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Navigating Gmail on the web with your Chromebook just got a bit easier, thanks to the new icons Google is adding to its overflow menu. Previously, the only options in the three dots ‘more’ options menu on an email you’d see were ‘Reply’ and ‘Forward’. Now, every action in that menu is now accompanied by its very own icon! Whether you’re trying to filter messages, translate an email into another language, block a sender, or just want to get a chuckle out of the amusingly designed “phishing” icon while nuking some bad actors from your inbox, it’s all there.
High-Level Action Icons
However, it’s not just the basic email functions that are getting some icon love. High-level actions in the toolbar, like ‘archive’ and ‘snooze’, have been gifted their own as well. This is especially handy for mobile users, who are also getting this update. Given the close-packed nature of options on smaller screens (especially if you have sausage fingers) this could save you from accidental deletions when you meant to block!
Why It Matters
Earlier this year, Google added similar icons to Chrome’s overflow options, focusing on accessibility and making the browser more usable and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of their abilities or needs. These icons, while small, add the extra, sometimes necessary, visual hint and for me, they even speed up browsing!
Yep, “glanceability” is the new buzz word in my opinion, and everyone from Apple to Google and more are adding icons to absolutely everything (especially since we’re in that emoji craze phase). These speed up my ability to navigate menus by probably ten times, and I’m not even joking. Who wants to read that many options when we’re visual creatures?
Anyway, it’s heartening to see Google prioritizing accessibility and glanceability across its services. It’s not just about Chrome or Gmail; it’s about a bigger vision of a more inclusive digital world. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true — it’s the little things that count!
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