Google makes first steps in Gmail makeover

Google has unveiled the first in what it says will be a series of changes to the interface of the Gmail service. The company said that it would be adding a pair of new interface options to the mail service in the form of user-selectable themes. The themes, dubbed "Preview" and "Preview Dense" would offer a sneak peek of how the company plans to change the Gmail interface in the future.Designed to offer a simpler, more streamlined look, the company said that the two new themes will look to reduce clutter in the Gmail interface. "Over the years, adding countless features to Gmail has made it an increasingly powerful communication hub, but along the way the interface has also become more cluttered and complex," explained Google user experience designer Jason Cornwell in a company blog post.
"That's one of the reasons we're embarking on a series of interface updates to help strip out unnecessary clutter and make Gmail as beautiful as it is powerful." Cornwell noted that the themes may not fully support all labs display features, causing certain elements of the interface to look strange. Along with adding support and ironing out bugs, Google hopes to build on the interface by adding colour themes and support for various screen sizes and lighting environments.
The Gmail update is part of a larger interface makeover the company is planning for its services. Google said that it will soon offer a new interface for its calendar option and in the coming months introduce further updates, including an interface tweek for the iconic Google search page.

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