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Google Desktop Search: Google Is Rethinking How It Shows Favicons

The company plans on testing more iterations.

Google is working on bringing a more colourful and vibrant design for its Desktop Search. It is said that this effort is inspired by a similar mobile UI. Some have criticised the new design for using favicons, which draws a very subtle distinction between the content and the adverts. Following this, Google has now removed favicons from the design. It plans to work on the Google Desktop Search a bit more.

Google Search interface

Just last week, Google launched a more colourful interface for its desktop users. The company says that the new design has been created specifically to make it easier for the users to understand what sites they are clicking and heading into. Once it was released and more users started using it, another issue came up. This was that the distinction between ads and content was not very distinctive.

Google 's New UI
Google ‘s New UI

The bold AD label helped a lot. However, the UI was not very clean. The latter led to tons of confusion and very tough navigation. Most users were not very happy with this design. Google has apparently worked with this design option in an attempt to increase its ads business. The idea behind this was that users would click on more ads where previously they wouldn’t have. If we have caught it correctly, it does seem a bit sneaky and underhand way of doing things.

Favicons

The new design was a bit strange and different from Google’s usual UI. The additional header text, favicons, and the cluttered visual space all made it a not-so-happy experience. It made the entire space look and feel like ads. So, that begs the questions, if that’s what Google wants and intends? Regardless of that, Google has taken the criticism in its stride and plans to test more iterations of the interface. The desktop search will undergo more design changes and iterations until a product emerges which suits the users and Google itself.

Google Desktop Search
Google Desktop Search

Currently, Google has removed the favicons following unpopular reviews from its users. The more colourful design has also been scrapped. While this has been the interface on mobile for quite a few months now, users just were not happy to see it replicated on to their desktop search. Google tweeted, “Last week we updated the look of Search on the desktop to mirror what’s been on mobile for months. We’ve heard your feedback about the update. We always want to make Search better, so we’re going to experiment with new placements for favicons….”

Google’s Explanation

Google explained its tweets in detail later on. The company wanted to improve the desktop search experience. In an attempt to do so, the company started working on a new design. They basically simply tried to replicate the mobile interface. While users were happy with the design on their mobile screen, it just didn’t work out well on the desktop. Early response was positive, but later on, the criticisms started flowing in. After that, Google removed the favicons and is now working on iterations to create a better design.

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Shilpa

With an experience of over 7 years in writing and translations, I combine my love of technology with writing. I love checking out new apps and smart electronics on the market, trying them out, and of course, writing about them!

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