After reading Khoi Vinh’s post about Gmail’s white-space deficient design, I felt compelled to submit my personal user style for Gmail to UserStyles.org. Read: However, this is not necessarily an improvement upon Khoi’s design per-se, but my own personal preference for how I like to view Gmail.
I’ve done more than adjust the spacing.
I’ve been using Gmail almost every day since April ‘08, so I’ve had time enjoy it for what it is, and experience the app from the user perspective.
Adjustments to the interface
- 150% font-size increase on main Body.
- 120% font-size increase on compose message Body.
- Tweaked widths of “to” and “subject” fields.
- Increased padding between checkbox, star, attachment icons.
- Vertical spacing increased between messages.
- Vertical spacing increased on left navigation.
- Huge checkboxes.
The finished product
Above: Gmail with improvements. Below: Original Gmail. View original sizes, the proportions aren’t accurate in these small versions.
Why the huge fonts?
I’ve got a 24 inch monitor, and I don’t like squinting at tiny text. Rather than bump the text size up manual every time I visit Gmail, I’ve added it to my user style.
My what a huge checkbox
Golly, thank you for noticing. In the spirit of Fitts’s Law, I’ve doubled the hit zone of the checkbox. 
It’s an often used element, and I’m in a hurry to get out of my mailbox, so I’ve made it easier (for me) to check it.
That’s all for now. I’ll most likely post updates to the UserStyles code over time, as my preferences change like the tides.
What do you think?
2 comments
1 Andrew Brown Oct 4, 2008 at 1:03 pm
I had been using Gmail until I found it too hard to manage 16 emails, so I switched to Mail.app, but I’ll never forgot my Gmail days.
The small details changes yield such a dramatic difference on the usability of the page. Having that skill is what defines you and others as professionals.
2 Jason Robb Oct 5, 2008 at 12:02 pm
16 email accounts, yikes! I’ve got 3 routed through Gmail at the moment. One of them rarely used, one for work, one personal.
Thanks, my changes were in part, influenced by Khoi Vinh’s post on Gmail – http://www.subtraction.com/2008/06/17/spacing-is-e
I’ve got another round of changes loaded to the UserStyles site, including gray ads and footer info – http://userstyles.org/styles/9997