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The co-creator of Google's beloved yet beloved Inbox app, and the former Gmail main designer, has released a new Chrome extension that dramatically simplifies the Gmail web interface.
Michael Leggett, who was responsible for designing Gmail between 2008 and 2012, released the Simplify Gmail extension on April 2 – the day after the 15th anniversary of Gmail, the day Inbox closed. Leggett left Google in 2015.
The extension makes many minor changes to the Gmail web interface. The left and right sidebars are hidden behind a pair of menu buttons, the search bar at the top of the screen is minimized by default and the button for composing a new email has been moved up and down to the right.
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The removal of the Gmail logo is another important change. "Go look at any desktop app and tell me how many have a huge fucking logo on the top left," Leggett said in an interview with Quick business, "Come on in. It's pure ego, pure bullshit, let go of the logo, leave me alone."
This extension reflects Leggett's strategy in Google, where he used the experimental inbox to introduce features and encourage the company to change the Gmail service. "The best I can hope for is that it's really good and that Google is going to force users to go to the Inbox, or that it's really good and that they are leveraging the best features and are integrated to Gmail, "said Leggett about his initial goals. Gmail will later adopt many inbox ideas, including Smart Replies and the ability to repeat emails.
For what it's worth, I like some of the changes made by the extension, but I think others go too far. Hiding the sidebars and the search bar gives the interface a sharper look and I like the repositioned button to open a new email. But I do not like the removal of the Gmail logo. Leggett might think it's "pure ego," but I like being a visual indicator of the site I'm looking for when I quickly go through my open tabs.