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Google clean homepage experiment  (View post)

David Mulder [PersonRank 10]

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
14 years ago19,711 views

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/05/googles-experimental-homepage-fades-to-a-single-word/

http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/googlehome3.png

~~~

Somehow this feels really fake... it would simply be far too impractical.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

If anyone spots this please copy the pref-id cookie so we can reproduce this. An interesting experiment.

DPic [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

I like it.

...but maybe they could get rid of all those letters taking up space too =P

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

I think this is a fake.
Because there is no copyright, and as Marissa Mayer said, users could think the page is not totally loaded.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Lack of copyright notice does by itself not mean it's fake, there were instances of such before:
http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2008-08-05-n47.html

I think we need to keep in mind that if it's an experiment, then it may not mean Google wants to roll it out, they may simply want to collect comparative data... they may even think "We fully believe this homepage is a usability failure but we want to know in which ways it fails specifically" (though TechCrunch mentioned something about interface items appearin on hover, so I'm not sure the homepage is really that sparse... I personally kind of like the minimalism though!).

Jérôme Flipo [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

It seems that the copyright notice (and the top bar) is still there: you just need to mouse-over the page to make everything appear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh8rWgrlKb0

Above 6 comments were made in the forum before this was blogged,

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

It actually looks nice, I like the minimalistic design. It reminds me in some way of searchmash although here was some text on the homepage.

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

I would prefer exactly the opposite. Show all the copyright bumph, but let it fade away as soon as I start typing in the search box.

To add all the distracting stuff as I'm mousing towards something else seems the wrong way around.

Stefan [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

I think it violates the principle of least surprise in a fundamental way.

JEShack [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Jaime, a Googler, from Google Search Help Forum

>>..Well, beginning today we're running experiments with our homepage itself, and some of you may now be seeing (or will soon see) some changes to the design and behavior of Google.com.

We welcome your feedback on our homepage...<<

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Web%20Search/thread?tid=70ca8ab28e3df1ae&hl=en

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

> To add all the distracting stuff as I'm mousing
> towards something else seems the wrong way around.

Are they perhaps going for people who go to google.com and then just start typing, that is, never use the mouse in the first place? Once you'd reveal yourself to be a mouse user – i.e. by moving the mouse – then you'd get the normal clickable interface, via that fade in.

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Statement Google:
http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/020907.html

<<At Google, we run anywhere from 50 to 200 experiments at any given time on Google sites all over the world. Right now, we are running a small experiment of a new Google homepage design that shows links when a user mouses over the screen. This is just a test and a way for us see whether our users will celebrate an even simpler search interface. More information about how Google runs experiments can be found here.>>

David Mulder [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

[put at-character here]Philipp Lenssen: You might just be right about that, theoretically this is in a sense even a good thing (rationally)... yet somehow it feels too simplistic (irrationaly). A pity nobody shared the pref id yet, hope we will get a chance to check it out. Might even quickly create greasemonkey prototype of this, just to know whether it would practically make sense.

gaetano marano - ghostNASA.com [PersonRank 1]

14 years ago #

.

simpler is better

.

Dodge Story [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

Personally, I don't like it. It really takes away the "Googleness."

que [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

I have it. It looks really strange with only the barcode doodle and a text box – nothing else. Wasn't even sure at first that it was the Google homepage.

beussery [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

I'm seeing this and it looks pretty real to me. I have the cookies and video....

beussery [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

google.com cookie name:

PREF
NID
SS

doubleclick.net cookie name:

test_cookie

beussery [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

http://www.youtube.com/user/beussery#p/u/0/0NTvT0jifqI

beussery [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YKYLYjVY8MGGclsk_aXN_w?feat=directlink

JEShack [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

lol, at a random time and place, this experiment showed up.

just grabbed this bookmarklet:

javascript:document.cookie= "PREF=ID=abac7a90f5a3784b:LD=en:NR=10:TM=12
54990196:LM=1254990236:S=uB6F4jDnMP_DuxtT";void(0);

[inserted line break to help with forum formatting. -Philipp]

1. Go to Google Philippines (google.com.ph),
2. Install the magic cookie with that bookmarklet
3. Click "English".. tehn voila!

note: only works with Google Ph though *facepalm*

da [PersonRank 1]

14 years ago #

doesnt work now

JEShack [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Cheers! You only add a few characters. 4lol.
Atleast this proves that @David's theory is wrong.
:D

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Works here. It looks empty and clean :-). First I thought it would be nice, normally I visit Google and start typing. But trying it out now I must be honest that I'm missing the point here. I'm not seeing why this could be better then the normal, also clean homepage.

PERWEZ [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

GTTT

M [PersonRank 1]

14 years ago #

These aren't the same experiments. The original image does not include the Google Search or I'm Feeling Lucky buttons.

cimnine [PersonRank 1]

14 years ago #

Works for google.ch too. Just adjust google.com to google.ch:
javascript:void(document.cookie="PREF=ID=abac7a90f5a3784b:
LD=en:NR=10:TM=1254990196:LM=1254990236:
S=uB6F4jDnMP_DuxtT;path=/; domain=.google.ch");

[Line breaks added to fix formatting – Tony]

GuillaumeB [PersonRank 9]

14 years ago #

Here the page is minimal at first and ten the whole thing smoothly launches after 2 seconds

n/a [PersonRank 1]

14 years ago #

I didn't need any cookie. I just got it multiple times! (and I wasn't storing any cookies). I love it.

cja [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

On http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2009-10-08-n33.html Philipp Lenssen said:

"(in my browser I often hit Ctrl + N, type google, hit Ctrl + return, then enter some search string, and hit return again)."

Why does anyone go to the Google homepage? Firefox comes with a quick search already set up so, instead of the example above do:

- press Ctrl-N
- type "google kittens"
- press return

And Google searches for kittens.

I renamed this quick search from "google" to "g", so to search for anything I go Ctrl-N (or Ctrl-L if I want to search in the current tab) and then type "g kittens" <return>.

Seriously, today was the first time I'd been to the Google homepage for months and I use Google many times a day.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

> I renamed this quick search from "google" to "g", so to
> search for anything I go Ctrl-N (or Ctrl-L if I want to

I also have set up a Firefox keyword, so typing "s foo" will search for "foo". I sometimes use this, but sometimes use the Google homepage – I guess I also enjoy the bigger font the Google homepage search box will give me (and I do not really want to increase the overall address bar font size). The search box at the top right on the other hand, I set to Leo dictionary.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

> These aren't the same experiments. The original image
> does not include the Google Search or I'm Feeling Lucky buttons.

There are several experiments running, as the Techcrunch article reported. It reads "Update: We’ve gotten another screenshot where these two buttons do appear, so it looks like Google is testing multiple versions."

Jake Blane [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

How do I turn this thing off in Firefox???

Jon Winstanley [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

A while ago I created what could have been the Google home page in 1973

Let me know what you think:

http://www.jonwinstanley.com/1973.htm

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

> How do I turn this thing off in Firefox???

You can look for your google.com cookies in your options and then delete those, and afterwards, you may want to re-login to Google.

Tools -> Options -> Privacy -> Show Cookies -> Search: google.com -> [select results] -> Remove Cookie

Tom Maxwell [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

I shun graphics heavy anything. I'm on dial up. Won't waste band width on glitz and gimmikry. It is pointless anyway, even with a fat pipe.

David Mulder [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

[put at-character here]JESHack, I already took it back in my second post... and you got to agree that the initial version (without the buttons) looked kind of extreme.

Still in the end it isn't adding anything to the user experience, despite the fact that I kind of like the experiment on its own... hmm...

Anon [PersonRank 7]

14 years ago #

As others have stated, who needs this? All browsers have a search box (Ctrl+E) or a searchable address box (Alt+D).

Kinda tricky mnemonics, but try to remember:

   – CTRL + sEarch
   – ALT + aDdress

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Anon, we're discussing that above http://blogoscoped.com/forum/161571.html#id161723

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

On Windows Vista and Windows 7 you can find and delete the cookie on this location.

C:Users[USERNAME]AppDataRoamingMicrosoftWindowsCookiesLow

Windows XP users:

C:Documents and Settings[USERNAME]Cookies

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

Specially for Internet Explorer :-)

stine [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

I simply want the seach field (and of course their banner) with NO css or java or .NET or php, or anything, i think the entire page should fit inside 4 ethernet frames.

Chad [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

Who goes to the Google home page? Just search directly from your browser.

Luke [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

techcrunch has the pref ID for the design without any buttons

javascript:void(document.cookie="PREF=ID=2602f2ce4936292
9:U=7b6893b1882d5a94:TM=1239881060:LM=12541956
10:L=0qXJlAA:GM=1:S=CwDGQD20E8U14zDg;path=/;
domain=.google.com");

[Line breaks added]

Luke [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

i guess a linebreak would be nice :D

Dresandreal Sprinklehorn [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

I have 9 browsers and none of those bookmarklets worked in any of them.

OhHaiAnonymous [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

It's beautiful *snirff*

milkyandro [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

How do I remove it from Internet explorer 8? It worked on Internet explorer 8 but I want to revert it to original setting. I tried deleting the temporary files and it does not seems to work.

WebSonic.nl [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

http://blogoscoped.com/forum/161571.html#id161731

RC [PersonRank 10]

14 years ago #

This is a beaut!

Red River [PersonRank 0]

14 years ago #

It does not work here. I will just have to stay with the old Google!

Arun [PersonRank 1]

14 years ago #

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"SIMPLY THE BEST FOR EVER".........

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