# Did google change it's layout slightly, or is it my computer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564 "2009-09-10T15:53:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/1 "2009-09-10T15:53:10Z")
Everything on google looks so…_big_ now. The search bar is bigger, the buttons are bigger, and, most annoyingly, the text (and list of suggestions) age freakin’ HUGE! I don’t like change! Someone put it back the way it was! (And the text and buttons for every other webpage I go to is the same as it was before, so I don’t think its my browser.) Edit: Crap, this was meant for GQ…little help? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/2 "2009-09-10T15:56:59Z")
I see the same thing. Must be Google, not us. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/3 "2009-09-10T15:57:04Z")
I thought it was my computer, but if it is happening to you too then I guess not. Looks like it’s google’s fault. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/4 "2009-09-10T15:58:30Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Edit: Crap, this was meant for GQ…little help? You bet. I moved it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Henrichek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5daacb/32.png) [@Henrichek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henrichek)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/5 "2009-09-10T16:00:14Z")
Hmm, it looks the same as before to me. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/6 "2009-09-10T16:14:10Z")
They have changed it; but [google.com](http://google.com) only, so far. See the report [here](http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/351469/google-slams-up-size-of-search-box). ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/7 "2009-09-10T21:06:01Z")
Whoa. When I originally read this thread, I went to [Google.com](http://Google.com) and it looked exactly the same. I went to Google something about 30 seconds ago, and the search box and text were HUGE. So I came back to this thread just to say that. Glad I could be of assistance. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/8 "2009-09-10T21:09:22Z")
I’ve noticed this, too. How do you get it to stop? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/9 "2009-09-11T00:36:16Z")
And here was I thinking I must have tweaked my settings. It looks like when you accidentally hit CTRL + mouse wheel to change text size. It’s ugly. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/10 "2009-09-11T00:43:04Z")
I saw the same thing. You can hold down the CONTROL key and use your scroll wheel on your mouse to readjust the size. It isn’t perfect but it fixes much of it. I have no idea why they did such a thing. It flies in the face of their business model. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/11 "2009-09-11T01:15:56Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I saw the same thing. You can hold down the CONTROL key and use your scroll wheel on your mouse to readjust the size. It isn’t perfect but it fixes much of it. I have no idea why they did such a thing. It flies in the face of their business model. Huh? It’s a font size—how would such minutiae be even remotely related to their business model? ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/12 "2009-09-11T01:39:33Z")
Their user interface is far behind Bing’s in readability, usability, and above all else aesthetics, so it makes sense they’d finally accede to tweaking things a bit. This canonical viewpoint that Google somehow managed to reach the human apogee of graphic design and website user interfaces in 1999 is a bit silly. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/13 "2009-09-11T02:10:40Z")
I saw that tonight and thought I’d changed something inadvertently. I think I don’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/14 "2009-09-11T02:32:31Z")
I had just installed Snow Leopard on my Mac, so I thought it was a weird setting in my browser or something. I guess not. Anyhow, I like it a lot. Damn input screen was too small before. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/15 "2009-09-11T02:37:33Z")
> [@BorgHunter](#): > > Huh? It’s a font size—how would such minutiae be even remotely related to their business model? They have always been all about a clean graphical user interface unless you want one of their customized pages. Changing that means a great deal in big business just like changing the logo on a Coke can does. It has more impact than you might think when you scale up to businesses that large. I don’t see the point of their choice either in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/16 "2009-09-11T02:41:30Z")
> [@threemae](#): > > Their user interface is far behind Bing’s in readability, usability, and above all else aesthetics, so it makes sense they’d finally accede to tweaking things a bit. This canonical viewpoint that Google somehow managed to reach the human apogee of graphic design and website user interfaces in 1999 is a bit silly. Except that is the exact reason I do not use Bing, Live or Yahoo! They have to much crap. Do you know how fast [google.com](http://google.com) loads? ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/17 "2009-09-11T02:52:23Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > They have always been all about a clean graphical user interface unless you want one of their customized pages. Changing that means a great deal in big business just like changing the logo on a Coke can does. It has more impact than you might think when you scale up to businesses that large. I don’t see the point of their choice either in a good way. I think you’re exaggerating the effect this will have. I did notice it earlier today, before I’d seen this thread, but it was so ultimately inconsequential that it barely even registered. By the way, Coke changes their can designs all the time. The ones in my fridge presently have a stylized version of a charcoal grill on them. Here again is another example of a change so utterly inconsequential. They’re not switching to New Coke again; they just put a charcoal grill on their can. And Google isn’t changing to an [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) “let’s throw mountains of shit on every page” model; they just changed the size of an \. It’s a minor stylistic change. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/18 "2009-09-11T02:56:33Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > They have always been all about a clean graphical user interface unless you want one of their customized pages. Changing that means a great deal in big business just like changing the logo on a Coke can does. It has more impact than you might think when you scale up to businesses that large. I don’t see the point of their choice either in a good way. I don’t understand. It’s still a clean graphical user interface. How does the bigger font make it any more cluttered or otherwise go against their business plan? Remember that the average screen resolution of 1999 was 800x600 or lower. Today, most users have a screen resolution higher than 1024x768, so it seems to make sense to me to up the font size on the input screen. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/19 "2009-09-11T02:57:20Z")
I’m guessing the new size tends to be about the same on most monitors (as measured in inches) as the page used to be back in the day when everyone had 800_600 and 1024_768 monitors. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564/20 "2009-09-11T02:58:21Z")
And a [cite](http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_display.asp) for my statistics above. This is not any sort of significant design change at all. Note that a full 67% of users were using either 800x600 or 640x400 displays in January 2000. Now, a full 93% are using 1024x768 or higher, and only 4% at 800x600 or below. My main display, for instance, is 1920x1200, and my laptop screen is 1440x900. I welcome the larger input box. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-google-change-its-layout-slightly-or-is-it-my-computer/509564.md?page=2)