“Following the release of Google Material Design 3, the refreshed user interface is purposefully designed to streamline core collaboration journeys across our products,” the company said in a recent Workspace Updates post.
Docs, Sheets and Slides:
With regards to Docs, Sheets, and Slides, there are no alterations to functionality. They will work just as before. But some features have been moved around with the intention of reducing clutter. The clock icon on the right-hand top corner, for example, shows the status information of a document including last edit and version history. You should be able to find oft used actions faster, thanks to the changes.
Google Drive:
The search function in Google Drive has been revamped so that you can now look for file type, last modified and “People” (file owner). Key actions will appear inline within files for quick access. You will also be able to click on multiple items and execute batch operations for certain tasks.
The changes mentioned above will reach all end users by March 25th. Now, if only Google could do us a favor and slap a consistent design across the whole Gmail product.