5 ms·

Search engine that concentrates on design? What that supposed to mean?

by Giorgi 18y ago

pg 18y ago
I don't know. I was just saying that if you want to beat Google, that's their weak spot. Or at least a big one. Most people who read that one will think "huh?" But if someone reads it and thinks "Damn, how did he hear about what we're working on?" that's someone we'd really love to hear from.
- dcurtis 18y ago
  As much as it pains me to say this, I think Google's lack of design sense might be their strong point in search. There's no extra crap to get in the way of search results. (Although I should say that in their other non-search products, it is most certainly a weakness.) There are of course new ways to view results, but with arguable advantage. A new startup I found recently, Viewzi (http://www.viewzi.com/ http://www.viewzi.com/) does a pretty good job. But it's not better at finding stuff than Google.
  - pg 18y ago
    Great design is the difference between Apple's version of no extra crap, and Google's.
    - bigbang 18y ago
      searchme.com has an amazing UI. Not only thats cool, but very useful. i believe the next gen of search engines will be directly answering your search query, rather than simply finding appropriate links.
      - khafra 18y ago
        For many noncontroversial, unambiguous queries(1), Google already directly answers the search query. For ambiguous or controversial queries, you're gonna want the references and context of the original source. (1) http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&hs=aPO&q=pi+meters+per+half+fortnight+in+yards+per+euler%27s+constant+lunar+months&btnG=Search&meta= http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&client...
  - mattmaroon 18y ago
    I feel like Google's user experience across many products is consistently good, and never great. The spartan ethic definitely puts a lower bound on it, but I feel like there's still some upside there. I wonder, what % of their overall hits are the homepage? It must be low, considering almost every hit there lands on a results page, but there are lots of other ways to get to a results page (Firefox, the input box at the top of a results page, etc.)
  - BerislavLopac 18y ago
    If you think that Google has a minimalist UI, you should check http://www.trazhi.com http://www.trazhi.com :)
- Spyckie 18y ago
  The way to approach the Google problem is to ask, when have I been dissatisfied with google search? And you're right, there are very few weaknesses. One of the startup approaches to the Google problem is to join forces with them instead of competing with them. Provide a page that wraps google search, but adds additional searchable items into the searchbar (search emails, todo lists, events, facebook, google all through one searchbar).
  - pg 18y ago
    A slightly better question would be: when have I not found what I was looking for in a Google search? Or even, when was the thing I was looking for not the first search result? If you use satisfaction as the test, you may be letting the present state of things influence your thinking too much. E.g. I bet a lot of people were satisfied with pre-Google search engines, and just took their limitations for granted.
    - fendale 18y ago
      I have often searched google looking for recent articles, but the most highly ranked are always first which are often really old and outdated ... maybe there is something in the advanced search to tweak the ordering, I am not sure ...
      - anewaccountname 18y ago
        www.google.com: Advanced search: Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more: Date
        jcl 18y ago
        The fact that a user couldn't figure that out indicates a potential improvement: detecting whether a given search is time-sensitive and automatically choosing the correct search ordering.
    - davidw 18y ago
      To make a go of that kind of thing in a startup though, you'd have to make sure that it's something Google won't or can't execute on, something I'm not sure I would bet on. Part of the idea of 'disruptive technologies' is that they aren't incremental improvements that the current leaders will just copy, but big changes that get ignored by the current leaders.
- Tichy 18y ago
  I have thought before about judging the actual design of a web site (the way it renders, layout, fonts,...), I don't think it is impossible to do (with a learning system that learns from human users input), and might at least provide another factor for the final search result ranking. Edit: is there already software for spotting fake art? That might be a starting point, as well as another market for that kind of image processing.
- miked 18y ago
  Or: the "weak spot" might simply be that people inherently differ in their display preferences. _I_ happen to like Google's clean design, but if even 5% of the population actively dislikes it, someone could make some money. Google's "weakness" then becomes the fact that they can only present one face to the world. The beauty of this approach is that it will be tricky for Google to counterattack since they won't want to confuse their brand. In short, Google may not have weaknesses, but their market does.
  - SwellJoe 18y ago
    I think this merely shows a difference of opinion about what "design" means in this context. I'm absolutely certain that pg does not mean merely "appearance" when he says "design".
- greyman 18y ago
  I am with Giorgi here. Design of what is a weakness of Google? Design of search results presentation?
- Mapou 18y ago
  The only thing that's going to beat Google is a superfast, high-res, 3-D virtual world (kinda like Asimov's imperial planet Trantor) where people can browse by using approved and licensed vehicles to cruise the virtual streets, alleys and hidden corners of their favorite neighborhoods. The system makes money by convincing advertisers and vendors to compete for virtual property and goods. Private and/or secret enclaves can be set up so as to require an entrance fee or a subscription from prospective customers and interested parties. As the system gets larger, new businesses can start selling maps, transportation and information on how to get around and find what you're looking for. Above all, it should be fun and there should always be something new to discover and explore. It's should be much more intense and interactive than what's already out there (e.g., Linden Lab's Second Life) and give the user powerful tools with which to create their own enclaves, avatars and anonymous corporations. But then again, Google is already moving into the virtual world business and, besides, the kind of immersive virtual 3-D world I envision will require a much faster and distributed internet, at least 2 orders of magnitude faster. Oh well, it's nice to dream.
- aneesh 18y ago
  Seems like you're looking for something like Kosmix (http://www.kosmix.com/ http://www.kosmix.com/). The way they present results indicates that design is a major part of their users' experience.
- orib 18y ago
  No, I think that Google's lack of crap is their strong spot. When I want to search, a text box to type stuff into is exactly the design that I need. Any more than that, and you're sliding into irrelevant fluff. A good design means I get to the best possible search results with as little extra cruft as possible. Results are key. Google's design gives me just that -- no clutter, no confusion, no extraneous elements.
- wensing 18y ago
  A similar goal in mantra form: Make Google-fu obsolete.
bravura 18y ago
Damn, how did you hear about what I'm working on? Look for an email from me within the next two weeks. You'll know it from the subject line....

Search engine that concentrates on design? What that supposed to mean?

by Giorgi 18y ago

Search engine that concentrates on design? What that supposed to mean?

pg 18y ago

I don't know. I was just saying that if you want to beat Google, that's their weak spot. Or at least a big one. Most people who read that one will think "huh?" But if someone reads it and thinks "Damn, how did he hear about what we're working on?" that's someone we'd really love to hear from.

dcurtis 18y ago
As much as it pains me to say this, I think Google's lack of design sense might be their strong point in search. There's no extra crap to get in the way of search results. (Although I should say that in their other non-search products, it is most certainly a weakness.) There are of course new ways to view results, but with arguable advantage. A new startup I found recently, Viewzi (http://www.viewzi.com/ http://www.viewzi.com/) does a pretty good job. But it's not better at finding stuff than Google.
- pg 18y ago
  Great design is the difference between Apple's version of no extra crap, and Google's.
  - bigbang 18y ago
    searchme.com has an amazing UI. Not only thats cool, but very useful. i believe the next gen of search engines will be directly answering your search query, rather than simply finding appropriate links.
    - khafra 18y ago
      For many noncontroversial, unambiguous queries(1), Google already directly answers the search query. For ambiguous or controversial queries, you're gonna want the references and context of the original source. (1) http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&hs=aPO&q=pi+meters+per+half+fortnight+in+yards+per+euler%27s+constant+lunar+months&btnG=Search&meta= http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&client...
- mattmaroon 18y ago
  I feel like Google's user experience across many products is consistently good, and never great. The spartan ethic definitely puts a lower bound on it, but I feel like there's still some upside there. I wonder, what % of their overall hits are the homepage? It must be low, considering almost every hit there lands on a results page, but there are lots of other ways to get to a results page (Firefox, the input box at the top of a results page, etc.)
- BerislavLopac 18y ago
  If you think that Google has a minimalist UI, you should check http://www.trazhi.com http://www.trazhi.com :)
Spyckie 18y ago
The way to approach the Google problem is to ask, when have I been dissatisfied with google search? And you're right, there are very few weaknesses. One of the startup approaches to the Google problem is to join forces with them instead of competing with them. Provide a page that wraps google search, but adds additional searchable items into the searchbar (search emails, todo lists, events, facebook, google all through one searchbar).
- pg 18y ago
  A slightly better question would be: when have I not found what I was looking for in a Google search? Or even, when was the thing I was looking for not the first search result? If you use satisfaction as the test, you may be letting the present state of things influence your thinking too much. E.g. I bet a lot of people were satisfied with pre-Google search engines, and just took their limitations for granted.
  - fendale 18y ago
    I have often searched google looking for recent articles, but the most highly ranked are always first which are often really old and outdated ... maybe there is something in the advanced search to tweak the ordering, I am not sure ...
    - anewaccountname 18y ago
      www.google.com: Advanced search: Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more: Date
      - jcl 18y ago
        The fact that a user couldn't figure that out indicates a potential improvement: detecting whether a given search is time-sensitive and automatically choosing the correct search ordering.
  - davidw 18y ago
    To make a go of that kind of thing in a startup though, you'd have to make sure that it's something Google won't or can't execute on, something I'm not sure I would bet on. Part of the idea of 'disruptive technologies' is that they aren't incremental improvements that the current leaders will just copy, but big changes that get ignored by the current leaders.
Tichy 18y ago
I have thought before about judging the actual design of a web site (the way it renders, layout, fonts,...), I don't think it is impossible to do (with a learning system that learns from human users input), and might at least provide another factor for the final search result ranking. Edit: is there already software for spotting fake art? That might be a starting point, as well as another market for that kind of image processing.
miked 18y ago
Or: the "weak spot" might simply be that people inherently differ in their display preferences. _I_ happen to like Google's clean design, but if even 5% of the population actively dislikes it, someone could make some money. Google's "weakness" then becomes the fact that they can only present one face to the world. The beauty of this approach is that it will be tricky for Google to counterattack since they won't want to confuse their brand. In short, Google may not have weaknesses, but their market does.
- SwellJoe 18y ago
  I think this merely shows a difference of opinion about what "design" means in this context. I'm absolutely certain that pg does not mean merely "appearance" when he says "design".
greyman 18y ago
I am with Giorgi here. Design of what is a weakness of Google? Design of search results presentation?
Mapou 18y ago
The only thing that's going to beat Google is a superfast, high-res, 3-D virtual world (kinda like Asimov's imperial planet Trantor) where people can browse by using approved and licensed vehicles to cruise the virtual streets, alleys and hidden corners of their favorite neighborhoods. The system makes money by convincing advertisers and vendors to compete for virtual property and goods. Private and/or secret enclaves can be set up so as to require an entrance fee or a subscription from prospective customers and interested parties. As the system gets larger, new businesses can start selling maps, transportation and information on how to get around and find what you're looking for. Above all, it should be fun and there should always be something new to discover and explore. It's should be much more intense and interactive than what's already out there (e.g., Linden Lab's Second Life) and give the user powerful tools with which to create their own enclaves, avatars and anonymous corporations. But then again, Google is already moving into the virtual world business and, besides, the kind of immersive virtual 3-D world I envision will require a much faster and distributed internet, at least 2 orders of magnitude faster. Oh well, it's nice to dream.
aneesh 18y ago
Seems like you're looking for something like Kosmix (http://www.kosmix.com/ http://www.kosmix.com/). The way they present results indicates that design is a major part of their users' experience.
orib 18y ago
No, I think that Google's lack of crap is their strong spot. When I want to search, a text box to type stuff into is exactly the design that I need. Any more than that, and you're sliding into irrelevant fluff. A good design means I get to the best possible search results with as little extra cruft as possible. Results are key. Google's design gives me just that -- no clutter, no confusion, no extraneous elements.
wensing 18y ago
A similar goal in mantra form: Make Google-fu obsolete.

bravura 18y ago

Damn, how did you hear about what I'm working on? Look for an email from me within the next two weeks. You'll know it from the subject line....