Google Search Box Gets Bigger
In the past, search engine giant Google has been very careful about not tampering with the look of their clean, simple and functional search page. Last week though, in a move that had many rubbing their eyes and fiddling with the text size options on their browser, Google changed something.
What they changed was the size of their search box, making it, and the text you type into it, noticeably larger.
Focus On Search
Marissa Mayer, Google’s Vice President of Search Products & User Experience, posting on the Google blog, said “Although this is a very simple idea and an even simpler change, we’re excited about it — because it symbolizes our focus on search and because it makes our clean, minimalist homepage even easier and more fun to use.”
Not only is the search box and the text you type in larger, but the search suggestions that appear in the drop-down as you type are of similar larger size. Google says that the increased size will make it easier for users to choose one of the refined suggestions, and easier to see what you’re typing in.
“Google has always been first and foremost about search, and we’re committed to building and powering the best search on the web — now available through a supersized search box,” Marissa Mayer concluded in her blog post.
Cosmetic Changes Can Make A Difference
It’s remarkable what a difference a purely cosmetic design change can make to our perception. Personally, I’m not sure I like the new Google search box. But it’s probably because I’m not used to it, and don’t like change all that much. I can certainly see the advantages for some people.
What’s interesting though is that I noticed the change the day it happened, but didn’t realise exactly what had been changed. I just felt uncomfortable that something looked different about Google. And when I realised what it was, I blamed my browser, and reduced the text size. I’m sure that there are people who didn’t realise what it was, but found it working better for them because the font was larger.
Which only goes to show that you can never tell what a user will do.