Respected cybersecurity professional and tech writer Daniel Miessler is making the case that Google is being “left behind due to horrible UI/UX.”

While many think of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) in the content of desktop applications, UI/UX design is an important part of web app development. Especially as web apps have rivaled desktop apps for power and abilities, the line between the two categories has become increasingly blurred, making UI/UX more important than ever.

Unfortunately for Google, the company appears to be lagging behind in its UI/UX efforts, according to Miessler. While acknowledging that Google Analytics’ poor interface was at least partially excused by the engineering-centric nature of some of Google’s products, Miessler points out the problem is spreading.

“But lately it’s just becoming too much.

• Even Gmail is a cesspool at this point. Nobody would ever design a webmail interface like that, starting from scratch.
• What happened to Google Docs? Why does it not look and behave more like Notion, or Quip, or any of the other alternatives that made progress in the last 5-10 years?
• What college course do I take to manage a Google Analytics property?”

Miessler highlights an important factor that should be a concern to Google, or any incumbent company: agile startups like Quip. Years ago the barrier-to-entry was much higher for companies looking to break into the software development market. In today’s industry, however, technologies, frameworks and APIs have progressed to the point where the barrier-to-entry is much lower. As a result, it’s important for companies to stay current, developing apps that people not only need, but also want, to use.