Despite some shortcomings, the redesign is a pleasant change

Sep 13, 2011 12:31 GMT  ·  By

Google has rolled out the tweaked Google Search design, that we've spotted a few days ago, to everyone. Unfortunately, it looks like the testing design we saw was final which means that everyone gets the useless "Search" section just below the header which takes up space and does little else.

Still, there are things to like in the refreshed search homepage, in fact, most of the changes are for the better, save from the awful one we just mentioned.

One thing you'll immediately notice is that the new Google Search is even cleaner than before, if you didn't think that was possible. The sidebar has seen the biggest changes.

Gone are gray icons next to the search categories, clearing up the space a bit. The fonts used in the side bar are smaller and, importantly, are all the same size. The search category font is the same as the search options and filters font.

This gives a more balanced look to the sidebar and probably doesn't impact usability.

Another thing you'll notice, though you probably won't realize it, is represented by the brighter colors used in the search results page. The link, visited link, as well as the domain colors have had their saturation cranked up a bit. The result is a livelier search page, though perhaps a more tiring one.

Overall, the small tweaks and changes make for a much cleaner search results page and a better experience. Google never stops tinkering with its websites, neither the design part nor the underlying technology, and it shows.

That said, the "Search" band you'll notice below the header simply takes up space for nothing. It does serve a purpose, albeit a limited one. The search suggestion box now no longer pushes the search results further down the page, it simply covers the space left open by the "Search" bar.