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The Google design, turned up a notch

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Re: The Google design, turned up a notch

#31

Post by isleyaardvark »

jmulder wrote: post #13

The biggest change in their redesign has nothing to do with the new logo, redundancy in navigation (because that can't be an issue) or making the different search tools more discoverable. The biggest change is the top left position of the first search result relative to the top left position of the document. In other words, the average scanning pattern has completely changed with the addition of a fixed side bar. It…

I'd argue it's a change for the better. While the first search result has changed its position relative to the document, it has now lined up with the input of the search box at the top of the page. In the old version it did not. I would think that users eyes' are drawn to the search box, and this new format aids scanning.

Edit: These images may support my contention: http://www.google.com/images?q=google%20results%20eyetrackin...

Re: The Google design, turned up a notch

#33

Post by cia_plant »

I hid the left sidebar and expanded the results column by adding the following snippet to 'userContent.css' in my 'chrome' directory (for Firefox).

    @-moz-document domain(google.com) {
     #leftnav {
      display:none !important;
     }
     #center_col {
         margin-left: 0 !important;
         margin-right: 0 !important;
     }
    }
I think the ads to the right were already hidden by adblock, so you may need to tweak this if you want to preserve ads for some reason.

Re: The Google design, turned up a notch

#34

Post by brown9-2 »

jmulder wrote: post #13

The biggest change in their redesign has nothing to do with the new logo, redundancy in navigation (because that can't be an issue) or making the different search tools more discoverable. The biggest change is the top left position of the first search result relative to the top left position of the document. In other words, the average scanning pattern has completely changed with the addition of a fixed side bar. It…

Thank you, I had such a hard time putting into words why I found the new layout so disconcerting.

Re: The Google design, turned up a notch

#36

Post by 10ren »

bbatsell wrote: post #9
supaflyhigh wrote: post #8

I find the sidebar annoying, but perhaps more so because we have used google without it for so long. I tend to agree with techcrunch that there is redundancy in the side and top bar. New logo is good, search box is ok...but this modern style of it and the buttons seems out of place and more distracting then anything. The search features on the side are nice...but I used them so rarely in the past and don't see myself…

I use the time-based filtering all the time now. I didn't really expect to when I first started in the beta. It's incredibly helpful when searching on topics that undergo wholesale changes often (e.g. the vast majority of technology). Without using the filtering I get frustrated with Google results with high PR that end up being horribly outdated.

Could you give an example of how you're using it please?

Re: The Google design, turned up a notch

#37

Post by nooneelse »

isleyaardvark wrote: post #31
jmulder wrote: post #13

The biggest change in their redesign has nothing to do with the new logo, redundancy in navigation (because that can't be an issue) or making the different search tools more discoverable. The biggest change is the top left position of the first search result relative to the top left position of the document. In other words, the average scanning pattern has completely changed with the addition of a fixed side bar. It…

I'd argue it's a change for the better. While the first search result has changed its position relative to the document, it has now lined up with the input of the search box at the top of the page. In the old version it did not. I would think that users eyes' are drawn to the search box, and this new format aids scanning. Edit: These images may support my contention: http://www.google.com/images?q=google%20results%20…

Also, as monitor sizes have gone up (and this might just be a personal preference) I've found that I'd rather the important stuff be in the middle of the screen, not over on the left. Is that just me?

Re: The Google design, turned up a notch

#38

Post by nooneelse »

blhack wrote: post #12

The search box on the left is dreadful. Why can't this be hidden the way it could (for me) yesterday? It's almost headache inducing (although that sounds crazy), it's like my eyes don't know what to do...they've had almost 10 years worth of training showing them to look in that exact spot on my screen, and now it has changed... It's really, really distracting. If I can find out a way of hiding it, I absolutely will.

"Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens." Seriously, these threads are sounding like a bunch of angry grey-back gorillas. Our minds need to stay limber. Break up the routine. Tie the other shoe first, go to the other coffee shop, pull off the road somewhere you've never stopped before and write a poem about what you see, etc. Keep those neurons plastic and alive.

Re: The Google design, turned up a notch

#39

Post by nooneelse »

blehn wrote: post #18

From a visual standpoint, I think the most interesting change is the shading on the search bar, which makes it look raised on the page. It looks a little awkward to me, I'm sure because almost all form inputs are either flat or sunken into the page. I do think being sunken into the page is a more appropriate metaphor... I wonder how they came to that decision.

What more appropriate metaphor is that?

Writing on a piece of paper underneath the top one that I can only see a little bit of through a little window? Putting words on a shelf and the shelf needs to look like it is deep enough to hold the letters so they won't fall out the front and down the page?

Re: The Google design, turned up a notch

#40

Post by jarek »

nooneelse wrote: post #37
isleyaardvark wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd argue it's a change for the better. While the first search result has changed its position relative to the document, it has now lined up with the input of the search box at the top of the page. In the old version it did not. I would think that users eyes' are drawn to the search box, and this new format aids scanning. Edit: These images may support my contention: http://www.google.com/images?q=google%20results%20…

Also, as monitor sizes have gone up (and this might just be a personal preference) I've found that I'd rather the important stuff be in the middle of the screen, not over on the left. Is that just me?

You could always not maximize your browser.
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