Questo post su Medium prova a spiegare perché la sfida di Google Inbox sia soprattutto nel convincere l’utenza a un modello diverso di email da quello a cui siamo abituati da anni. Gmail è uno dei prodotti più popolari di Google, e per immaginare l’email del futuro Google ha fatto quello che farebbe Apple: ha creato un nuovo prodotto, che si presenta come qualcosa di differente, ma che potrebbe finire col cannibalizzare Gmail:

Email is an ambitious undertaking. The main issue is that we, as users, already are used to what email is. It’s all based on our decades of experience with the current form. The mental model has been well established (burned) into our minds. Additionally, it’s more than just the interface itself at stake. Many younger users don’t like email all that much, and prefer alternate ways to communicate: texting, emojis, the revived animated GIF, Instagram, and Snapchat. […]

So, how do you make something a lot better without the past decisions—code and design patterns—weighing you down and especially not piss off a ginormous user base? If you are Google, you pull an Innovator’s Dilemmamove, by creating an internal competitor that could cannibalize one of your flagship products.