Search engine giant Google has taken back support for its Instant Search function which was known as a fundamental shift in search. The then Vice president of Search Products Marissa Mayer had introduced the function in 2010 and the media had then appreciated the function as a time saving feature. However, the feature has been taken back as the technology has taken new turns in recent times.
Google Instant was launched as a facility for those who were slow at typing. The search engine on a desktop would show suggestions while assuming when the user was typing. The function would constantly refresh the page with results that were predicted by the search engine as per what was typed in the search box by the users.
Mayer had then claimed during the launch, “If everyone on the planet used Google Instant for their searches… it would save about 3.5 billion seconds a day, or 11 hours saved every second.” But now things have changed a lot in terms of technology and the mobile has taken over the desktop searches and the trend is still growing. However, Instant Search cannot be held relevant for mobile browsing.
A spokesperson from Google said, “We launched Google Instant back in 2010 with the goal to provide users with the information they need as quickly as possible… Since then, many more of our searches happen on mobile, with very different input and interaction and screen constraints. With this in mind, we have decided to remove Google Instant, so we can focus on ways to make Search even faster and more fluid on all devices.”
On the other hand the users might not even realize that the Instant Search was no more functioning. The text suggestions still pop up, but the users will feel that there is definitely something missing but will not be able to catch what it is. Many of the users had in fact found Google Instant as annoying due to the constant blinking.
