Google Redesigns Workspace Icons, Faces UI Criticism

Google is rolling out a new gradient design for its Workspace apps, a change that marks both a visual evolution and a response to years of user feedback about icon clarity. The overhaul affects Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and other core tools, but introduces a split in the design language: some icons now use single-color gradients with rounded shapes, while others retain flat, multi-color designs. The timing—just days before Google I/O—raises questions about whether this is just the beginning of deeper UI changes.

The redesign replaces Google’s previous multi-color icons with a mix of gradient fills and simplified shapes. Gmail now uses a bold red gradient with subtle yellow, green, and blue accents, making it instantly recognizable. Drive loses its iconic red dot but gains a rounded triangular shape with green, yellow, and blue gradients. Calendar reverts to a skeuomorphic flip-calendar design in classic blue. However, apps like Google Docs keep their flat, single-color approach with no gradient, creating a disjointed experience for users comparing icons side-by-side.

Design Shifts and User Confusion

The new icons aim to address a key pain point: the old design made it hard to distinguish between apps at a glance. Google Chat, Meet, and Calendar now use single dominant colors (green, yellow, and blue respectively), but this change has users struggling to identify icons quickly. One Reddit user noted that switching Sheets and Slides to landscape orientation “feels right” because it mirrors how those apps are typically used. Conversely, the Google Keep icon—now just a yellow light bulb without its former rectangular frame—has left frequent users disoriented despite its cleaner look.

Technical details in the redesign highlight Google’s ongoing design indecision. The gradient treatment appears selectively: it’s applied to high-traffic apps like Gmail and Drive but not to Docs or Slides. This inconsistency undermines the visual coherence Google claims to prioritize. The new Calendar icon, which resurrects a 2012 skeuomorphic design, further illustrates the company’s lack of commitment to modern design principles. Material Design, Google’s official UX framework, emphasizes flat surfaces and subtle shadows—not the soft gradients or bulbous shapes now appearing in Workspace.

Chrome’s Lock Icon Gets a Problematic Makeover

While the Workspace icons are a visual update, Google’s simultaneous Chrome redesign raises deeper usability concerns. The browser’s lock icon—long a symbol of HTTPS security—is being replaced by a “tune” icon in Chrome 117. The change, slated for early September 2023, comes after Google admitted only 11% of users understand what the lock actually signifies. The new symbol—a horizontal bar with two dots—doesn’t immediately suggest security and may confuse users into thinking it controls playback or volume settings.

The rationale for the switch is twofold: to correct the misconception that HTTPS guarantees trustworthiness and to make the icon more interactive. Google’s research claims few users tap the lock to view security details, but the new icon’s ambiguity could worsen this. On iOS, where the lock wasn’t clickable anyway, Google is removing it entirely. Critics argue the design lacks intuitive feedback—unlike an arrow, which might imply a dropdown menu—and that the company is prioritizing aesthetics over clarity in a browser update.

What to Watch

The Workspace redesign will roll out gradually, but its impact is already visible on Android and iOS app stores. By June, users should notice the new icons across all platforms. The Chrome lock icon update will ship with Chrome 117 in September, but early adopters in the Canary channel can test it now. Google I/O next week may offer further hints about whether this is part of a broader UI strategy or another half-baked experiment. For now, the mixed results of these changes suggest Google is still searching for a coherent design language—one that serves engineers and end users equally well.