Yahoo Search Assist

Yahoo! have just released Yahoo Search Assist in the US. It’s another technology enabler that searches the Yahoo! results database and makes alternative suggestions while you type. The idea is a solid one and as average searchers become more ‘search savy’, more accurate results can be produced with more accurate search terms. They are to be congratulated; it’s not bad although it can be a bit annoying when the search assist box won’t disappear. The scroll arrows are very small and the results won’t scroll unless you click on either the up or the down arrow and for what appears to be around 10 – 20 suggestions. In addition to this, the search assist box stretches right across the screen with a lot of grey space which is unnecessary and visually unappealing. Although unable to reproduce it a second time, I did find a search phrase that occupied the majority of the grey area with a set of results that required you to scroll horizontally as well as vertically on the left hand side……messy.

This kind of technology isn’t ground breaking though and one of the biggest search engines, Google has been playing with it for longer than I care to remember. In true style, their version is simple, uncluttered and easy to use and I think that Yahoo! Search Assist could be simplified to enhance the user experience further. Bring it on for the UK!