Comments on: Gmail inbox and productivity (or Archive? my a$$) http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/ pretty design pending Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:40:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Tee http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-2050 Tee Wed, 12 Jul 2006 12:19:07 +0000 http://www.disambiguity.com/2006/05/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-2050 NO! You're not alone! I found you by searching Google for the phrase "What does Archive mean in Gmail" ... ROFL. And you know what? I'm STILL confused and stressed out. I don't get how I do this... I want labeled folders with different names. Things are getting lost and when I need them I have to do a search...I don't know what to do with my mail. Do I delete it so if I die no one knows my private business? What if I need something? So frustrating! NO! You’re not alone! I found you by searching Google for the phrase “What does Archive mean in Gmail” … ROFL.

And you know what? I’m STILL confused and stressed out. I don’t get how I do this… I want labeled folders with different names. Things are getting lost and when I need them I have to do a search…I don’t know what to do with my mail. Do I delete it so if I die no one knows my private business? What if I need something?

So frustrating!

]]> By: leisa.reichelt http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-919 leisa.reichelt Thu, 25 May 2006 01:08:52 +0000 http://www.disambiguity.com/2006/05/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-919 yes... I'm definitely beginning to think that my take on "Archive" is a minority view... at least amongst audiences who have good familiarity with Gmail, and who may have been 'taught' what arvice means via Google marketing.... Would be interesting to test with newbie users. Dmitry, yes - of course I'm aware that there is sometimes not a 'perfect' label... but of course I also have a compulsion to test labels and to question them when they don't feel right. I guess the biggest take home is the importance of user testing and how, as an IA, you should never assume that you're mental model or interpretation of a label or anything else necessarily translates to your audience. yes… I’m definitely beginning to think that my take on “Archive” is a minority view… at least amongst audiences who have good familiarity with Gmail, and who may have been ‘taught’ what arvice means via Google marketing…. Would be interesting to test with newbie users.

Dmitry, yes - of course I’m aware that there is sometimes not a ‘perfect’ label… but of course I also have a compulsion to test labels and to question them when they don’t feel right.

I guess the biggest take home is the importance of user testing and how, as an IA, you should never assume that you’re mental model or interpretation of a label or anything else necessarily translates to your audience.

]]> By: Dmitry http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-915 Dmitry Wed, 24 May 2006 18:10:43 +0000 http://www.disambiguity.com/2006/05/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-915 I am not sure I'm with you on this one, Leisa. I agree that archiving in the real world has a "hard to get to" connotation, but all real-world metaphors break down eventually when used in an interactive context. In this case, what breaks down is the "hard to get to" aspect of archiving, which I am personally very happy to do away with, just as I am happy that my Windows install doesn't require me to periodically clean it with Windex. :) As an IA, you are surely aware that sometimes there is no perfect label for a given action, and one needs to find an acceptable compromise, even if some users run into trouble with it. You haven't pointed out a compelling alternative label, and neither has anyone else who has commented here so far. Surely that's an indication that Archive, while not being the perfect solution, is not all that bad? I am not sure I’m with you on this one, Leisa. I agree that archiving in the real world has a “hard to get to” connotation, but all real-world metaphors break down eventually when used in an interactive context. In this case, what breaks down is the “hard to get to” aspect of archiving, which I am personally very happy to do away with, just as I am happy that my Windows install doesn’t require me to periodically clean it with Windex. :)
As an IA, you are surely aware that sometimes there is no perfect label for a given action, and one needs to find an acceptable compromise, even if some users run into trouble with it. You haven’t pointed out a compelling alternative label, and neither has anyone else who has commented here so far. Surely that’s an indication that Archive, while not being the perfect solution, is not all that bad?

]]> By: Michael Air http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-909 Michael Air Wed, 24 May 2006 02:13:42 +0000 http://www.disambiguity.com/2006/05/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-909 Same as Rachel D; I got the archive idea straight away. I do seem to remember that there were little helpers when you logged into gmail for the first time to tell you what archiving was? Same as Rachel D; I got the archive idea straight away. I do seem to remember that there were little helpers when you logged into gmail for the first time to tell you what archiving was?

]]> By: Mark http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-901 Mark Tue, 23 May 2006 16:56:40 +0000 http://www.disambiguity.com/2006/05/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-901 I've never used Gmail, but I agree that Archive is a misleading word to use, as, like you say, it's generally used to mean "put somewhere hard to reach, just in case I find I need it at some point in the future". As for what it should be changed to, I dunno...something like "Hide" or "Don't Show In My Inbox"? Or maybe "Store for seaching". I can't really think of anything great. Hmm, maybe Archive is the best word after all...? :-S I’ve never used Gmail, but I agree that Archive is a misleading word to use, as, like you say, it’s generally used to mean “put somewhere hard to reach, just in case I find I need it at some point in the future”.

As for what it should be changed to, I dunno…something like “Hide” or “Don’t Show In My Inbox”? Or maybe “Store for seaching”. I can’t really think of anything great. Hmm, maybe Archive is the best word after all…? :-S

]]> By: leisa.reichelt http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-895 leisa.reichelt Tue, 23 May 2006 11:37:33 +0000 http://www.disambiguity.com/2006/05/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-895 hrm... Ralph. I dunno. It's starting to look as though it might be me and not you... come on... surely *someone* out there had issues with the archive button too! (or, maybe not...!) hrm… Ralph. I dunno. It’s starting to look as though it might be me and not you…

come on… surely *someone* out there had issues with the archive button too!

(or, maybe not…!)

]]> By: Ralph Friedman http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-894 Ralph Friedman Tue, 23 May 2006 11:05:31 +0000 http://www.disambiguity.com/2006/05/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-894 Mebbe it's just me, but I have been a gmail user since shortly after it was announced and I never understood archive to mean anything more than "take this out of the inbox and, if it is labelled, file it neatly." Maybe coming from a long-year software development background gives me a different perspective. I can't really know. R. Mebbe it’s just me, but I have been a gmail user since shortly after it was announced and I never understood archive to mean anything more than “take this out of the inbox and, if it is labelled, file it neatly.” Maybe coming from a long-year software development background gives me a different perspective. I can’t really know.

R.

]]> By: sonitus.org » Blog Archive » Gmail inbox and productivity (or Archive? my a$$) http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-891 sonitus.org » Blog Archive » Gmail inbox and productivity (or Archive? my a$$) Tue, 23 May 2006 08:56:34 +0000 http://www.disambiguity.com/2006/05/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-891 [...] Disambiguity [...] [...] Disambiguity [...]

]]> By: James Mc Parlane http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-890 James Mc Parlane Tue, 23 May 2006 08:31:04 +0000 http://www.disambiguity.com/2006/05/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-890 Attenuation is the new aggregation. I don't use my inbox in Outlook, I use the "Unread mail" and "For Followup" search folders. There is a movement towards productivity software that lets you quickly tag the mail in your inbox by priority and then your real inbox is the priority queue. eg: http://www.shahine.com/omar/SpeedFiler.aspx This is pretty much how I work with Microsoft Outlook now. I go through my inbox and quickly tag things as red, blue, yellow, green etc.. red = ASAP blue = Some time today yellow = Soon etc... Then my real inbox becomes the "For Followup" folder. Most important things get done first. If I finish all of those in a day then I get onto the next level importance. I'm going to try "SpeedFiler" and see if that improves anything in my cobbled together process. l8r! Attenuation is the new aggregation.

I don’t use my inbox in Outlook, I use the “Unread mail” and “For Followup” search folders.

There is a movement towards productivity software that lets you quickly tag the mail in your inbox by priority and then your real inbox is the priority queue.

eg: http://www.shahine.com/omar/SpeedFiler.aspx

This is pretty much how I work with Microsoft Outlook now. I go through my inbox and quickly tag things as red, blue, yellow, green etc..

red = ASAP
blue = Some time today
yellow = Soon
etc…

Then my real inbox becomes the “For Followup” folder.

Most important things get done first. If I finish all of those in a day then I get onto the next level importance.

I’m going to try “SpeedFiler” and see if that improves anything in my cobbled together process.

l8r!

]]> By: leisa.reichelt http://www.disambiguity.com/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-888 leisa.reichelt Tue, 23 May 2006 07:34:19 +0000 http://www.disambiguity.com/2006/05/gmail-inbox-and-productivity-or-archive-my-a/#comment-888 yeah, I moaned about the crazy delete button (or lack there of) back in the day... I wonder how I never equated 'Archive' with all the buzz about Gmail's 'storage space' (thinking back, you're right... I guess they were calling it Archive then too, weren't they.... it's still wrong tho!) Rachel - gosh... I thought I was the only one who had a thing about tidying up their sent box! Outlook got me into the habit of it when I used to always outgrow my storage limit... I don't have quite the same desire on Gmail due to the lack of 'folders'... if that makes any sense! yeah, I moaned about the crazy delete button (or lack there of) back in the day… I wonder how I never equated ‘Archive’ with all the buzz about Gmail’s ’storage space’ (thinking back, you’re right… I guess they were calling it Archive then too, weren’t they…. it’s still wrong tho!)

Rachel - gosh… I thought I was the only one who had a thing about tidying up their sent box! Outlook got me into the habit of it when I used to always outgrow my storage limit… I don’t have quite the same desire on Gmail due to the lack of ‘folders’… if that makes any sense!

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