Google clutter
February 27th, 2006One of google’s original selling points was how clean the interface was. Google is slowly losing this core value.
I don’t need an option to turn off personalized search results, that should be in my preferences. I don’t need a HUGE reminder that I am logged in. I don’t need you to tell me how long my query took, because a) it means nothing to me and b) my browser said it took 6x as long as you say!
The chances of me needing images, news group posts, news, the best deal, maps, and peer reviewed articles for my query is pretty slim. These choices could easily be dynamic. For example, if I google “apache httpd”, give me my search results, and news groups. I need nothing more. If I google “halloween costumes” give me search results, images, and Froogle. If I search “Isomorphism and the N-Queens problem” give me search results, news group posts, and scholarly articles. Throw a few PhDs at the problem and it will be figured out in a week!
Oh and the ads… obtrusive? yes.
I know there is some engineer in the depths of google that is sad to see his beautiful vision being ruined by the investor. Stand strong loney man, your hesitant mumbles mean the most to the company.
March 1st, 2006 at 8:01 am
It’s really hard for me to imagine how google could dynamically figure out what type of search results you’re looking for. I’m doing a research paper on D.H. Lawrence right now, and I feasibly could need results from images, scholar, froogle, etc. But another time, I might only need results from scholar.
I want control over what type of results I get, and I think that the running toolbar at the top of the search box isn’t terribly cluttered (yet). I prefer to be able to search the web, get results, and then click on any of the other categories and get results grouped like it is now.
The personalized results crap and the login information is useful, but you’re right. it could be less obtrusive. I’ve thought the ads have been obtrusive since day one… I’m convinced they increased the size of that ad div by a few pixels or something in the last year or so.
August 30th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I use adblock plus with firefox to screen out most of the ads and other junk littered on common web pages these days.