A new semester, a new challenge for an old friend- email clients!
Marcus Thomas
Mar 21, 2025
Intro
Email has remained a cornerstone of digital communication for decades, bridging personal and professional interactions across the globe. However, the way we use email has evolved dramatically, influenced by shifting work cultures, the rise of AI-driven productivity tools, and a growing need for better digital organization. Today’s users demand faster, more intuitive ways to manage their inboxes without being bogged down by cluttered interfaces, long, confusing threads, and disconnected contacts. Despite its age, email remains irreplaceable, making it crucial to rethink how we engage with it.
Many email interfaces remain visually overwhelming, featuring excessive icons, sidebars, and toolbars that contribute to decision fatigue.
Avoid Losing Context in Long Email Threads
Conversations often become difficult to navigate, especially in high-volume discussions where important details get buried under a sea of replies.
Bring Groups Forward for Better Email Management
Research
SWOT analysis of three email clients
Latecomer Inspiration - Newton Mail
Proposal
To address these challenges, my redesign of Microsoft Outlook introduces a fresh approach centered on three key pillars:
Focus Mode
Many email interfaces remain visually overwhelming, featuring excessive icons, sidebars, and toolbars that contribute to decision fatigue.
AI-Powered Conversation Summaries
An AI-driven feature that automatically generates digestible conversation overviews.
Key action items, decisions, and unresolved questions are highlighted within threads to reduce the need for excessive scrolling.
Group-Centric Email Management
Shifting from an individual sender-focused prioritization model to a group-based one.
Contact groups are surfaced more prominently, allowing users to manage and filter emails at the team or project level rather than relying on VIP tagging.
