Ex-lead designer for Gmail, Michael Leggett, got sick and tired of Gmail, so he decided to launch a free Google Chrome extension called Simplify that cleans it right up for you.
In an interview with FastCompany, Leggett commented on the current state of Gmail, saying that "it’s like Lucky Charms got spewed all over the screen." That isn't far from the truth. Interestingly enough, Leggett also co-founded Inbox, which was another simplistic email app that people enjoyed before Google effectively killed it in March 2019.
Once you download and activate Simplify, the extension optimizes Gmail to give you more real estate for your emails and it even strips down the top bar and sidebar by leaving only a few key functions. It also completely removes the Gmail logo as well, which is nice.
However, I don't really find the extension all that helpful. Sure, it cleans up the interface a little bit, but I don't have immediate access to my calendar to check out my scheduled meetings. I also can't access Google's drop down of additional apps, so I can't quickly switch over to Google Docs from there either, which is frustrating.
You're able to switch the extension on in your Gmail after you've downloaded it to see the difference yourself, but there's not an actual toggle button, so the only way to turn it off (from what I've seen) is to uninstall it.
Despite my issues with it, Simplify has nearly 15,000 users according to the Chrome Web Store and has received some great feedback from users, with a total of 82 reviews and an average of 5 stars.
If you're looking for another way to clean up your inbox, we've got a guide to how to delete old gmail emails.
