If you're just looking for the fix to the annoying "feedback" popup on the new Gmail look, then skip to the bottom. There you'll find the solution in boldface-type...
Anyhow, not sure if you've been
invited to switch to the new Gmail look; but if not, or if you've
postponed it, I thought I'd give you a link to upgrade yours: http://j.mp/uF5uqj
The link also
contains a compact and helpful tutorial which outlines some of the
improvements to the system that go beyond looks alone.
You'll
probably notice there's more to this change in Gmail's look than looks alone:
there are also some interesting improvements to functionality as well. I believe the most significant change of all — and perhaps the most
significant change implemented by Google to one of their systems in a
while — is their first implementation of a truly "dynamic UI" in Gmail.
Of
course you'll continue be able to specify how you want the UI to
appear, but in this particular instance, the dynamic UI enables a type
of functionality in Gmail that automatically responds to and manipulates its interface and screen layout in response to how YOU use it!
This all works in an effort to better accommodate your unique
preferences and particular use-idiosyncrasies without your having to
take the time or thought to specify them yourself.
I
LOVE this genre of technology and am really excited to see it deployed
on Gmail. Anyhow, the main reason I decided to write about it was to get you thinking about how you too can use this type of
technology in the near future. Specifically, you might be able to
leverage you may already know about your users to
adapt your service(s) automatically in better accommodating them.
This of course is all in contrast to how it's been done since the dawn of commercialism,
which has been to put the burden of "accommodating" (to a product or service) entirely on the user in forcing them to "accommodate to" the product or service they
wanted to use.
The attitudes of conventional static (vs. "dynamic") deployments of products and services have caused us as consumers to expect
to be instructed by the company on the proper use of their wares.
That's in stark contrast to the possibilities that automated-change
which allows us to instruct our product or service on our preferred
method(s) of use by simply using it.
Typically companies tell us that we need to:
"...click this button to make our widget do X", or "if you need to change X, then pickup the phone and call 800-xxx-xxxx..."
In
the coming shift to dynamic and automated usage-based change, the
examples above will transition from "the way it's always been to the way
things were" very quickly. Instead of being forced to follow rigid use
instructions, companies will initially offer choice-sets or modes of
use to their customers; and will remain flexible while they listen to
and watch for hints users leave to their particular preferences. Then,
based on the data they collect from the user in response to that
flexibility, they'll ultimately organize their product/UI/service/etc to
the exact preferences of each individual user.
The concept of dynamic auto-customization (which
may be dubbed "mass customization" or "mass personalization"...) that
I'm trying to articulate in this post will soon be a reality, and I'm
all but certain will be one that will significantly favor those
businesses that adopt it earlier than their competition!
Something to think about...
Anyhow, it's a bit ironic, but in this new deployment I found myself being ritually haunted by a persistent button that pops up on the bottom of the screen begging me to learn “about the new look | send feedback”...grrr! I kept swatting its "X" close button only to have it persist...even after I yielded and input my thoughtful feedback...the thing kept coming after me like some senile zombie, begging FEEDBACK!!!
Enough was enough, and thanks to Jabba Laci's post the solution was simple:
So, if you too have been annoyed by the constant “about the new look | send feedback” button popup that came along with the new Gmail look, then you can stop it by downloading adblockplus.
For Firefox it can be found here: http://j.mp/vSdOfZ
or here:
http://download.cnet.com/Adblock-Plus-for-Mozilla-Firefox/3000-11745_4-10636539.html
once downloaded, simply add this filter:
mail.google.com##div[class="GcwpPb-MEmzyf GcwpPb-bEO5kc"]
For Google Chrome you'll find the add-on here: http://j.mp/tOmZg9
and there you have it, no more requests for feedback popups!
Enjoy,
Christian Hunter
Austin, Texas
