Google search results might be getting a makeover
Google search results -- one of the most often used tools on the internet -- may soon get a new look.
Spotted by Reddit user DiscombobulatedLead, Google is apparently testing new kind of search-results page that's based on the company's Material design approach that's been spreading through Google services the past few years.
While the old layout displays all search results on one white background, the new layout reportedly displays each result in a "card box" with defined borders.
Google has been updated more and more of its desktop services around Material; Google Calendar was one of the most recent to get a makeover. Material roughly began with the launch Android 5.0 Lollipop, and it generally emphasizes cards, layers, "flat" textures, and specific coloring schemes.
For search, Google tends to favor redirecting users' attention away from "extra stuff" (like sidebars) and more towards content. In 2012 it moved the search category toolbar from the side to the top of the page, then did a similar move with YouTube a couple years later. YouTube's recent redesign also de-emphasized menus and made each page simpler and more visual.
In this case, Google hasn't moved any menus around, but individual boxes may help each search result catch your eye.
Topics Google
Monica wrote for Mashable's Tech section with a focus on retail, internet of things, and the intersections of technology and social justice. She holds a degree in creative writing from Brown University, and has previously written for Dow Jones Media, the New York Post, Yahoo Finance, and others. In her free time, she can be found attempting to cook Asian food, buying board games, and looking for new hobbies.
