What do you guys think about the bigger Google page?

This is quite dated news, but as most of you have probably recognized, the Google page became bigger last week. I thought my browser was zoomed in more than 100%, but apparently, it was the Google page itself that was enlarged.

According to the Google Blog, resizing their page "symbolizes [their] focus on search and...makes [their] clean, minimalist homepage even easier and more fun to use."

See the difference?



Personally, it's really a small change and nothing much to worry about. However, I'm personally still getting used to the bigger font and "Preferences" being placed on the upper right and renamed as "Search Settings." I prefer the smaller-sized page, but I'll probably get used to it after awhile.

What do you guys think?

 

lol. I just thought my browser's rendering was broken.

 

www.google.com/firefox is the startpage i use everywhere (even outside firefox ). it just looks much more pretty.

so i never notice that

but with all the higher and higher res screens, and 720p and 1080p everywhere, having the stuff a bit bigger makes sense.

else, http://www.google.com/xhtml works, too

 

I don't like it.

It feels wrong, and no it's not more "fun".
@google, change it back!

 

I didn't notice that the size of the whole page was bigger, but I did notice the search text was bigger.

 

because it makes sense to have more space dedicated to white pixels instead of the text you might want to read / you might want to type.

 

Like the OP, I too thought I had inadvertently zoomed the page. It was quite disconcerting at the outset. Now, after sometime has passed, I still find it somewhat disconcerting - just goes to show what 'habit' does to me! I prefer the smaller version - it was more, how shall I put it, minimalistic?

 

but I like to have some space, with big text it feels crowded.

If you want to look at something you don't necessarily want it shoved in your face.

 

I prefer the bigger design, but sadly the surrounding links look even smaller now.

PS: Do they need a new patent for this 'new' start page now because they increased the font size?

 

http://www.google.com/ie

 

Same, I think the larger search box and buttons are a tad ridiculous, the page is pretty much clean to begin with.

EDIT: How does making the box and buttons "bigger" make using Google more fun???? Typical marketing drivel....

 

I simply... hate it. I don't know why actually. It doesn't fit in, but I guess I will get used to it in time.

 

I don't use the Google page - what have I got the little searh box in IE8 for??

But: I find the larger font very irritating - the one after I searched something and when I see the search terms in the search box.

I'm not blind (yet).

 

by not having to go close with your eyes to read it, or having to manually zoom in the browser?

i know a lot of situations where this would be true. but yes, it's marketing, obviously. like "ipod touch, the funnest ipod".. funnest?

 

i hate it. specifically i can't stand the size of the text in the search box and the suggestion list. is there anyway i can reduce those?

 

I don't use the search page, I just use the search box in ie. But I think upping the size is a good idea. The old one was designed for 800X600 or maybe 1024X768 screens. The new one looks right on screens of average resolution for today. Stop being whiny grognards and throw the half-blind old people a bone.

 

While the OP already stated it's a marginal change at best, and I agree, I do prefer the older, smaller layout.

Just a personal preference I guess.

 

I suppose we should say that Google has taken a step towards improving access to their site and useability for the visully challenged.

 

Meh. I think it's lame.

I always think my browser zoom is screwed up.

 

Well nothing really changed, they just made it...bigger lol

I was actually doing a paper on why google was the most popular search engine(had to do with their minimalist page layout...even my grandmother can't og wrong!) and now they change their darn page! lol

 

If you go to the bother of actually going to a google page, it might as well be advanced search: http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en

 

I absolutely hate it, I too thought my zoom was messed up

I'm using Bing till they change it back..

 

Where's the option for 'don't care either way'?

It's not a love/hate dichotomy.

Why would you make 'I don't use google as my main search engine' as an option, as if those people couldn't have an opinion on the new google page?

 

What is this I don't even...

I didn't even notice that the page was bigger... I did notice the text was a bit different now though.

 

I didn't even notice. Not a big deal. If you stop using Google because of this...you're dumb.

 

Well, I'm not stopping using Google, but it does look ghastly.

 

Its ok now, but I think I saw it in a transaction period where all the results were in big text too and it really threw me off and made it hard to read.

 

Hello..
Hey I did not notice about the bigger Google page. I have just checked now. I think size does not matter when you are searching because your concentration is totally on searching. Thank you for sharing this information with us.

 

Yes, it does look better now than it did at one point.

 

Everything you have to do is to hold down Ctrl and scroll down with your mouse and the screen will be zoomed out. That's what I did and I hope it will stay the same even after clearing my cookies. (Probably not)

 

interesting, as i use that to .. zoom IN.

i mean, on your screen, what gain have you from making it even smaller? just curious.

 

You gain screen real estate - and it doesn't look that strange... the new larger font in the search box after a search still irritates me.

I'm just trying a zoom, NBR of 85% - but typing lags somehow...

 

well, what use is screen estate if it's not useful screen estate.... if it's just white crap that grows, and the actual text and search box gets smaller, then it's 0 use, but decreases readability.

i'm talking about the frontpage btw.

 

Oh, my lord, no. They've made the search suggestions text bigger. It's the end of the world. The sky is falling. We're all doomed. Doomed I tell you. I won't go back to google until they change it back and get rid of those ghastly crop circles too.

Jeesh, get a life. They used up some of your precious white space that was unused in the first place. Who freakin' cares?

Gary

 

Well, I use the search boxin IE, but that large font when I clicked search/pressedenter that I see irritates me every time I see it

Sadly Google seems the most effective search engine when I need one.

 

I can't believe this thread is four pages long.

I just use iGoogle, I had no idea they changed the main page. I wouldn't know if I saw it anyway.

 

You need a vacation, man, if a change in font size irritates you every time you see it. Just sayin'...

Gary

 

I've had too much of a vacation.
9 days till university starts again.

Much longer and I'll start running into walls.

But I really find the size irritating - I just find it doesn't fit.

Its posibly the same thing with large font sizes - size 12 Times New Roman is annoying to me too.

Of course it shouldn't be to small, but it needen't be too large either.

 

the bigger search text is awful... very awful...

 

Thanks for lending your support

 

oh yeah it's really terrible *bangs his head against the wall*

i can't understand such people, really not. i mean, i know you, detlev, and your fixation to old stuff and how you can't move to new stuff.. but shouldn't the fact that you can read it more easily be something helping against that habbit?

 

Well, in theory if its better I should get over it.
And I accepted my little Vaio very quickly over my old laptop.

But somehow the new font (size) in the search box looks wrong - it may have to do with proportions.

I know a German newspaper changed its website - Die Zeit - and peopel compained about the font, I didn't like the change either - and voila, they did change the font making it much nicer to read.

 

This is how the smart people function.

Advanced search is the way to go. I don't need to be bombarded by search results from suspect or gimp domains.

 

mind panning a lill left ..to your avatar man..

 

Wow. Really wasn't expecting this thread to run for 5 pages.

Anyways, like others said, if the bigger Google is really an issue for you, just try alternative Google pages, (like Garandhero brought up, http://www.google.com/ie), or use the Firefox main page (if you're using FF).

You can probably also just use a search engine like Dogpile which uses Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask to search.

I'm getting used to the bigger page and it's really not that big of an issue for me.

I was going to put that option, but then again, if you don't care either way, why click on this thread in the first place??

And the simple "like/dislike" option I have given is not the same an extreme "love/hate" dichotomy...

 

maybe to see what the other results are, and stating "i am one who doesn't care, but still interested in the topic"?

like me. i chose "i like" because that fits more, but mostly, i don't care.

 

I think it's great! Love the larger font. Thanks Google, for giving those of us with not-perfect eyes, a break!!!

 

Hey dave,

Cool name by the way. You can actually view the results without having to vote. If you don't login your account and click the thread, it will automatically show the results since you can't vote for it. But thanks for the advice anyways. I'll most likely put an "I don't care" option next time.

-Dave

 

hy dave.

cool name, yeah ? yeahh!

well, i actually want to vote that i don't care, as it's important for the statistic as this would be my vote. shows how important it really is for most. most people just enter the thread out of curiosity, and they would say "i don't care", resulting in a very low amount of yes/no voters, making them thus much less important, showing they're mostly just crybabies

 

I agree with davepermen. On issues like this there are really three states, "I don't care" being one. Not including it dilutes the real information that the poll gives. There is a difference between data and information. With two choices all you have is data about how many like it and how many don't, with three you have the information about how people regard the issue.

Gary