Update: Google has modified the search interface in the meantime, and the method below won’t work anymore because of it. The company displays a bar atop the search results now that you can use to filter results and refine searches.
We mentioned a few days ago that Google was planning to release a new search interface. There were only a few screenshots available at that time, and it was not sure when the general public was able to test and use the new interface.
The search interface has still not been released but the guys over at Gizmodo have found a way to activate it temporarily so that it can be tried and tested.
You might recall that the main change is the addition of a permanent left sidebar in Google search much like Bing has been offering for a while.
This new search bar resembles the bar that appears in the current search interface after pressing the show options link.
It has been redesigned however into a colorful menu with icons, something that many users would probably not expect from Google which is usually attributed with a bare-bone search interface.
The screenshot below shows the interface in all its glory after you have run a search on Google. As you can see, the left sidebar lists options to filter search results by time, and other parameters when you click on the “more” or “show search tools” links there.
Here are the steps to activate the new search interface temporarily.
1. Visit google.com
2. Enter the following JavaScript code into the address bar and press enter.
javascript:void(document.cookie=”PREF=ID=20b6e4c2f44943bb:U=4bf292d46faad806:TM=1249677602:LM=1257919388:S=odm0Ys-53ZueXfZG;path=/; domain=.google.com”);
3.Go back to Google.com and enjoy the new search interface.
The search form itself has also been resigned with icons that shine in an intense blue color.
What do you think of these new changes? Is it helpful to have that menu on the left side or is Google simply trying to keep users longer on their search engine?