4 ms·

I think the bigger problem with Google's UI is that the top links to Google's top-level categories do not keep your search terms. Only the left links do... In o

by redwood 15y ago

I think the bigger problem with Google's UI is that the top links to Google's top-level categories do not keep your search terms. Only the left links do... In other words if I search the web for "Afghanistan" and then realize I actually want news article search results, if I click "News" at the top I have to re-type "Afghanistan". This is terrible. e.g. from http://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_nf=1&qe=YWZnaGFuaQ&qesig=RixfB3BguS7IikRX_fkyvw&pkc=AFgZ2tk5cM7WTF1Rg-vYMwglP-9942DQkIuExD3jwpCO_I3NUa7hz9Wij2RQjBfDIHAP4baRlAuJArluvnYC7a7UC54RTly6iw&cp=7&gs_id=q&xhr=t&q=afghanistan&pf=p&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&pbx=1&oq=afghani&aq=0&aqi=g4&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=40a11131701df559&biw=1024&bih=514 http://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_nf=1&qe=YWZnaGFuaQ&#... Link to left: http://www.google.com/search?q=afghanistan&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=514&prmd=imvnsu&source=lnms&tbm=nws&ei=--tET92HIIjQrQfcr822Dw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=5&sqi=2&ved=0CCsQ_AUoBA http://www.google.com/search?q=afghanistan&hl=en&biw... Link at top: http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn

Achshar 15y ago
But it does work for images, maps and youtube.
- redwood 15y ago
  Hmm good point, perhaps the news issue is a bug! Nevertheless even more bizarre tho less severe
moocow01 15y ago
That functionality -- especially in regard to the news tab -- drives me nuts. Over and over I click the top news tab forgetting I have to click the link on the side and lose the current context of my search. At first I just assumed it was a bug since the other tabs kept the context of the search. Then after a week of the same, I looked into how to flag the issue so it could be fixed and low and behold I found it was a product feature (or non-feature). Its such a strange UX decision that I have to assume that it is driven by revenue generation or some other metric rather than good user experience.
- davidu 15y ago
  I've always assumed the Google News link losing state was a bug. It's a tab bar, and it used to keep state. Now it doesn't. I suppose they had to do it this way or nobody would ever really see the Google news homepage (as if that matters).
iopuy 15y ago
I cannot agree more. Has it always been like this or is this a recent change? I thought I remembered a time in which clicking "News" did keep your old search term but I cannot be sure. In any case, this behavior has been a bane to me since I discovered it.
streptomycin 15y ago
I've noticed that the past couple months or so. It used to correctly keep your search term across categories.

by redwood 15y ago

Achshar 15y ago

But it does work for images, maps and youtube.

redwood 15y ago
Hmm good point, perhaps the news issue is a bug! Nevertheless even more bizarre tho less severe

moocow01 15y ago

That functionality -- especially in regard to the news tab -- drives me nuts. Over and over I click the top news tab forgetting I have to click the link on the side and lose the current context of my search. At first I just assumed it was a bug since the other tabs kept the context of the search. Then after a week of the same, I looked into how to flag the issue so it could be fixed and low and behold I found it was a product feature (or non-feature). Its such a strange UX decision that I have to assume that it is driven by revenue generation or some other metric rather than good user experience.

davidu 15y ago
I've always assumed the Google News link losing state was a bug. It's a tab bar, and it used to keep state. Now it doesn't. I suppose they had to do it this way or nobody would ever really see the Google news homepage (as if that matters).

iopuy 15y ago

I cannot agree more. Has it always been like this or is this a recent change? I thought I remembered a time in which clicking "News" did keep your old search term but I cannot be sure. In any case, this behavior has been a bane to me since I discovered it.

streptomycin 15y ago

I've noticed that the past couple months or so. It used to correctly keep your search term across categories.