I hope they change the buttons on L?

Didn't realize there were so many people that can't remember 3 shapes and their functions.

Pretty much.

I'm chalking this all up to "Uuungh.... CHANGE BAD! KILL WITH FIRE!!" OK, take no offense, but anyone who has a hard time with these buttons is going to have far more pressing issues operating that phone. It's not rocket science.
 
I want to state that I have not been confused yet by the button configuration - not even in landscape mode.
 
It's not about the amount of effort that may or may not be required to memorize what they're for. It's about violating one of the core principals of good UI design - that being the design of functional elements should, in some way, convey the function they accomplish. It's design for the sake of design - form before function. Microsoft got blasted, and rightfully so, for some of their idiotic UI choices in Windows 8. No reason Google should get a pass.

Again, I don't mind them, but on principal, they ARE a bad UI design choice.
 
i absolutely hate the new color scheme and those nav buttons. google is taking a few steps backward with L IMO.
 
It would be nice if we could choose. I think the new buttons are horrible. I prefer the look of the current buttons.
 
It makes it easier to tell newbies what to do. Click the recent button. The what? The square, dummy. OK
 
It makes it easier to tell newbies what to do. Click the recent button. The what? The square, dummy. OK

Or "press the rectangles, dummy." It doesn't make it any easier. The current button, if anything, is easier, because it looks like the card stack you see when you press it.
 
yeah the new nav buttons look horrid. i also hope they don't bring back all of those random colors in android. i prefer black, white and grey. androids color scheme up until kitkat has always been to fragmented.
 
Not a fan of it what it's wrong with the current ones? Thanks god for xposed, custom ROM and launchers.
Also the colors are way too bright and there is to much going in terms of on-screen animations.
 
I really don't understand the Circle home button.

The Square looks like the resents button of old, it could be a square within a square to indicate some from of multitasking.

The Triangle works well as its dynamic for showing or hiding the keyboard e.c.t

The Circle would be better to be a amalgamation of the HERA Google button and a home button ( a simplified house icon A'la sony )

When on a home screen the Google button shows to open Google now and any other screen back to the home icon to go directly to your home page
 
I guess I'm one of the rare people that like the new iconography. Looks clean and simple to me. Hope they don't change it.
 
Changes always bring complaints. Personally I like the new buttons and the design trends of the last years in all the tech areas are that: simple and minimalist.
 
I for one LOVE the new look.
I'm so glad they're getting rid of the Holo neon blue and all black look, looked way too sterile.
 
I actually like the look of them overall however I do not like the circle being the home button. To me that will be a problem for a new user who doesn't understand the process. I hope they reconsider making that button look more like the current "home" button.