Key Takeaways:įor apps that have A LOT of information it may actually be easier to implement two navigation functionalities as Outlook has done. While Gmail may have more options, users are forced to trawl through folders themselves to find what they’re after. Users are given all necessary items they need to complete a task within the app. My only other comment is that while the design is considered, there is a lot going on in the inbox itself in terms of information that is presented for each email. Outlook has most likely analysed user’s search queries and found that these 3 are the most frequently selected options in a user’s inbox. This is much faster than using the search function, or alternatively having to dive into a folder in a hamburger menu. The filter brings up the option to quickly view emails that are unread, flagged, or with attachments. However, after figuring this out, I realised it was very easy to select multiple emails at a time – a feature that Gmail doesn’t include.Īnother cool thing I noticed is the ‘filter’ functionality at the top right.
It took me a while to figure out that to select an email I had to hold my thumb down for the checkboxes to appear. What’s interesting is that the options in the navigation bar change to actions once an email has been selected. It also reduces the steps to complete a task. This means users are immediately presented with possible actions rather than having to search for them. The navigation bar presents users with functions they regularly use, while the hamburger menu opens a set of less frequently used options. Outlook has a navigation bar AND a hamburger menu (highlighted). Outlook’s inbox screen is laid out quite differently to Gmail’s (My email contents have been blocked out). It’s obvious by the down arrow near my email address that this is where I can select to view my different accounts.
One great Gmail feature is that users can have multiple email accounts attached to the Gmail App and easily switch between them.
It’s almost overwhelming looking at all the options, half of which I’m not even sure what purpose they serve… This menu has so many features hidden away. Let’s move on to the hamburger menu – the 3 parallel lines that when tapped open up a side menu. This could be challenging for users to select, let alone select several in a row quickly. This would be handy if I needed to select more emails than I was unselecting.Īlso, the checkboxes are very small. That being said, there isn’t a ‘select all’ feature. This communicates to me that I can quickly make bulk selections and move them across to another folder. I like the visible checkbox feature to the left of each email. Which app makes it easiest to send an email?įirst we’ll look at how easy it is the navigate the black hole that is the inbox.Which app makes it easiest to manage your inbox?.To answer the question, we need to break it down into 2 key usage goals: “Which email app has the simplest process of managing emails?”
These are both market leaders in the space, with many people (including myself) using both platforms for different email accounts.Īs both email platforms offer a suite of additional features around the core inbox (calendar, scheduling, CRM, etc), for the purpose of this review I have focused on the email function solely. Many users add their own plugins and the result can be confusing to navigate if the UX design isn’t intuitive.įor this review, I compared the mobile apps for Gmail and Outlook. It’s to make it so frictionless that users can get what they want and get the hell out.įor that reason, UX is crucial, especially for such feature-packed platforms. The goal of design, in this case, isn’t to prolong session time. They are used daily, with users checking emails up to 20 times per day and receiving an average of 121 emails per day.Įmail isn’t a product that users want to spend time in.