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Before Google, there was BackRub, a search engine developed by the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brinn.  Eventually in 1997, Larry and Sergey, decided on the name Google–based on the mathematical term “googol,” represented by the number 1 followed by 100 zeros, in their attempt to signify their mission of  to “organize a seemingly infinite amount of information on the web.”  This could also be represented through Google’s revenue and total assets.

After receiving a check in 1998 from Sun co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim, Google, like many great corporations, opened its offices in a garage. From there, the rest is history as Google is now operating on a annual revenue of around 25 billion dollars and is the most popular site in the world according to the Alexa Rankings.

Google User Experience

Google is known for its highly functional user experience and its focus on minimalism–from the company headquarters, Googleplex, to its basic homepage design to its minimalist and speedy web browser, Chrome.

According to Marrisa Mayer, the now vice president of geographic and local services for Google, “Due to the sparseness of the homepage, in early user tests they noted people just sitting looking at the screen. After a minute of nothingness, the tester intervened and asked ‘Whats up?’ to which they replied “We are waiting for the rest of it”. To solve that particular problem the Google Copyright message was inserted to act as a crude end of page marker.”

Here are just some of the day to day things we noticed that set the Google user experience apart from all others.

User experience design is as much as psychology as it is design.

GMail Loading Bar

Have you ever noticed the loading bar whenever you log into your Gmail account?

One of the qualities of successful user interfaces is responsiveness. Laggy load times and slow interfaces are the ingredients for a stressful user experience. The ability to see and even perceive that an interface is loading quickly provides the user with a sense of control and improves the user experience.

Responsiveness could also mean some form of feedback, as the Google Loading Bar indicates.  Is the app stuck or is it loading?  Always keeping the user “connected” and “know” what is that progress is happening provides for a smooth user experience.

Did You Mean to Attach Files?

Have you ever went to send an attachment in an e-mail, but forgot to actually attach the file before it was to late?

Another solid trait of a successful user interface and experience is the ability to forgive your mistakes.

No worries, Googles got your back!

Whenever you have the word “attached” in the message of a Gmail-email, Gmail will alert you whenever you hit the send button (another widely used interface option is pressing a button–depressing the “look” of the button to let you know that you followed through with the intended action”) and forgot to attach a file to the email message.

Problem solved!

Undo Mistakes

Going with the quality of forgiveness, Google also allows you to undo “mistakes” you might have taken.  We all make mistakes, especially in software and websites.  Google provides a “forgiving” interface, minimizing user induced and potentially disastrous mistakes to important data.

For example, you delete an important Google Doc that you did not mean to.  Google provides you with the option to “Undo” the delete and bring it back.

Simple, Functional, and Attractive Home Page Design
Google.com is so simple, functional, and attractive that they patented the design.

The design is so incredibly user friendly, always including enhancements to make your search experience above any other search engine.

To maintain their simplicity, Google follows a 20/5 rule for feature inclusion. What this means is that If a particular feature or function does not have 20% adoption rate (based mostly on click through data), it does not show up on a core page. If a feature does not have 5% adoption it does not show up within Preferences.

Marrissa Mayer provides the analogy of Google as a “closed Swiss army knife,” the ability to open up Google to suit your particular user needs and functions.

From Google’s simple search engine to Apple’s iPhone, simplicity sells.

Did You Mean…

Have you ever wanted to search for something, but could not remember the spelling or name?

People tend want to give up quickly whenever searches fail to provide relevancy and results.  Luckily the Did You Mean feature is available for us, eliminating the need to search for exact terms and providing the user with the ability to quickly type in search terms and adjust results based on the Did You Mean function.  The information you are seeking is most likely out there, just keep working with Google’s search algorithms and eventually you’ll find that pot of gold!

Touring the Google User Experience Lab

Google is the leader

Although many of these features are tough to notice sometimes, Google really does care about its users.  Granted, these features are also becoming available in many other search engines and apps, Google and its world renowned engineers are almost always the first with break though user functions.

Next time you are using Google or any of its services such as Google Apps, Earth, Maps, and so forth, just remember: Google’s got your back!

Google Apps, Cloud Computing Solutions

Pappas Development Group is the trusted partner in any company’s cloud computing implementation. We are the only Johnstown Google Authorized Reseller.  We have a team that tests and follows all the current technologies and fetches the proven solutions that will benefit our clients. We not only provide the solutions, we use the solutions. Trust PDG to lead your company to the right cloud  solution. Feel free to to learn more about how our Google Apps Solutions can provide your business with solutions, support, and savings.  Follow us on Twitter @PappasDG for more cloud computing solutions news!