Totally agree, this author is missing a critical point: shaving a second of a search doesn't just mean that Google feels faster - it also means that everything else suddenly feels slower in comparison.
I'm less interested in how fast Google can return a result. (That should be as fast as possible...)
What really matters to me is how quickly can I find what I'm looking for and go on my way. This is the only metric that really matters.
Total time = search result + visual scanning/deciding
Right now, for me, the total time has increased because the time it takes for me to scan the page and figure out if I want to click a link has increased. Also, because you're being bombarded with extra links as you type, I'm more apprehensive about clicking a link, because I'm wondering if there was a better choice using a different variation of the query.
I loved the older method of as you type updating the query box, but this is information overload.
I just open the links in a new tab, then once I have several open I check to see if they are what I want. If they are not I close them and go back to the search tab to refine what I am looking for.
Slightly different topic, but I like Wonder Wheel for searching as well. I start with something intentionally vague if I don't know the exact phrase I want for describing something. Then I select the best choice from the Wonder Wheel.
The ironic thing though is that Google feels slower with instant search. I feel like the experience I have is this now:
I'm tying in the search box and I see a whole bunch of results flying below. But by the time I get to the end of my text, I look down and there are no results, and Google is telling me to hit ENTER. I feel like I'm literally wasting seconds because I had an expectation of results, but instead got nothing instantly.
The UI is probably great for people who are hunt and peck typists. But I think most people will find it to hinder more than help.
Comments
Totally agree, this author is missing a critical point: shaving a second of a search doesn't just mean that Google feels faster - it also means that everything else suddenly feels slower in comparison.
I'm less interested in how fast Google can return a result. (That should be as fast as possible...)
What really matters to me is how quickly can I find what I'm looking for and go on my way. This is the only metric that really matters.
Total time = search result + visual scanning/deciding
Right now, for me, the total time has increased because the time it takes for me to scan the page and figure out if I want to click a link has increased. Also, because you're being bombarded with extra links as you type, I'm more apprehensive about clicking a link, because I'm wondering if there was a better choice using a different variation of the query.
I loved the older method of as you type updating the query box, but this is information overload.
I just open the links in a new tab, then once I have several open I check to see if they are what I want. If they are not I close them and go back to the search tab to refine what I am looking for.
Slightly different topic, but I like Wonder Wheel for searching as well. I start with something intentionally vague if I don't know the exact phrase I want for describing something. Then I select the best choice from the Wonder Wheel.
The ironic thing though is that Google feels slower with instant search. I feel like the experience I have is this now:
I'm tying in the search box and I see a whole bunch of results flying below. But by the time I get to the end of my text, I look down and there are no results, and Google is telling me to hit ENTER. I feel like I'm literally wasting seconds because I had an expectation of results, but instead got nothing instantly.
The UI is probably great for people who are hunt and peck typists. But I think most people will find it to hinder more than help.