The Gemini app has undergone a significant transformation, presenting a visually appealing interface that aligns with contemporary design trends. The new look is not merely cosmetic; it integrates multimedia elements such as images, graphics, timelines, and videos into responses, enhancing the user experience. The vibrant glow of the app’s UI resonates with Google’s latest design ethos, reminiscent of the refreshed app icons and the “Glowbar” aesthetic seen in Googlebooks.
The new Gemini app is a joy to look at
Upon experiencing the revamped Gemini app, one cannot help but notice how the previous version felt outdated and uninspiring. The former interface, characterized by a stark white-and-gray palette, featured a minimal greeting and a few suggestion chips that, while functional, lacked visual appeal. The chatbot’s access to specialized models like Nano Banana, Veo, and Lyria was evident through natural-language suggestions, but overall, the design was cluttered and uninviting.
The transition to the Neural Expressive design language introduces a fresh, colorful homepage dominated by a blue-and-white gradient. The central greeting is now larger and more prominent, accompanied by a lively Gemini logo. The previous suggestion chips and numerous buttons have been streamlined, allowing for a more focused user experience. The text field now floats independently on the homepage, creating a pill-shaped UI element that enhances the overall aesthetic.
As users interact with the app, the “expressive” nature of the design becomes apparent. When a prompt is submitted, the app’s upper half radiates a gradient glow, cycling through the colors of the Gemini icon, signaling that the model is processing the request. This is a marked improvement over the old version, which simply displayed a spinning loading icon.
Moreover, the responses generated by Gemini now incorporate richer multimedia content, with improved support for varied font sizes and headings that break up text more naturally. Users may encounter images or graphics within responses, making them resemble articles rather than plain text outputs. However, it is worth noting that visuals do not appear automatically; users must specifically request them to enhance their experience.
The most notable enhancement may be the Gemini Live feature. In the previous app, initiating a continuous chat felt disjointed from the regular interface, and accessing the transcript required ending the conversation. The new design elegantly collapses Gemini Live visuals into a compact pill at the bottom of the screen, allowing users to view, copy, or share spoken responses without interrupting the chat flow, thereby streamlining the overall interaction.
Gemini’s Neural Expressive UI is less intuitive
Despite the aesthetic improvements, the Neural Expressive interface raises questions about usability. While the old Gemini app was criticized for its clutter, the new design may not effectively address this issue. The homepage is cleaner, yet power users might find the consolidation of features disorienting. The text field now houses only three buttons: a “+” icon, a dictation button, and a Gemini Live button. The absence of the Google account and settings menu adds to the confusion.
New users may struggle to locate essential tools and attachments, which have been merged under the “+” menu. This design choice could lead to misunderstandings, as the “+” symbol typically signifies attachments rather than a gateway to various tools like Create image, Create video, or Guided learning. Consequently, the app’s functionality feels obscured rather than enhanced.
Furthermore, the sidebar now appears overcrowded, featuring buttons for New chat, Search chats, Images, Videos, and Library, alongside sections for Notebooks and Recents. The Google account and settings have been relegated to a less prominent position, complicating navigation.
While Google has made strides in refining the Neural Expressive design, it remains to be seen whether further adjustments will be implemented to enhance usability. Initial tweaks, such as clarifying the model picker, indicate a willingness to improve the user experience. However, the combined attachments and tools menu still requires attention to achieve a truly intuitive interface.
In a side-by-side comparison of the new Neural Expressive app and the old Gemini interface, the latter may lack visual appeal but offers a more straightforward and functional experience. The minimalistic homepage of the new app, while visually striking, conceals options that are now buried behind menus, potentially hindering new users. The upgrade to the Gemini Live experience is commendable, yet the main homepage could benefit from similar enhancements to balance aesthetics with functionality.
