I’m the type of guy that’s pretty anal about detail. Whenever I do web design (on those rare occasions that I do) , if something is even a couple of pixels off, I have to fix it! I can’t explain why. I know, it’s wierd.

For the longest time, I always wondered: Why when I use a Google product I’m much more satisfied than using an equivalent product by Microsoft. For example, Why doesn’t Live Mail (Hotmail) feel the same as Gmail? Or why does Google Maps feel much more solid than Live Maps? Both Microsoft and Google products are comparable and when we compare each product by feature it usually weighs out.

Then I realized why. It’s the look and feel, the fit and finish, the craftsmanship of Google’s products that make them feel solid. It’s that same feeling you get when you compare a Lincoln to a BMW. Close a door on the Lincoln and it goes ‘clunk’. Close a door on the BMW and it sounds like your head hitting a pillow. That’s the exact same feeling I get. The Microsoft product feels like a Lincoln. It’s a nice looking car, but not particularly well made. There are huge gaps in the door panel and even the buttons on the radio feel cheap. On the other hand, Google is like the BMW. The design is streamlined. All the parts of the product were ‘engineered’ with precision to either serve a purpose or provide aesthetic appeal.

Here’s an example. Compare these 2 maps of Europe. Both show relatively the same area but which do you prefer? Which one makes you want to gauge out your eyeballs? And which one makes you feel like Christopher Columbus ready to set sail? I won’t tell you which one’s which, but you can probably guess.

Door #1:

Door #2: