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New Google Play Store Design Boosts Usability

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Android and Google hardware users now have a more streamlined interface from which to purchase music, books and Nexus devices: a redesigned Google Play Store.

The new interface, which is available today, follows many of the style guidelines used in the redesigns of other Google services in the past. That includes the color based individual store identities from the Google Play apps for Android themselves, and the same flat design from Google+. The new design also borrows the cards view from Google Now.

To make it easier for users to browse applications, the categories menu and lists of applications have all been moved just below the search bar in each Google Play Store area. To the right, users can quickly choose between managing the applications they’ve already installed on their Android device and browsing for new apps.

The newly redesigned Google Play Store for the web.

The newly redesigned Google Play Store for the web.

Google Play Apps now also features larger screenshots on each individual application’s page so that users can get a better look at each application before downloading it.

The updated Google Play Store also behaves mostly as an app itself. Just as if it’s a Android application, the store has a persistent menu on the far right hand side of the screen, allowing users to quickly browse the content that the store has to offer, an experience that’s also bolstered by the fact that pages load seamlessly. In fact, users can browse each individual area of the Google Play Store without ever needing to wait for a page to completely reload.

Google has taken this opportunity to surface often used areas that might not have a high-profile. Starting with this update, wish lists, gift card options, and Google Play credits are all on the left hand side of the screen the moment a user enters the store. This will make them easier to find for users who don’t  have a lot of experience with browsing through the Google Play Store’s settings and accounts interface.

Read: Google Play Store 4.0 Bringing Cleaner App Store to Android

As a whole the design brings many of the changes that Google first released to users in the form of the Google Play application earlier this year. That update went out to all users running Android 2.2 Froyo or later.

15 Comments

15 Comments

  1. Bob

    07/16/2013 at 11:29 am

    Take a second look Travis. Permissions are gone. Product videos are gone. No way to determine which apps are installed vs. just in my library. The new format may look nicer but is a major step backward in terms of functionality.

  2. AJ

    07/16/2013 at 12:51 pm

    The problem with the new design/functionality is the Reviews section. Previously the user was able to sort the Reviews by date, ratings, etc. So if the user wanted to read the negative reviews first to determine if they wanted to buy/install the app all they had to do was click on the lower rated stars. Now there’s no rhyme-or-reason as to how the reviews are sorted.

  3. AJ

    07/16/2013 at 1:08 pm

    Also crashed my FireFox browser several times with the following errors: Script: resource://gre/components/nsPrompter.js:434
    Script: chrome://vidbar/content/utils.js:557

  4. nebulus

    07/16/2013 at 3:32 pm

    Unable to change language? It is nightmare!

    • Soumya

      07/16/2013 at 10:01 pm

      This is a very bad design. Load likes never end. Previous Template was far better than this.

  5. maverickosama

    07/17/2013 at 1:22 am

    Its not a good design.. previous template was cool.. all the information regarding app was at very front like ratings,whats new etc.. but now user have to scroll down to see.
    bad from Google.

  6. Dan

    07/17/2013 at 6:24 am

    Looks nicer, but I can no longer see which applications are install per device. Plus it appears you can no longer uninstall applications from a device by Google Plays web site. I have multiple android devices and being able to manage the applications by a web browser on a PC was much faster than digging through the devices. For those that have all kinds of free time to dig and clean that might be fine, but as a professional I do not. I expect computer device whether a phone, tablet, or PC to improve my productivity. I agree with Bob this is a major step backward in terms of functionality and could backfire on Google by encourage professional to consider Microsoft’s devices more.

  7. Quarterback

    07/17/2013 at 7:10 am

    What a terrible design. PERMISSIONS ARE GONE! Nada. Zip. Scary, scary Google, hiding permissions.

    Google: “Your Privacy and Security are our Dog’s Chew Toys”

  8. FlyingHigh

    07/18/2013 at 2:38 am

    The title of this article should read more like: “New Google Play Store Design Usability Takes Dive.” No easy why of knowing what’s actually installed on your device because now it shows everything you downloaded–period. Updated apps are hard to find unless you use the mobile version of the store, no easy uninstall feature, no easy way to get to reviews–just to name a few. If the addition of tiles and wishlist is being pitched as usability boost–then Google is starting to lose touch with its users.

  9. Robin Hood

    07/18/2013 at 10:49 am

    Dear Goog, I have over 5000 apps under the hood. Oh yeah! I have got umpteen “You have exceeded the number of apps for the day” many a days – the comment which is not mentioned anywhere in the web and the buggy comment that it is. I have got multiple (each more than $2500) awards from Samsung too (forget the number of apps I have and for their exclusive devices in their store). The reasons for my arrogant statements here – I am angry. Reason: YOUR ARROGANCE IS MY CUSTOMER’S PAIN. Users, User Experience, Functionality – you forgot all of them. It’s like the Samsung test stores in Eastern China that never work or their testers in North India who get into an apps logic. Have you hired your designers cheaply from India? Looks like you hired a kid and the guy does not understand a Global user base. For devs, who have more than 26 apps under a single account, the icons grow smaller, DISTORTED (eeks) and downright UGLY. You have removed the top picture and instead used the icons and blown them up. Hey, some devs do not understand transparency and are not good at icons. Again, UGLY. Permissions tab used to help users decide whether to download an app or not. Do you think users look at my face or your name and then download apps? NO. They do so because it gives them value. Ask your dev/design team to go through PPVVC training to understand Value. Value, Value, Value and the one decided by the Customer. Not by your design team. At one Techready session, Balmer blasted at one of the TS for suggesting more apps for tablets (talking about MS tablets) in the same year that you bought Android. Today, you know who the blast hit? Don’t make the mistake MS did or you will become the next MS. Do not undermine your customers. Make changes. One at a time. Get Feedback. Iterate. Grow Organically.

  10. Josh

    07/19/2013 at 9:15 pm

    Dammit Microsoft started a trend of “We don’t care if you’re using a touchscreen or not. Use a damn touchscreen.” This new Google Play Store layout is no exception. It’s annoying and impossible to use.

  11. alfredo

    07/20/2013 at 6:10 pm

    I’m not spending a single cent on any app until they add reviews sorting back among other things.

  12. Mayihan

    07/21/2013 at 3:37 pm

    Holy cow… today I discovered that new look of Google Play, and I’m speechless…. it’s absolutely TERRIBLE!!! Omg Google, are you kidding us? Did you hired some cheap webdesigners from Uganda or what?? This new UI sucks as hell, bring the old design back for christ sake!!!!!

  13. Depressed

    07/22/2013 at 2:24 am

    I just happened to launch my first app a couple of months ago. It used to show on search results in the second page for my main keyword and was getting sales almost everyday. With this new design my app is no longer showing for the main keyword because it is too new and it does not have reviews yet. So my sales have taken a dive since the new design. No sales whatsoever. All that hard work and ulcer for nothing.

  14. Luke

    07/22/2013 at 7:00 am

    i agree with everyone here and everyone agrees that your gushing review is nothing but a lot of content mill bs and you don’t have the guts to admit how Google has stuffed in self-serving features while taking out customer-serving features.

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