Google is experimenting with a new look for their search page. This alternate version has an independent scroll-bar for the left-column options and features a slightly cleaner overall design.
The New Look
Google’s in makeover mode for their services, obsessing over a clean and mobile-friendly version of every service. Those makeovers started with the attractive design of Google+, but has since extended to Gmail, Google Docs, and YouTube, among other services.
The search page was an inevitable step in this process, but the version we’re seeing in experimental mode now may or may not be what we’re looking for. It seems that the option featuring multiple scroll bars is going through internal testing. Here’s a video taken by Tech-Net:
This was confirmed as an official experiment by Search Engine Roundtable.
Those interested in checking the experiment for themselves may be able to do so through modifying their cookies. The instructions provided by Google Operating System, however, seem to have stopped working shortly after the original post was made.
The idea of multiple scroll-bars is an obvious attempt to keep things clean while expanding the options in the left-hand column. Feedback from those who have tried the experiment has been mixed.
Other recent Google search page experiments have included infinite scrolling and a locked search box. The only addition that’s made it into standard use, however, has been the black toolbar at the top, which is now common throughout Google’s products.
Related reading
Marking 10 years of DuckDuckGo: from search engine to privacy company
We mark 10 years of DuckDuckGo: from search engine to privacy company. DuckDuckGo doesn't track searches, doesn't create user profiles, and shows the same results to everyone. It reveals pages on which you'll be tracked and scores them for privacy. In light of recent privacy scandals, we may just need more companies like DuckDuckGo, who are working to make the internet a safer, more transparent, space – one that is led by the rights of users, rather than the desires of advertisers.
4 warning signs AdSense is ruining your contextual advertising strategy
Before assuming AdSense is the best monetization partner for you, consider these four warning signs—you may need to re-evaluate your strategy.
Five easy tips to improve the creative assets for your next campaign
Wrike’s Creative Survey Report uncovers some hard truths about creative and marketing teams, including which teams are most difficult to deal with on a day-to-day basis and other challenges creative managers and individual contributors face today.
Key takeaways from Google’s latest algorithm update
We're looking at Google's latest algorithm update.
