The whole goal of searching for things on the Internet, at least for most of us, is to try to find the content we have been looking for as accurately and as quickly as possible. But what if the old saying is right? What if the journey is more important than the destination?
That's what a new project at Microsoft Research seems to believe. The Next at Microsoft blog reveals that the Socio-Digital Systems group at the division's Cambridge office has been working on new Internet search technologies and experiences that showcase different ideas of searching for Internet content. The new search projects are being promoted as part of Microsoft Research's TechFest event this week.
One of them, shown above, is what Microsoft calls the "growing slow searches". Microsoft says that it is "an organic kind of search that presents results that grow over time, drawing attention to the things about which you are most passionate." As you can see this kind of search is presented graphically like a growing plant or organic creature.
Yet another type of search showcases results like a picture scrapbook, with both images and text showcasing each search result. You could even send these images to others like trading cards. It's certainly a lot different than the plain text and links we get from Google and Bing and we could see these kinds of interfaces in future search engines.
Images via Microsoft
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