Google has rekindle its love for speedy Web searches with Google Instant, a new version of the search engine that displays results as you type.
When typing a search query with Google Instant, results appear after the first letter is entered, and they update as the user types. Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president of search and user experience, said results are actually delivered “before you type,” because Google Instant predicts and automatically completes search terms.
Google Instant is not just Google trying to guess at your keywords as you type them. It is Google starting to run a search as you type each letter.
Here is Google’s page about Google Instant
Quote in video: Search is a
Quote in video: Search is a hard problem but at Google we are constantly innovating so you can think less about how to search and more about what you find. (Emphasis mine)
What do you think about this quote?
Think better, not think less…
Is anyone worried about how we expect people to think less and less critically?
I hate it
Its a jarring, awful user experience. and what is the point of it all, really?
Anyway, I disabled it on my computer just to avoid dealing with it.
NYT article
NYT article about Google Instant
Advertising
You ultimately get the same results as you would have got previously but now people can get sidetracked and/or discover alternative search routes. It seems like it can be very positive.
But it feels wrong when Google pushes this as an improved search experience. It really is an opportunity to get more ads displayed during a single search because the ads change as you type as well.
Brian C. Gray
http://blog.case.edu/bcg8