The Timing that Kills Google Instant for me

I'm switching back to Google Non-Instant.

The problem with Google Instant is that it's not instant enough for me, or anyone who types faster than a turtle out there. (Thanks to Lalit for pointing this out).

Why?

Simply put: Google Instant is adding a delay after every letter I type in the search box - Because

1. it's conditioning me to wait for the results and glance down to check
2. it takes time to get the auto-completion and fill the box
3. it has to display the search results.

2 and 1 kill it for me. Unless you type really slow, the advertised savings are not making up for the new delays.

I mean, how do you miss this in your UI tests?!! This sounds more like a technology-driven innovation that presumed a certain end-user behavior.

Hear the same thing in equations.

WITHOUT GOOGLE INSTANT OR GOOGLE AUTO-PREDICTION DROPDOWN:

Time taken from start to getting results = [TextSize / TypingSpeed] + T_PressEnter + [T_GetResults]

WITH GOOGLE AUTO-PREDICTION but NO GOOGLE INSTANT:

If it helps me save 50% of the typing

Time = [TextSize / TypingSpeed]/2 + T_MenuSelect + T_PressEnter + T_GetResults

WITH GOOGLE INSTANT:

If it gets me right by the time I typed half the text:

Time = [TextSize / TypingSpeed]/2 + [TextSize * T_GlanceDown] + T_PressEnter + T_GetResults * SomeFractionofTextSize

The problem is that while Instant gets rid of T_PressEnter, it's actually slowing down EVERY character I'm typing because of that last term (getting results on every character typed) and the GlanceDown time. Even if their engine is super fast in keeping results ready, this is noticeably slowing me down even on fast connections.

Vishy Waiting for Instant Karma

thanks, vishy

Vishy Poosala

innovate & impact