Gmail
Usability Testing & UX Improvement
Role
UX Researcher
Interview Planning
Task Scenario Design
Behavioral Analysis
Affinity Mapping
Insight Synthesis
Tools
Figma
Figjam
Adobe Suit
Duration
Jun-Aug'24
10 weeks
Team
Sejoon Kim
Iris Kang
Josh Lu
Timi Dare
Why did we redesign Gmail?
65% of participants struggled to find or use Gmail’s advanced features.
Gmail’s interface often hides powerful tools behind complex flows—causing users to rely on search or default behaviors. For busy professionals, this leads to missed emails, cluttered inboxes, and inefficient scheduling.
"I usually just search for emails—I don’t use labels or archive."
Gmail User
"There are too many features, and I only use what I’m familiar with."
Gmail User
"I missed an important email because it went to the Promotions tab."
Gmail User
"I don’t know how to schedule emails unless I use Google Calendar."
Gmail User
"I just delete emails instead of sorting—I don’t have time."
Gmail User
"It takes too long to find filters or set up labels."
Gmail User
Reflection
Through task-based usability testing, I uncovered not only surface-level usability issues but also underlying behavioral tendencies that contributed to user friction. By synthesizing patterns from observational data, I identified critical design gaps in clarity, discoverability, and task flow. This process emphasized the importance of behavioral mapping and affinity clustering in deriving user-centered design priorities—highlighting that true insights come from analyzing user actions, not just their verbal feedback.