Summary
- Google is experimenting with a new Material Design 3 bottom bar for its main app, making it more user-friendly with easy access to search.
- The change aims to improve one-handed operation by integrating the search bar into the bottom bar, similar to the design we saw in November.
- However, the UI flaw still persists with Google’s classic light blue color for the bottom bar, lacking dynamic theming seen in other apps.
On-screen visual elements play a big role in supplementing or degrading the perceived ease of use for apps, and that’s true for everything from the best social apps to Google’s creations like YouTube, Discover, and the main app for search. A bottom bar is already available on most of the company’s creations, but the main Google app is a notable outlier. However, the bottom bar has made a comeback recently with new Material Design elements.
Google is no stranger to the bottom bar design — it helped Chat and Meet integrations with Gmail, gave Maps its signature UI, and YouTube wouldn’t be the same without one. The company has repeatedly dabbled with a similar design on the main Search app as well, only to roll back to an older UI design soon after. Changes began in 2021, and the most recent test was spotted in November last year.
Search bar becomes easier to reach
This week, an X user (formerly Twitter) spotted the revival of the same design we spotted in November, albeit with a slight change (via 9to5Google). The previous test used a Material Design 2-spec bottom bar with a normal Search field appended above it, like you would find in your Discover feed. However, the latest test switches to Material Design 3 specifications for the bottom bar, highlighting the selected tab using a pill-shaped outline, while integrating the super-tall Search bar into the bottom bar.
The MD3 bottom bar is visible in Play Store imagery for the app as well, but the integrated search box is absent. Since this is the second time we’ve spotted the change, there’s a chance Google rolls out the UI design to more users soon. It would be a pleasant visual change, like the bottom-aligned omnibox in Chrome, and would be easier to reach with your thumbs as well. Easier one-handed operation could be particularly helpful in situations where you don’t want to summon a voice assistant either.
Unfortunately, the UI element still uses Google’s classic light blue color to differentiate the bottom bar from the space for results and your Discover feed. There’s no dynamic theming even though this is a first-party app, but it isn’t surprising either, because we’ve seen similar behavior in the Play Store and Gmail, to name a couple. We sincerely hope Google addresses this UI flaw soon as well.
