Windows Live Search: At Least it Looks Pretty
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Written By Kate Zimmermann | September 13, 2006 | Share This
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Live went live this past Monday, and the initial response from the search community is fairly apathetic. People like the Image Search, the customizable features, and the map visualization, but have uncovered a number of errors and inconsistencies that should’ve been fixed in beta. Many features, such as Live QnA, are interesting, but ineffective without a large participating audience, and though navigation is visually pleasing, it’s difficult to find some of the advanced functions. Search results still have spam pages showing up in some #1 spots, a few double listings, and broken URLs – but are otherwise the same if not slightly better. Because the changes are mostly aesthetic, they are expected to have little effect in relation to search rankings.
That’s not to say that Microsoft hasn’t done some good things with the site. After all, according to the official Live blog, this was a usability update rather than a major algorithmic change. Because the changes are mostly aesthetic, they are expected to have little effect in relation to search rankings. Hence, most of the best new features are usability related.
For instance, the customizable ‘Macros’, the clean interface, and the well-positioned related links do a good job of adding features without causing information overload. The GUI improvements are excellent, my favorite being the use of sliders to control search results — it’s these types of visual cues that make an otherwise complex set of options much less daunting.
The navigation scheme, however, is sub-par. The main nav bar is conveniently placed, but inconsistent with the drop-down navigation menu at the top left (the icon rollover). Sub-navigation is different for each search tool, making it difficult to find advanced functions and to find your way back. Until MSN cleans up the navigation scheme by creating a consistent overall hierarchy, visitors are more likely to return for a specific tool and less likely to use Live for every search.
The coolest feature of the new Live is the Image Search Scratchpad. Users can drop images into a notepad area on the sidebar, where thumbnails appear with their description and location. The pad is effectively a visual bookmarks bar, but with pleasing drag & drop elements rather than a ‘click to add’ system. Unlike traditional bookmarks, however, the scatchpad doesn’t apply to different types of search. If MSN expanded the Scratchpad to include thumbnails of ANY type of listing, it would a) be very useful, b) encourage people to register, and c) provide a wealth of information that could inform MSN’s behavioral targeting. Oh, and one more thing - the Scratchpad is gonna have to work with more than just Internet Explorer.
Overall, the consensus at Reprise Media is that the new Live is fun to play with, but unlikely to increase traffic for MSN. It will take at least 6 months to see if the design attracts enough regular users to make Microsoft adCenter a viable competitor to Google or Yahoo!.
Topics: Microsoft, Search: Image, Search: Innovations, Search: News |
Excellent article. Interesting subject.
Greetings from Poland.