Ask Launches New Search Engine Interface
Ask.com is releasing right now their new, main interface, called Ask3D and built on the Ask X test site we’ve been watching the last few months.
Watch my video where I go through all the great new features in Ask3D:
The new Ask.com search engine contains one of the best search engine interfaces I’ve ever seen, a three-paned interface that clearly communicates a ton of useful features that they hope will inspire a lot of users to switch. It includes:
- The new three-pane interface, with the first pane containing the search box, tabs, zoom and related searches, the middle having search results topped by smart answers, along with ads and the occasional “onebox” type result, and the right pane, complete with special results based on your query. Ask says that they’ve filed 12 patents on the new interface.
- The right side is powered by a Morph algorithm that chooses from a number of verticals (image search, news, blogs, products, event listings) giving you targeted side items based on your search query. You’ll get different boxes for every search.
- Inline functions, like video previews, listening to music clips, or search other search engines, without reloading the page.
- Improved Binoculars, loading faster, with bigger thumbnails and info on page size, download time, and whether pages use Flash or popups.
- Location-targeted smart answers, showing you nearby places when you search for them.
- Image thumbnails that enlarge themselves when the mouse rolls over.
- Image and video filters, letting you filter by black and white, file type, buddy icons and others.
- Search suggestions as you type (like Google Suggest, but in the actual main search engine).
- Advanced search page that overlays the search engine, instead of loading a seperate page.
- A great bold look with bold and colorful icons.
- A clean homepage that can be skinned with a click.
Ooh. It does look nice.
Comment by Jason Schramm | June 5, 2007
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Pingback by ResourceShelf » Ask.com Debuts Ask 3D: Say Hello to Morph Technology | June 5, 2007
You’re writing about Ask’s new home page, and you don’t even link to them?
And the only positive thing I can see about it, is the Flash warnings.
Besides that one positive point, I’m annoyed that I’m redirected to the Dutch page, although I went to www.ask.com and had my browser is set to request US English pages. Even when I try to change the skin, I keep being redirected. It’s also too slow and bloated (who came up with that horrible fade effect?). Even the search results for[test] were bad, and I don’t even feel like testing Ask’s index size anymore. I just don’t care.
If they think I’m going to use this site, both Google and Yahoo would have to kill themselves first.
The end of Jeeves seems to have been the end of Ask.
Comment by Tim | June 5, 2007
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Trackback by Search Engine Roundtable | June 13, 2007
[…] One of the biggest challenges search engines face is getting users to take advantage of their advanced features. These great features can be a great way to inspire customer loyalty, but users rarely even know they exist. This problem is compounded by the fact that almost the entire industry copies Google’s white space heavy design, which greatly discourages the promotion of features and fancy UI. […]
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