Whoa there, nelly! What did you do to my Google Reader? From a fairly sane look and feel, to this white mishmash of boxes? That can’t be good, can it?
That was, at least, my initial reaction to the new Google Reader design. After having played with it for a while, I find I like the collapsable boxes and although the design is a bit pale, the actual feed listings, especially in list view, is better than before. Check it out for yourself, or just read the Google Reader Blog roundup.
Author: Thord Daniel Hedengren
Thord Daniel Hedengren is a designer, writer, and blogger, and also the former editor of The Blog Herald. He used to be a hotshot in the gaming industry in Sweden, but sold everything and went International. Most recently he wrote a book called Smashing WordPress: Beyond the Blog, and does loads of kickass design.
I was excited to hear that Google Reader was getting a facelift, but after seeing it, that excitement turned to frustrated disappointment. The new interface is ugly as sin, and buggy to boot. I desperately hope Google follows up with some serious redesign, taking into account the user feedback being provided: http://bit.ly/clfY
Same here. I don’t like the new colors. I think the appearance is now really dull. However, I like the collapsible panels. I prefer much more Picasa Web or Google Maps websites.
I love it. :)
The old design looked a bit old hat IMO, just like Google Mail did before it was recently retouched and given additional themes. I lovingly embrace this new style.
I use google reader for years. It is very cool
Love the new features, but I hate the overall colors.
Is it me, or are themes gone? :-(
There were never themes in Google Reader…?
Not exactly (and the theme lives on).
Its an “easter egg” theme (basically like a cheat in a video game to change the layout).
If you follow this sequence: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A
…a ninja should appear.
I’m glad they kept the ninja, although I still wish it was prettier.