the black bar,
sometimes not), it looks like Reader is relegated to the second column of the
"more" menu. So went from one mouse movement and one click from Gmail, to two
mouse movements and two clicks to, now, three fairly wide mouse movements and
one click. Fantastic.

They should just be more straightforward and just write a blogpost titled "We
don't want you to use Reader, but why don't you make a webpage instead?".

~~~
joshwa
One of the effects of this design is to disadvantage frequent users of _any_
non-core Google Products. For instance, if you visit Docs or Reader every day,
multiple times a day, you're going to spend a lot of time hovering and
cursing.

Solution: let logged-in users star their frequently-used apps, and surface
them at the root level menu (or even better, on the bar itself... almost like
a Dock?).

Alternative: like the Chrome New Tab page, automatically surface a user's
most-used apps.

~~~
joebadmo
The reason I never noticed the increasing subordination of google reader (a
product I use daily, or even hourly), is because I have other shortcuts for
products I use that frequently. In fact, it's a little strange to me that
someone would go to the google homepage in order to navigate to reader through
the nav menu. That would never even occur to me. If I was already in the
location bar, I would simply type in the url for google reader. Why would you
type in the url for google homepage instead?

~~~
nuclear_eclipse
I think there are more people who have their browser's home page set to
google.com, where every new window or tab opens that page automatically. When
that's the case, why have bookmarks for other Google properties when they're
already available on your default page?

Granted, I'm in the minority of users who set their homepage to "about:blank"
so that it's up and ready as fast as possible and focuses the location/search
bar by default. I use bookmarks to open new tabs for just about anything I
visit on a regular basis.

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zyb09
Are they gonna redesign Google now every 2 month? I mean the new Google Bar
looks ok, but the "old" black one is stylish too, so why just throw it out
after such short period of time?

~~~
snprbob86
I don't think this is a new redesign every two months... this incremental
iteration at work. They wanted the launch the new design, but the existing bar
was probably deeply intertwined with all of the existing sites. It takes a
while to get all the teams on the same page.

~~~
polshaw
Changing it to a much more prominent black doesn't fit with the idea that they
were planning to ditch it at that time, to me.

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estel
This seems pretty Start Menu-esque, but I'm interested to see if the need to
rollover will impact my workflow when moving between Mail/Reader/Calendar.

I think I like the look though.

~~~
Qz
I always have to click the current More link anyway since all I ever need is
Documents and it's always hidden in there for some reason.

~~~
Timothee
That's interesting because it sounds like not everybody has the same stuff in
the bar, but yet, the order doesn't match what people are actually using the
most, which they know. (in my case, I use Reader a lot, but it's under "more")

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martingordon
I just realized that every page linked to in the current (black) bar (aside
from Google+ and Photos, which both go to Plus) has search bars with different
heights, widths and logo placement. This new bar will be a nice change.

~~~
jebblue
I don't care what they do as long as they go back to white or light colors.
Black is cool if it's an Acura, on a web page it's hideous.

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mparr4
Not at all a fan of the fixed bar. I'm on a 13" macbook. That window space is
precious, and this bar is bigger than the last, non-fixed one.

If you're using chrome the search box is redundant anyway.

Using Chrome the browser takes up 100px between tabs before the window starts,
this bar looks like another 100px on top of that. That's 1/4 of my monitor
before content begins.

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cmgarcia
They sure are putting lots of eggs in the Google+ basket.

~~~
r00fus
I'm not sure you get it... Google+ is [the future of] Google.

~~~
gujk
That's what s/he said.

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albertsun
This is a great illustration of the difference between designing to help your
users do what they want to do, and designing to make your users do what you
want them to do.

I think most of the design changes we've been seeing on Facebook and Google
fall into the latter category. People designing for the latter category
probably also broadly explains why there are so many terribly and
professionally designed sites out there.

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joebadmo
I agree with other commenters that it looks sort of like a start menu. Which
indicates Google's commitment to replacing traditional OSs.

I wonder when we'll see the Google bar integrated into Chrome.

~~~
DougBTX
I thought along similar lines when I saw the video - there is already a search
bar in the same place on every page, the address bar!

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ryan_s
While I don't hate it... it does look familiar...
<http://i.imgur.com/fEHbB.jpg>

I just hope they make every page consistent. What annoyed me about the current
navigation is that the links move around, and Reader is tucked far away under
More.

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ashcairo
I don't think rollover UI is a good idea for touch screen devices..

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figital
Checkout a recent build of chromium ... (especially the profile/alias switcher
with "Slice", "Agent X", and "Fluffy") I'm using rev 111735.

I'm guessing anything now in the Google+ toolbar is quickly headed up a level
into the "jetpack'ish" plumbing ... this latest redesign news seems like a
fast-track'd gateway to that.

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int3rnaut
Here's an interesting question, how much have load times changed since the
introduction of these bars (I know they've been present for a while) including
this new iteration? Wasn't it always one of the major points of concern for
Google to provide users with the quickest possible experience ? If I recall
they used to have it down to a science. I don't think such changes can be
noticed by the human brain but one would think it has risen and it would be
interesting to know if it makes a difference and if they've abandoned that
thought process in favour of the social sphere.

~~~
ianstormtaylor
It might have, but it doesn't really matter because page load times were never
the end goal anyways—engagement was. More people searched, emailed, whatever
with faster page loads.

Now more people will see and use all of the things Google has to offer. Cross-
pollination. Their services have been silo'ed for too long. I'm sure this is
the kind of advice Steve Jobs gave Sergey Brin a couple months ago.

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tomwalsham
When searching, if Google doesn't detect my query as a potential Image search,
it's always been convenient to just click 'Images' on the top and get your
current query in image form.

This used to work for other services - News in particular being one I used
frequently - until the past few weeks in which they broke this 'transfer your
search' functionality.

This appears to be the endgame. I don't know if this dropdown will preserve
search terms when switching to Images, but even if it does, the additional UI
fiddling is going to be a big net loss for my Google workflow.

~~~
trevorstrohman
Try clicking on "Images" or "News" on the left side of the search results
page.

(disclaimer: I work for Google)

~~~
gujk
Why doesn't this work on <https://encrypted.google.com>?

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blankenship
If this solves the horrendous, inconsistent multiple account login issue from
the last major rollout, then I'm willing to suffer wasted space and more
clicks.

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azadder
I welcome the removal of the black bar for one simple reason: the valuable
screen space it had taken on my netbook has been restored to some degree.

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DanBC
The article makes no mention of using this with just a keyboard.

I wish writers were required (by company culture, not law![1]) to include
accessibility options when talking about new features or software. Even if
they had to say "Turn this feature off if you're using an on-screen keyboard,
because the combination sucks."

[1] Although I'm not averse to anti-discrimination laws being used a bit more
vigorously.

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pdenya
Interesting changes. I can't say one way or another without using it how it
will effect my experience but if they're trying to lower the bar for use the
best thing they could do is make it easier for people to deal with multiple
accounts. My google+ account is linked to my personal email which I'm never
logged into during the day since we use google apps at work.

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askar_yu
One of the things I liked most about Google search was that there was no
garbage on the page. Just a simple search field on a white background. But
then came the black bar at the top (which I could not figure out how to get
rid of), now this... One step at a time, they're getting closer to other
garbage sites.

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austingulati
When exactly does this go live? Or is it different for different
locations/people? I still have a black bar.

~~~
ward
I would assume that, as with most Google things, it gets rolled out in a 24-48
hour time span. _Disclaimer: No source for this, but that's how it tends to
go, if memory serves me right._

Edit: Maybe comments on the post by [+Eddie
Kessler]([https://plus.google.com/111742562190411471360/posts/eGL4JeDM...](https://plus.google.com/111742562190411471360/posts/eGL4JeDMfdT))
will reveal more (they do not at the time of writing).

~~~
estel
That looks accurate per
[https://plus.google.com/100535338638690515335/posts/YqWNc9uD...](https://plus.google.com/100535338638690515335/posts/YqWNc9uDFXA)

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lpolovets
What's interesting to me is that if I had not seen the video, I would not have
immediately guessed that hovering over the Google logo displays a drop-down
menu. The tiny gray triangle next to the logo seems like a very poor
affordance.

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ashcairo
Honestly, this is how uninnovative Google has become.. They get excited over
introducing a drop down menu!

I know Apple are known for overhyping basic functionality. But, seriously? A
DROP DOWN MENU THAT breaks UI for touch screen devices.. Sigh.

~~~
natrius
How presumptuous. Have you tried the new interface on a touch screen device?

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grandalf
The red indicator is a bit of a tax on attention considering the low
importance things it typically signals. UI designers should be careful about
attracting the eye this way w/o good reason.

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lambada
Something that the demo video has made me think of, is how their new UI style
seem like it would be easy to use on a tablet. The large whitespace, oversized
icons and 'clickable' areas.

~~~
gujk
Yes. Instead of responsive design, Google is throwing PC users under the bus
to push for and invest in Android and tablets.

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deadcyclo
I must admit that I preferred the "old" new one. Really can't put my finger on
why.

I'm interested in the impact on users when one changes things several times
quickly like this. Anybody here that has knowledge/experience that would like
to say a few words about it. Personally I always am annoyed by change, more so
when things seem to change "all the time". Anybody have some actual statistics
on how people reacted to this type of design changes?

~~~
melling
There's a certain percentage of the population that always prefers the "old
one." People don't like change.

~~~
idealform01
bingo

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hessenwolf
They're trying to gradually put me onto GoogleBook instead of being on the
search homepage.

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SonicSoul
screens and resolutions are getting larger. unless it's for mobile screen, i
don't see the need to get rid of it. perhaps they based that on some UX
statistics, but doesn't make much sense to me.

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worldimperator
Great news. I already dedicated a key on my keyboard to open that menu.

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Karunamon
As usual, apps users don't get it straight off :(

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ehthere
How does this work on a touch interface?

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yanw
I approve, the new design makes more sense like that, the black nav-bar seemed
out of place. I still don't have it yet and wonder how the homepage looks
like? (Google.com)

~~~
ErikHuisman
[http://www.google.com/help/hc/images/accounts/accounts_17144...](http://www.google.com/help/hc/images/accounts/accounts_1714464_gbar_home_en.png)

~~~
yanw
Thanks. I think they should have taken more liberality with the space there.

~~~
ErikHuisman
That menu isn't expanded by default. This is a mouseover example.

~~~
jganetsk
It is expanded by default on the Search page.

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gcb
and google lost focus.

not because is has too many products. heck no! but because it's wasting more
time trying to be a ... for a lack of a new term let's use the old one:
"portal"

name all companies that lost focus and became "portals" in the past. all of
them wasted a lot of time on the top-$sitename-bar right before it reached the
point of no return.

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jigs_up
I'm really quite sick of Google nowadays. I don't want any of this new stuff
they have been introducing.

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gms
These people are obsessed with social.

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rafamvc
It is terrible. Why one more click? Why change something that works? Google
keep changing things... That don't really matter.

~~~
estel
If it doesn't really matter... why is it terrible?

~~~
eiji
The 'new' toolbar is higher than the black one, taking up more space, every
site seems to transition to those sticking toolbars that do not go away when I
scroll down. It's not about content anymore, it's about navigation and
sharing. The toolbars from 10 years ago you could actually deinstall, this one
unavoidable.

And this 'save a click' argument is just silly. Hover still means you have to
target two points.

What's is funny though, the Google-bar at the bottom would at least make sense
on a chromebook, but at the top they always suck, because contrary to an OS
taskbar, they don't provide an invinite mouse target because of the Tab-bar.

~~~
tonfa
> The 'new' toolbar is higher than the black one, taking up more space

It takes less space, since it also includes the search box.

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nkoren
Oh no. Oh HELL no. In keeping with the new look of Google Docs, Reader etc.,
they've added an extra 40px of useless, un-necessary vertical padding to the
bar. While their intro video criticises the old bar for wasting precious
screen real estate, this new bar wastes more than twice as much of it.

I hope that some day soon they wake up and realise that screen real-estate
shouldn't be wasted the way they're doing. As it stands, the only way I can
now use Reader is by Greasemonkeying the hell out of its stylesheets; on my
small laptop screen, many of the rest of Google's services are now all but
unusable for me. This "stylistic cohesion" that they're aiming for is driving
me away from every Google product out there.

~~~
Zaim2
Not really. Currently there's the black navbar AND the product specific
search. This change is making the current product specific search the
universal navbar, so at the end of it you've stilled gained the space occupied
by the black nav bar.

