Google Dashboard gets redesign and new focus for users

September 8, 2017

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Google Dashboard gets redesign and new focus for users 4

In an announcement made today, Google shared an update on a major redesign to their Google Dashboard platform that will start rolling out next week. The Google Dashboard originally launched in 2009 as a way for users to quickly figure out what products they use and access some history and settings. Since then Google has introduced new tools and the world has changed to make even more use of touchscreens and mobile devices. Using this information and input from users, Google went about a redesign to address these changes in the landscape.

One of the realizations that Google reached was that the combination of the My Activity, My Account and Dashboard tools had become unwieldy as separate components. A big part of the group up revision to Dashboard was to better incorporate the My Account and My Activity tools.

My Activity is the destination users could tap into to see how they used Google services. Possibly one of the most useful parts of My Activity was the ability to do searches to find a site or video that had been accessed at some point in the past The tool also gave users the ability to delete items as part of their effort to control the information available.

The launch of My Account in 2015 was primarily centered around the Privacy Checkup feature. This tool could be used to review privacy settings and make adjustments. Users could also control things like what information was publicly available. Google pushed users to tap into My Account and review their settings, even offering free Drive space for doing so.

A couple other tools that are involved in the update include Takeout, which is a tool created in 2011 that makes it possible to download data from Google servers. In addition to cleaning things up as Takeout is added to Dashboard, Google says they are adding Box specifically along with other options to be able to download data directly, joining OneDrive and Dropbox. Ads Settings, the tool for managing preferences regarding the ads delivered to a user, is getting some more granular controls added.

source: Google

Jeff Causey Author

Raised in North Carolina, Jeff Causey is a licensed CPA in North Carolina. Jeff's past Android devices include an HTC EVO, a Samsung Note II, an LG G3, and a Motorola Moto X Pure Edition along with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1. He currently uses a Samsung Galaxy S8 and (very rarely) a Nexus 7 (2013). He is also using a Verizon-branded Motorola Moto Z Play Droid supplied by his job. Jeff used to have a pair of Google Glass and a Moto 360 Sport in his stable of gadgets. Unfortunately, his kids have all drunk the Apple Kool-Aid and have i-devices. Life at home often includes demonstrations of the superiority of his Android based devices. In his free time, Jeff is active an active runner usually training for his next marathon, owns a Mazda MX-5 Miata, and plays Dungeons & Dragons. Jeff has three grown kids and a golden retriever.