I noticed yesterday that Chrome no longer displays a “+” inside of the new tab button.

Above: the new tab button for the previous versions of Chrome on the left and the new tab button on the right.

At first, I thought it was a bug. I quit and restarted Chrome with the same results. I tweeted about it and quickly got a few confirmations that it’s not an issue just on my computer, but a recent change in Chrome, and a few other people thought it was a bug as well.

I’m all for continually refining and simplifying your user interface, but this change makes no sense to me. For a new user, there is no context or hints as to the purpose of the button, not even a tooltip. For existing users, it looks like something is broken. No space was saved as the button is the same size, and I don’t even think it’s a visual improvement as the button is now just leaf-like blob floating there. I can’t think of another interface where there is a button that is completely devoid of any text or icons to give some clues to its function.

Luckily, since Chrome is open-source, we can gain at least a little insight into the decision behind this change. I dug up this fairly long thread, in which almost every commenter explains they thought it was a bug or glitch. Almost everyone also preferred the old button, and wanted the change reverted. I couldn’t find a real reason the change was made, but we do get what seems like a very Google justification from someone on the Chromium team:

User experience research on our end seems to have confirmed that this change does not decrease usability and in fact can lead to an overall improvement in people’s perceptions of the UI (some participants described the change as “cleaner” or “neater”). (link)

Later on in the thread, from someone else on the Chromium team reporting user feedback:

The “+” button to open a new tab is not showing up in Chrome browser. Users are requesting to restore the plus sign as a visual aid to its purpose, which also does not have a tool-tip…

10+ reports were submitted in GoogleFeedback in last two days about this issue. (link)

I’m baffled by this change. It seems like a minor issue, but it’s also completely arbitrary, and I think it could have some real usability issues. I have a feeling we’ll see the plus sign return in a future version of Chrome.

Everyone has probably already watched the video and read about the yet to be released to do app Clear. There has been a lot of buzz for the app because of the innovative and well-considered interaction design. If you haven’t seen it already, I’ve embedded it below:

Now, I’m really interested in this app as a designer and developer of software, and I’ll write more about that in another post. But, I’m equally as intrigued as someone who has never managed to use a to do list for any length of time, and I’m hoping Clear changes that. There are few reasons for that.

No checkboxes

The one thing I’ve always hated about to do apps is also the thing that is most synonymous with a “to do” app — the checkbox. It has never made sense to me. To do lists are literally about things to be done. Once it’s done, it should no longer exist in the realm of my to do list. I don’t want to see a list of my to do items with checked box and striked through text. From the video, it looks like Clear does away with this notion. There are only tasks, and tasks can be deleted or completed. I’ll be sincerely disappointed if there is a way to see completed items or mark an item as “undone”.

Fun

To do lists are fucking boring. All work and no play. Clear adds a sense of delight to the tedium, and I think that’s what people are really responding to. How do you add a task? With a pinch, and a satisfying pop. To complete? Swipe right with a nice animation, and a friendly chime. It actually looks fun to add and remove items from your to do list.

Clear is now “Waiting for Review”, so I guess we’ll know soon enough whether or not it lives up to expectations.

A complement is a product that you usually buy together with another product. Gas and cars are complements. Computer hardware is a classic complement of computer operating systems…

All else being equal, demand for a product increases when the prices of its complements decrease.
– Joel Spolsky

I definitely recommend reading the whole article. It’s 10 years old, but still just as interesting and relevant. Decisions start to make a lot more sense when looking at a company’s strategic moves through this lens, especially for a company like Google. They’re commoditizing everything from browsers to operating systems to increase web usage so they can increase ad revenue.

I’m not sure how exactly to take advantage of this as an app developer, but my first thought is this line from Rounders:

If you can’t spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.

If you’re not doing the commoditizing, then most likely you are the commodity. Apps are a complement to Apple’s hardware. Driving the cost of apps towards $0 increases the demand for iPhones and iPads. Not sure if this is an intentional strategy on Apple’s part, but certainly seems to fit.

Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

I don’t really love any of the apps I use. Some are ok, some are great, but none of them are perfect (my apps included). Maybe it’s because I’m a developer, or maybe I have high standards, or maybe it’s just because you really can’t please everyone. So it’s interesting to me when a new app comes out in an already crowded space. To do apps, unit converters, tip calculators, and note taking apps are all a dime a dozen on the app store. Yet, developers keep making new and better apps in these categories. Why?

Because no app is perfect. No category of app is a solved problem — there is always a better solution. Yes, always. That’s why year after year, Apple makes new iPhones, new computers, and new operating systems. There is never an end. As much as I love to see exciting, new innovations in brand new markets, I’m also happy to know people aren’t satisfied with the status quo. From cars to refrigerators to tooth brushes, we keep iterating, making them better little by little. I love the big leaps, but I’m just as happy to see the small improvements.

I wouldn’t necessarily set out to create an app for a crowded market, but if you’re unhappy with the existing options and have a better way, then don’t let it stop you. If you don’t like what’s out there, there is a good chance other people feel the same. And this doesn’t apply just to apps, but to every product, from iPhone docks to thermostats.

I had the thought last night that if Google sticks around for the next 50-100 years, and maintains Google Maps, then it could actually turn into a time machine. Load up maps, choose your place and your time, zoom around in street view. I can’t imagine how amazing it would be to check out what San Francisco in the late 1960’s. Plus, Google will have gathered much more information over the years. They will show photos and YouTube videos taken near that time and location. They might show relevant news stories or tweets they’ve cached.

Google’s stated mission is:

“Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

That’s a pretty ambitious statement, but so far it seems like they’re achieving that. If they can continue to do it for the long term, they might become the most valuable source of information we have about our recent history. That sounds extreme, but if you take a recent event like the pepper spraying at UC Davis, you can imagine students of the future watching dozens of first-hand accounts from multiple angles on YouTube instead of reading about it in a textbook.

Update: I just found out just after writing this that you can already display historic images on Google Earth, so they’re on their way (thanks @ahmattox)