Images courtesy of Google
Google has been on a high note since releasing Material Design (a visual language with design specifications intended to run across all its products) at the Google I/O conference on June 25, 2014. At the end of October, they released the new look for your inbox, and on Nov. 3, Googlers started the week strong by presenting its users with a redesigned Google Calendar.
For users who prefer digital calendars to print planners, the app is an incredible success. The aesthetic of the interface follows Material Design principles to a T – it’s clean, it’s friendly and it’s engaging. It inspires you to be more organized.
There are background illustrations available for each month based on season and weather. The flat style is made warmer by the addition of subtle textures and use of saturated colors. This doesn’t create any extra effort for users yet still augments a sense of discovery and builds upon a larger narrative.
Users are provided with different view options so they can look at their calendar by day, by week or by month. However, Google Calendar exceeds these standard features by providing users a “schedule view.” This is a running list of different events in the calendar. Days with nothing scheduled don’t appear, eliminating wasted real estate on the screen.
Greater importance is given to visuals. Events are automatically assigned images that relate to the subject such as its location on Google maps, the logo of a restaurant or an illustration. This is effective as most people find it easier to comprehend information when relating it with imagery.
Google Calendar has seasonal illustrations for the background. On tablet view there’s the option to see both the monthly calendar and “schedule view” simultaneously.
On tablet landscape view, the screen divides. One side is dedicated to this “schedule view,” while the other side reveals a monthly calendar. The two sides respond to each other. As the user scrolls down their schedule, the corresponding date is highlighted on the calendar. Tap on a date on the calendar and when you click “add event” the app intuitively sets the event on that day.
Another time-saving feature is the “assist feature.” There’s now only one field to the “titles, places and people.” The app provides auto-fill suggestions. For instance, if a user were to input the word “cocktails,” a drop-down menu appears with “at,” “with,” or more detailed phrases like “cocktails with mom” or “cocktails with dad.”
Locations are suggested via GPS location and people are suggested based on email contacts. There is also the option to notify others of the event and set reminders. Much like Google smart searching, prolonged use allows the calendar to notice patterns in behavior and start automatically adding or suggesting regular events. Though normally this Big Brother-like attribute would be off-putting, because of having it in the context of a personal scheduling app, this only serves to ensure less time is spent typing out plans rather than experiencing them.
The app now syncs with all email accounts, not just Gmail. This is an intelligent decision as many users now use multiple email accounts. The entire user experience becomes streamlined as the app takes note of typical notifications such as flights or restaurant reservations.
The app pulls information from email accounts and automatically adds it to your calendar.
According to Ian Leader, the app’s Product Manager, Google Calendar is “designed… so you can spend less time managing your day, and more time enjoying it.” The app is incredibly successful in doing so. It’s intuitive and streamlined, and for those few minutes in the morning, users are treated with a visual feast the moment their day begins.
Gabby Manotoc has been Creative Director for District for the past three years. She also designs the Port City Review, the student produced and curated annual literary arts journal of SCAD.
