Nice UX: Google Inbox

20 Feb 2015

I’ve been a Gmail user since 2004 and I’ve loved the one inbox approach, relying on Google’s sophisticated search algorithm to find / organise my email rather than my own folder vs labelling system.

Some people aim for a zero inbox approach, I do this for work but for my personal email I never bothered and I inadvertently found that I had a very sad personal goal to reach 10,000 unopened email…

…mainly based upon Sales and E-newsletters from Supermarkets etc that I’d signed up to for competitor research at some point.

I got so so close to my very sad goal, reaching 9,946 unopened email but about four months ago I did something terrible, I signed up for Googles Inbox. Inbox looked at my email, asked me a few questions which I completely agreed with and took it upon itself to clean up my mess! In one foul swoop I was down to circa 4,000 unopened email and the more I use Inbox the further it’s going down.

I’ve given up my goal but it was worth it. Google has changed my approach to email, I spend less time on my email as Google prioritises it for me, and I have a new goal to get to zero unopened emails.