Ok google, say sike!
When I stumbled upon these new icons which google rolled out on October the 6th 2020, I was delighted!
Not because the icons looked horrible :)
yeah google, consider me cold
but because I thought that it was to raise awareness for some sort of social issue or something.
Why else? :|
As a consequence, it took a significant amount of convincing for me to believe that these icons are actually here to stay!
You heard that right.
I was wrong! It isn’t something for a community cause, it is for giving the Google Workspace (formerly known as G-suite) applications a so called uniformity with traditional Google colours!
This was quite a shock. Now, if you’re a web developer of some sort, you might be familiar with what I refer to as the golden policy — the policy of keeping things simple!
Let me elaborate a bit for those of whom who are not.
The internet is comprised of numerous websites. Whatever your purpose may be, there would be multiple sites that offer the same services. Yet, majority of us end up using the same 1 or 2 sites over and over again. Why?
Lets take google search as an example.
From the very first look, the purpose of the site is very clear. You don’t need to be a computer expert to carry out your searches -Its quite easy to operate. And to top things off, it is always pleasant to look at.
Can we say the same for the apps now?
This meme speaks for itself. Its hard enough for regular users to differentiate between the apps that you wouldn’t wanna be a non-regular. Moreover, the vibrancy of the colours, takes away a significant amount of the calmness the workspace used to offer before. I miss my white and red Gmail logo :(
“flips the coin”
The introduction of the icons may have caught your attention, but let it not draw you away from the changes that have been implemented and proposed alongside.
Over the year, google has been rolling out its so-called core-updates. These updates include changes to the core algorithm and mainly focus on ensuring that quality and up-to-date information is delivered to its users.
Two of the key changes in these updates include:
Featured website no longer part of the search results in the same page:
In case you’re wondering what that was about- usually, when we search for something, a preview appears with the website link at the bottom.
This is followed by the normal search results, led by the same preview website. With the new update, one site can appear only once in a page. So, if your site appears as featured, looking for it in the same page, in the results below would be a sheer waste of time.
Favicon update:
Google has now added favicons to both desktop and mobile search results.
“With this new design, a website’s branding can be front and centre, helping you better understand where the information is coming from and what pages have what you’re looking for. The name of the website and its icon appear at the top of the results card to help anchor each result, so you can more easily scan the page of results and decide what to explore next. When you search for a product or service and we have a useful ad to show, you’ll see a bolded ad label at the top of the card alongside the web address so you can quickly identify where the information is coming from.”
Now lets shift our focus on to apps!
Google Photos/Drive:
With effect from June 1st 2021, photos and videos uploaded in Google Photos or Google Drive - not just in “original” quality but also in “high” quality will count towards your storage limits in your domain. Basically, say goodbye to the free stuff!
“Please note that any photos or videos uploaded in High quality prior to June 1, 2021, will not be impacted by this change and will not count toward storage limits.”
Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard:
Again, starting from June 1, 2021, any newly created Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard files will also count toward the storage limits for users in your domain. Existing files within these products will not count toward storage, unless they’re modified on or after June 1, 2021.
Google Meet:
Teachers… rejoice! Gone are the days when you had to admit multiple people one by one. Now you can just click the admit all button and you’re freed of your misery:)
Google Chat:
Rooms created will now be unthreaded by default, making your conversations simpler and flexible.
You can pin a direct message or room to keep that conversation at the top of the list view.
You can also schedule meetings in calendar directly from google chat!
Google Calendar:
Android 11 users now have an option to view your work and personal calendars together!
Forethoughts:
In a world where more and more people use these services day by day, its quite reasonable for the company to charge the consumers for its services. The icons though, I strongly believe should be re-examined and be re-designed with priority given to being pleasant rather than being indistinguishable!
Liked this article? Read our ‘Thought Trains’ section for more such articles! Here’s a poem from our PaperRhymes section:
Don’t forget to follow us on Medium(PaperKin) to get updates on all latest stories and catchy poems and join us on social media to stay in the loop! Follow us on Instagram(@paperkin_blog), Twitter(@kin_paper) and LinkedIn(PaperKin) too!
