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These days, smart devices seem to get the lion's share of developer time and attention, but Google has recently made a few changes to their desktop search that have made entries easier to read.
Initially, the company rolled out the changes for preview on any search related to COVID-19. More recently, they've expanded the territory that the redesign covers and now, if you do any music-related searches via Google, you'll have a user experience that differs somewhat from what you're used to when using search.
The single biggest change has to do with the presence of a navigation drawer located on the left side of the screen. You'll find the name of the current "Knowledge Panel" you're viewing at the top, a description of the query itself just beneath it, and below that, subtopic categories that load new search terms.
Where music is concerned, the search terms include:
- Overview
- Listen
- And share button
Of course, Google still relies heavily on the central information panel, which displays the top search results as normal and doesn't offer anything significant in the way of changes. However, to the right of that, you'll find a "Listen" card on prominent display which gives you a quick and easy way to sample the sound you're searching for to verify that it's the version or release you wanted. Also note that just beneath that, you'll find an "About" card which almost always links to Wikipedia content.
The new search aesthetic has been in testing for a number of months, and as mentioned, was originally only available for preview on a very limited basis. The new rollout to music searches is a sure sign that the company is primed and ready for a widespread, more generalized rollout. So if you're not already seeing it on a regular basis on the desktop, know that you will be soon, and that it'll be better than what you're used to. Kudos to Google for that.
