Google’s digital organizational tool, formerly known as Google Collections and recently renamed “Google Save”, has been a godsend for many of us (especially me) wanting to keep our online finds in one place. Until now, its layout has been heavily image-focused, very much in the vein of Pinterest.
Good for images, not so much for readability
This grid or masonry layout was perfect for visually saving photographs or artwork for inspiration, but when it came to more text-based saves – like those in a ‘Read Later’ collection – it left a lot to be desired. The main pain point? The truncated or obscured titles that didn’t give away much about the saved article. You had to click on each saved piece to get a real sense of what it was, making the browsing experience far less intuitive than one would hope.
Enter the List View
Now, you’ll have the option to create a Collection in a more readable ‘List’ view, or even transform your existing grid-layout collections into lists. It’s the kind of user-centric tweak that makes you wonder, “Why wasn’t this here all along?” But better late than never! Are you getting tired of me saying that for nearly every Google update yet? Sadly, it’s the most fitting phrase over and over again.
Is Google merging the bookmarking world?
This shift in layout does stir up some thoughts. Chrome has its ‘Read Later’ function, we save articles from Google Discover, and of course, we have the traditional bookmarks. If all of these were unified under the Google Save umbrella, the act of saving content could become so much more streamlined. Just one action: ‘Save to Google’. Whether it’s images, videos, or articles, everything could find its spot. Could this be the reimagined trajectory for Assistant Memory?
Imagine if YouTube playlists found their way into Collections too. It would be a harmonious world where all saved content, irrespective of type, lives together. Call me a dreamer, or an optimist, as Google doesn’t normally operate this way, but man, that would be awesome.
This is the most useful update so far
On a more personal note, this tweak is a significant win for someone like me. I’m always scouring the web for fresh content ideas for my new blog, Indie Game Mode. With the new ‘List’ view, it becomes infinitely easier to scan through saved articles, pick out promising ones, and get to work without having to dig through bookmarks, Google Chats, etc. No more wading through tiles and tiles of content. Just a straightforward list. Let me know in the comments what you think about this!
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