Thoughts On Ask X User Interface Options

[rustybrick]

Check out http://www.askx.com/

What do you think of the new slick interface?

First spotted at http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ask_x.php and then at Gary's blog.

I personally like the features.

Search suggestions, how the interface changes with you, the neat save results, the 3rd pane column.

Good stuff.

[Adrian]

If only I could
Seems I'm not able to see the new interface, regardless of which link I click on.

[joedolson]

I couldn't get there either.

[JohnMu]

I like it

But will UI changes alone win users over?

John

[Ruud]

Oh, that is quite pleasant!

Place names and countries get some info extract, current time & weather, images, maps. Celebrities have a short bio, images. Many entries have an extract from Wikipedia.

A non-specific search ("top stuff") returns just results. The interface is smart enough not to add images etc.

Some searches ("Matt Cutts", "Barry Schwartz") have a Posts section in the sidebar.

They do a much better job at presenting a lot of information, including sponsored stuff, than Yahoo does.

Really nice... added to my bookmarks toolbar...

[eKstreme]

It seems to be geotargeted. Go to prefs, set the US to be your default (mine was set to 'no default'), save, and then explicitly type in askx.com in your address bar. It will work then... and you'll know it worked because you get a beautiful interface!

I like it, and the blog search features are very cool. Seems there is a lot to explore so I'll reserve judgment till later. But as an initial reaction, it's very close to "oh yeah!"

Pierre

[TCSM]

It's cool, and I like the added functionality, but I can't see it winning people over. IMO, the KISS principle will keep Google at the top. Yes, they add things in, but for the most part, it stays clean and simple, and when it comes to search, that's what users want.

Heck, when it comes to most things online, that's what users want. So yes, it's cool. And it may become the engine of choice for the more experienced/savvy searcher, but the masses will keep with Google.

My two cents...

[Brad]

Personally, I like it. But I think they might alienate many average internet users (the kind that are not sure what a browser is and just type things, like URL's or searches into any nav bar or search form what ever is handy) for those folks simple is better. I've been watching a couple of people like I described above and it is very easy for them to hit information overload on the browser page, so the default SERP on Ask probably should stay as the default. With that said, I like having the option of AskX available as an option.