GMail: Previews better than Subjects

September 8, 2004 / Filed under: Software, Usability

When I started using Gmail, the first feature I noticed was the "email preview" feature.

Gmail’s preview feature Gmail’s preview feature

This is excellent.

All at once, I can view:

  1. Where the message came from,
  2. Who sent the message,
  3. The subject of the message,
  4. The first dozen words of the message,
  5. And the date and time the message was sent.

Now, most of these features are included in other email applications too, except for number 4. The preview helps greatly with email organization.

I can instantly scroll through dozens of email messages and know what each message refers to. Sometimes the Subject is not enough to decipher between messages, especially since a lot of Subjects are always displayed as "No Subject," or "Re: ." What good does that do?

Also, it helps with spam. I can see which messages are spam before I even open the message.

Good work Google. I can’t wait to see future enhancements to the software.

Comments/Mentions

# Daniel J. Wilson at 9/8/2004 10:45 am cst

If I'm remembering correctly, Zoe has a similar message summary interface. It does make it easier to locate specific messages, particularly in lengthy threads.

http://zoe.nu/