Google has reinvented search, at least its own search platform. On Wednesday, Google unveiled Instant, a new search-as-you-type approach that works to serve up results on the fly with each keystroke.
Google developed Instant based on the idea of searching for partial queries and providing some interactive feedback while searching. Google built demos over the years, but had never cracked the code, or the algorithm as it were, to deliver search-before-you-type results. Google's approach offers results for the most likely search given what has already been entered into the search box. You might call it predictive search.
"As you can imagine, searching even before someone types isn't easy -- which is why we are so excited today to be unveiling Google Instant," said Marissa Mayer, vice president of Search Products & User Experience at Google. "Google Instant is search-before-you-type. Instant takes what you have typed already, predicts the most likely completion and streams results in real-time for those predictions -- yielding a smarter and faster search that is interactive, predictive and powerful."
Mayer explained the technology behind Instant. She said Google needed to develop host of new technologies, such as new caching systems, the ability to adaptively control the rate at which Google show results pages, and an optimization of page-rendering JavaScript to help Web browsers keep up with the rest of the system.
Ultimately, Google was tasked with producing a system that is able to scale while searching as fast as people can type and think without compromising the relevancy of its results. Although Mayer cites many benefits of using Instant, she said the overarching advantage is a time savings.
"Our testing has shown that Google Instant saves the average searcher two to five seconds per search," Mayer said. "That may not seem like a lot at first, but it...
Posted: 2010-09-09 11:06:18
