Have you seen the new image search from Google?
Is it me or that thing sucks at an olympic level?
14 pages of mashed together back to back thumbnails in one go. Wait, is that two separate thumbnails or two different ones with a white background???
Now you have to move the mouse over the images to get the info, size, URL and the context on the original webpage. A fast look at that info it’s essential for a good search, since at a glance I can see if the image is hosted on a website that can yield more useful results. For example, if I search for, let’s say a particular model of netbook (what I was actually doing), and I get served about 500 thumbnails in one go with no other information, how can I quickly filter out images that link to sites more likely to have reviews or technical information instead of some hare brained blog post of some schmuck showing off his/her new toy.
Have to hover, wait for the animated pop up window to show and check the URL there for every-single-thumbnail, that’s how. :smack:
And the icing on the cake? can’t open the darn images in a new tap without first opening the annoying pop up first!, no more quickly opening in a tab 6 or 7 images from the search in a couple seconds, now it’s hover mouse, wait for it… pop up shows, middle click on the image, rinse and repeat.
Og help me, is it me or GUI designs are going down the drains this days?
…and the reason that I like it better is that if I’m using Image Search, I’m searching for images. Enter the terms, see thumbnails. This displays more, and shows me the full image right away instead of making me scroll for it. (Or click the direct link to image.)
Trust me, I practically search images for a living (I do 3d CG and when I start a new project is not unusual to search and save couple hundred images or more for reference)
This new layout doesn’t allow for opening multiple images fast, you have to wait for the pop up to do its thing, and the lack of context at a glance doesn’t help in identifying which pictures are likely to lead to other related images or to a website with useful information.
For example, if I’m looking for reference pictures of, let’s say parrots, I do a search and if at a glance I see two images of parrots, one with the associated URL www.parrottaxonomy.edu and the other to www.blogworld/princessashley.com I’d go for the first one since it’s probably going to yield more useful references.
With this new system I have to hover over every single image to see the context; it’s common for me to go through hundreds or even a few thousand images looking for good references, can you imagine having to hover over 400 thumbnails and waiting a second or so for each to pop up the info I need?
Screw that, I’m changing search engine if it stays that way.
As for the show size thingy, you have to activate it on every new search to see it.
Another things is that the new layout is a veritable Google vomit, hundreds of thumbnails in one go, it’s murder for slow connections, like when using my laptop and 3G connection out in the sticks.
Ow well, silly me!, they DO have a “Switch to basic version” button!
It’s at the very bottom of the page, all 14 pages down, under 1000 thumbnails that will scramble to load as you scroll down.
Could had been worse I guess, paraphrasing the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, it could had been "on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign outside the door saying “beware of the leopard!”
Oh, and you have to switch for every-single-search.
But I decided instead of just whining to you guys I would submit my feedback via the “Give us feedback” link at the bottom. I said I would like to see the “basic version” reinstated or at the very least have the option to switch to basic be a persistent one.
If all you guys (and a few million others) do the same, we can get it fixed.
By the way, I forgot to add another PIA about the new thing. Even with the Basic Version (temporarily :rolleyes:) turned on, when you open an image it shows you the new layout, that is, the webpage the image is in greyed out with a scaled, framed version of the image on top. You need to close the frame to go to the webpage or image.
So what before, to open an image in a new tab went like this:
-See image thumbnail, click, full image displayed.
Doesn’t that just begs to be improved, optimized and blinged up?
Now goes like:
-See thumbnail, hover the mouse over it,wait for the pop-up, click on it, wait for the sloooow result page to load*, click to close the frame, wait for the frame to close, full image displayed.
Maybe it’s just me, but the second seems a wee bit more nuanced and time consuming with no apparent benefit for the loss of usability.
*
I did a test, I timed how long it took for an image (about 150Kb) to open clicking on the new image search thingy on Firefox and how long it took for Google Chrome to open the direct link. Usually it’s a 4 to 1 or 5 to 1 ratio, for example, the search link took 20 second to open the image (on the frame that later has to closed) while the direct link to the same web page took 4 or 5 seconds.*
Webmasters seem to be rising a stink, since the new system amounts to hot linking their content without generating traffic (AKA revenue) to their sites.
Indeed, but you have to switch it on every time you do a new search and when you do so it has to reload all the thumbnails. That’s something I don’t appreciate when I’m connected via 3G that charges by the amount of data you transfer.
Well, I really don’t think doing an image search over your phone is ever likely to be a painless process. That really is not what phones are good for, and I certainly hope Google will not be optimizing their image search for smartphones at the expense of computers.
I like this a lot better than the previous version of image search (which I hated) and also, so far, better than the one before that (which was OK).
I use a laptop and a netbook to access Internet when out and about, not a phone.
I have a plain vanilla cell phone that just makes phone calls, no internet, GPS, camera, toaster, etc…
Edit to add.
I do see how this could be a good step for a casual user, making a search every now and then; but for more serious searching it’s a drag.
It’s a pity because I may be forced to switch to Yahoo image search, which is not nearly as good as Google, and also has that Og awful trendy start page.
