The Primer team also designed it very differently from Google’s standard apps. They noticeably atomize content into bite-sized, swipeable, cards. This is interesting when you consider how people now commonly consume and parse information (think Twitter and Tinder). The branding and aesthetic of the Primer app also looks very different from the rest of Google’s products. While key features of Material Design are still evident throughout the app, Primer pushes the envelope with stronger use of colors and UI transitions. The layout of the app also stands out in contrast to the rest of Google’s apps. The app doesn’t even use Google’s traditional Roboto font that is usually seen across their brand. Overall Primer feels more fun and delightful, whereas the rest of Google’s suite of apps feel more serious and professional.

A beta version of Primer also soft launched on iOS first, prior to launching on Google Play. The official version of Primer launched on both platforms simultaneously just a month ago. Could that have been some sort of market experiment for the company?

High level strategy experimentation

Primer figures out a fundamentally new way for Google to deliver content on mobile.

Although this sounds redundant, it’s actually an important priority for Google. Consumer behavior on mobile is extremely different from that on desktop. People are spending a lot more time on mobile devices. Search usage seems to be decreasing, in large part because people don’t need to search on mobile — they spend a lot more time in apps.

So not only is Primer a fun experiment in gathering data from marketers, it also serves as an exercise in how Google can deliver content in new compelling ways on an extremely competitive medium that they haven’t quite fully captured yet.

Primer might also be a playground for Google to keep its product employees engaged with new, unconventional challenges. This is highly speculative, but I (Jason) will try to explain from a designer’s perspective.

Being at a large corporation like Google means there is an unlimited stream of design challenges to solve, which is great. However, the building blocks (UI patterns and components) to solve these challenges mostly don’t change.