Google may be paying a little too much attention to text. Take a look at the stark difference between Google’s video search results and Bing’s video search results. I don’t often give Microsoft credit in the usability department – but they nailed this one!
Google Video Search Results
Bing Video Search Results
Bing Video Search Player
Here’s a rundown of key features of Bing Video Search over Google Video Search:
- When you mouseover on Bing, the video autoplays with sound. Google allows you to skip through content – but only after you click to play the video in their interface.
- Bing provides larger previews of the actual screenshot than Google – who relies on the text unnecessarily. Video is a visual medium, Bing is letting that take precedence. You can mouseover the title on Bing to get the full title if it’s clipped.
- When you play the video on Bing, it’s almost have the page size… fantastic – especially for new, higher definition content. Other videos are still listed underneath and can still be autoplayed when you mouse over them.
- Narrowing down your search selections is simple and intuitive on the left sidebar on Bing. Google requires you to click Advanced Video Search to get to the same filtering options.
Google doesn’t make the most elegant or prettiest of pages, but their Video Search Results page is downright unmanageable and ugly. In my opinion, Bing has done a fantastic job laying out the page and making it more usable. Searching for video is difficult – and the algorithms aren’t the greatest… you tend to have to bounce around a lot. Bing’s interface and usability make it much easier to search, browse and find the video you’re looking for.
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