I prefer to “reply” in a mail client as mentioned in the reply to like…
All these additional steps feel wrong:
- Click the link
- Opening a web browser
- Visual for like action taking place
- Having to return to mail client
- Delete the mail.
The reply process would be simpler especially for mobile clients (arguably the target group for mail reply functionality):
- Click reply
- Type “like” or “+1” or similar.
- Hit send (depending on the mail client this also closes / archives the email conversation).
In addition the link is effectively an instruction - which was the complaint with other proposal - “how would users know”.