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1. We're choosing search engines now because of appearance? 2. User styles. 3. If you don't like the options Google gives you or it annoys you to see them on

1. We're choosing search engines now because of appearance? 2. User styles. 3. If you don't like the options Google gives you or it annoys you to see them on the side, okay. But blaming it on social search is disingenuous. Social search added a single toggle button that is off in the corner away from results. The left search bar stuff is standard fare and has been there for ages.

moconnor 15y ago
Appearance is everything in information graphic design - and that's what a search engine results page is. It's an interface between the raw data and my brain, feeding it with information. A better design increases bandwidth and decreases latency. Both of those make the viewer subjectively happier for a wide variety of reasons. So yes, appearance is an extremely good reason to switch search engines.
- drivebyacct2 15y ago
  I'm flabbergasted at this. Either one of two things are happening here: 1. The results returned by Google and Bing are equally good, and so the only thing remaining is the "noise" on the page. 2. The "noise" in the column is so distracting that you are willing to go elsewhere regardless of the quality of the content that you are... "able" to see? The search results themselves are formatted, basically identically. The only difference is Google has a bit more stuff up top and on the left side on Google. Just set the origin of your vision to be the div containing the search results. Or take 10 seconds and install a user style. It will take a fraction of the time you spent flipping back to Google to redo a search. (At least that's been my own experience with trying to switch). Additionally, in regards to visual bandwidth, the Google results are tighter (yet still comfortable), don't have "Related Links" shoved into the middle of search results, and the site (map) links under the result don't take up an enormous space like they do in Bing (they more than double the vertical height of the result). (as a side note, it appears to be completely impossible to do an "advanced" (date/language-constrained) search with Bing. If you guys don't use these options on Google, you absolutely must try them. They are invaluable when doing any non-trivial query)

moconnor 15y ago

Appearance is everything in information graphic design - and that's what a search engine results page is. It's an interface between the raw data and my brain, feeding it with information. A better design increases bandwidth and decreases latency. Both of those make the viewer subjectively happier for a wide variety of reasons. So yes, appearance is an extremely good reason to switch search engines.

drivebyacct2 15y ago
I'm flabbergasted at this. Either one of two things are happening here: 1. The results returned by Google and Bing are equally good, and so the only thing remaining is the "noise" on the page. 2. The "noise" in the column is so distracting that you are willing to go elsewhere regardless of the quality of the content that you are... "able" to see? The search results themselves are formatted, basically identically. The only difference is Google has a bit more stuff up top and on the left side on Google. Just set the origin of your vision to be the div containing the search results. Or take 10 seconds and install a user style. It will take a fraction of the time you spent flipping back to Google to redo a search. (At least that's been my own experience with trying to switch). Additionally, in regards to visual bandwidth, the Google results are tighter (yet still comfortable), don't have "Related Links" shoved into the middle of search results, and the site (map) links under the result don't take up an enormous space like they do in Bing (they more than double the vertical height of the result). (as a side note, it appears to be completely impossible to do an "advanced" (date/language-constrained) search with Bing. If you guys don't use these options on Google, you absolutely must try them. They are invaluable when doing any non-trivial query)