Why won't Google take a [completely obvious] hint?

In My Humble Opinion
1

My university uses Gmail for webmail services. I opened up my school account today and saw that Gmail permanently and irrevocably switched to their “new” look (at least for my school).

A lot of people hate the new look (here’s a good example). Google doesn’t seem to be budging, not even offering an option to keep the old look permanently.

Why are they so damn set on the idea of changing the look? What’s in it for them? They must have gotten feedback by now that a lot of people prefer the old look.

2

I’m not sure what part of the look you don’t like, but I followed the recommendation from one thread to use the “Compact” view and it worked for me.

3

That’s what I’m using. Still prefer the old look by miles.

4

Did the same thing when the first thead was started, and it’s quite decent, much better than the standard view.

Joe

5

Resistance is futile.

6

Jokes aside, anyone care to even speculate?

7

Maybe the people complaining are a vocal minority.

8

So wouldn’t it be a good business practice to have an option to keep the old look?

9

Not if the cost of maintaining two UIs is significant, and it usually is.

10

The howling “wind” you hear is the wingbeat of an army of furious GooStooges, on high alert and approaching fast. Take shelter while you still can!

11

I don’t even remember what the difference between that Compact view and the old look is now!

12

It’s really not that big of a deal. Just let go.

13

Wouldn’t just be two. In a few years when they want to update/change again there’d be a group that didn’t want to give up the first interface, and another who didn’t want to give up the second…

I think these companies (same with Facebook) have come to the determination that no matter what they change there will be a vocal minority who hates it and complains - but the number who stop using the product is very small and most of the dissatisfied folks will still be there to complain when this version is taken away for the next.

14

Remember: Google’s motto is “Don’t Be Evil.” Since they are not an evil company, nothing they do is therefore evil. They aren’t wrong, ever. (Look at their response to being caught avoiding the “do not track” safeguards.)

This is the actual mentality of the company. It’s not a joke.

If some project twerp decides something is cool, customer response is irrelevant. They assume the customer is wrong and will learn to love it.

I barely use Gmail. I don’t want to tag things. I want to put them in folders. And have folders within folders (and crosslink folders). Tags are not “the same but better!” Gmail developers have never listened to users and never will.