Get started with Gmail? Maybe not? Why?
Here is 'why' but first have a look what Google Workspace actually offers. To find the balance before we hit strong.
I have asked my network on multiply Slack channels.
Simple question: anybody would recommend ProtonMail or Zoho?
Also, I have obviously look for online answers and did a proper business competitors analysis and research from business, customer, and user point of view.
I was looking for something free of charge with a great value and without any feeds/news/adds, also with extra data protection, free from spam and more.
Here is one blog post including videos, which I would like to share and even save for myself, which helped me to make the final decision.
Is there was something that has made you unsatisfied with Gmail, you might ask?
Why I decided to change after so many years, since the beginning of Gmail.
Mainly because, I need to created a new email for my client to be able to be set up on my client's platform. I wanted to have an email dedicated email just for it but also for a while also I was looking for alternatives to support other ideas out there worth checking and using daily. Business competitors research.
I wanted also have my email:
linked with my website domain name, free of charge
as before to be able to create a few emails depends on the business service
Also have better security, data protection, stop spam and not only hide promotional emails, but not having them at all as take storage
Start fresh with inbox and suit of apps
Have everything for free or with an extra small contribution, in my case unnecessary, yet.
Zoho looks and feels like a better Outlook and Gmail, more friendly than Outlook and as modern as Gmail, combine with best of Google Suit.
Zoho has 13-60 million users already, depends of the source.
Also, I was looking for cleaner UX and better visually functional UI, not just nice design.
I am not a big fan of colourful icons, which do not make sense sometimes, but indeed they are “very pretty” https://www.hasnik.com/post/what-we-truly-think-about-recent-most-famous-icons-design-google-you-are-the-leaderor or background picture which is not responsive to the size of variety of screens as happens on my gmail, plenty other stuff, etc.
I was satisfied with Gmail for years, all my life actually as I never used other emails providers expect companies, where I work, and they swapped from Gmail to Outlook for example. Indeed several companies avoid G Suite from the same POV as myself now, so I do understand them now better.
I will still be a user of Gmail/ G Suit but not as much for business. Google Assistant is my favourite Voice AI so he stays. Also I will be going to direction of other search engines, which I have tried multiply times but not yet fully satisfied as with Chrome.
There are plenty extra apps in Google Suit, all kind of which we can “wish for”, which some of them are great, but from a research point of view are not that in use as much as they claim to be. It is getting a bit cluttery out there, even on there own website, even to group them is a bit hassle.
My wardrobe and desktop is better organise than this:
Common Google you can do better.💪🏻
As user, I wish that Google will dedicate more time to specialise to polish their new and old ideas instead of throwing them on users.
Off course, we can customised the App Launcher even external apps are better to do that, but some products like whiteboard are better designed than Google Jamboard for example InVision Freehand or Miro.
And for connecting on virtual meetings, videos, calls or chats Google gives us: Google Meet, Google Hangouts, Google Voice, Duo, Google Chats, Messages…do we need all of it?
I do not thinks so as user, and UX designer.H
ow many more will be created… My clients and myself, are looking for One Good Product Design not severals bits and pieces especially for chats and calls and video calls.
Zoho is actually supported by google anyway so there is not that big change.
Let’ see how it goes. There is always a possibility of going back.
Life doesn’t end on Google. 😉
There is much more from UX and Business POV to share but I think it is better to ask others. Idea pop to my head to Run the User Survey across my Network and find out, I might be convinced once again. Who knows? Hope that helps you to make your own decision.
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