Option C
Overview-first drill-in
The paradigm flips: the multi-inbox overview IS the home surface. No tab strip, no menu — the window opens on the overview, a workspace opens full screen, and one gesture (⌘0, or the chevron) zooms back out. Click an inbox to try it.
Overview
Good morning, Felix
32 unread · 10 awaiting you · 4 VIP
Needs you first
Your inboxes
How it works
- The window opens on the overview: a cross-workspace "needs you first" row and one live panel per inbox (counts + its top three threads).
- Clicking a panel or digest card puts that workspace full screen — the tenant SPA gets the whole window, with only a back chevron in the title bar.
- ⌘0 (or the chevron) zooms back out to the overview; ⌘1–9 still deep-switches for power users. Think macOS Mission Control, or Arc's approach to spaces.
- There is no third surface: the overview is simultaneously the homepage, the new-tab page, and the switcher.
Assessment
- Pros: the founder's question — "what needs me, where?" — is the app's default screen, always one keystroke away; workspaces get the full window with near-zero chrome; the paradigm scales by growing the grid, not a strip.
- Cons: a new habit to learn (no visible list of open inboxes while inside one); switching between two inboxes repeatedly costs an extra hop unless you learn ⌘1–9; the overview needs real per-thread data to be honest, which is new plumbing.
- Best when: the multi-business founder is the core persona and the overview earns daily use. It's the strongest differentiator of the four — no mainstream mail client opens on a cross-account triage surface.
- Shell notes: mechanically it's Option A's Home promoted to the default surface plus the tab strip removed — the WebContentsViews and per-tab polling stay as-is, hidden. A staged path: ship A, watch Home usage, then flip this switch.