Google to discontinue Instant Search feature

Google is set to dump its landmark Instant Search feature, which automatically populates search results when one typed a search query, according to Search Engine Land. The feature was first introduced in 2010 under the guidance of Marissa Mayer, who was vice president of search and user experience, at the company.

According to commentators, the move marked a pivotal change in not just how users experienced Google, but also how they used the internet to seek information.

Google had at the time estimated that it would collectively shave off millions of seconds per hour by showing results as fast as possible and cutting down the time it took to write out an entire query.

Now, however, with over half of Google searches happening on mobile, desktop use was declining with time. On mobile screens, Instant Search did not make much sense, given one used fingers and virtual buttons to interact with software, and trying to load a results page on top of the onscreen keyboard was not exactly good user experience design.

In a statement given to Search Engine Land, a Google spokesperson explained the change, ''We launched Google Instant back in 2010 with the goal to provide users with the information they need as quickly as possible, even as they typed their searches on desktop devices. Since then, many more of our searches happen on mobile, with very different input and interaction and screen constraints. With this in mind, we have decided to remove Google Instant, so we can focus on ways to make Search even faster and more fluid on all devices.''

According to commentators, most people would perhaps not even notice that Instant Search was gone, but there might be a feeling that something was just not what it was.

Mayer had said at the launch of the feature, ''there is a psychic element because we can predict what you are about to search on in real time.''