Mail/Rules

Comparative Analysis

Our comparative analysis of email filter rule systems across various email clients reveals a diverse range of approaches, from complex dropdown menus to more intuitive text-based inputs, highlighting the ongoing challenge of balancing functionality with user-friendly design.

Apple Mail's evolution from 2020 to 2022 shows a shift towards more intuitive rule creation, introducing smart mailboxes that combine filtering with automatic organization1.

Google's implementation, while powerful, suffers from discoverability issues, requiring users to select a message before accessing the filter creation option.

Missive and eM Mail stand out with their innovative text-based rule creation, potentially simplifying the process for users.

Outlook offers a comprehensive rule system but may be overly complex for some users.

Our proposition

Our proposed email rule creation system is simplifying the process while maintaining advanced functionality.

Key features include:

1. Offering checkbox selections for rule actions
2. Automatically generating rule names based on the criteria set
3. Very intuitive UI

Settings, opening block text for editing

Option 1

Going back to the search for editing filters

Settings, opening block text for editing filters

Option 2

Going back to the search for editing filters

Process

Initially, we'll focus on implementing this system within the Settings, with plans to explore more discoverable integration points within the main email interface in the future.

We welcome feedback on this approach to refining email rule creation, feel free to add it here.