Google Search: Bottom's Up

(first published Nov 11, 2008 in The Freewheeler blog)

I suggest Google put its Page of Results navigation (as seen here)

At both the TOP and the BOTTOM of each result page. Google tends to put such navigation only on the bottom. For example, I was in Google Calendar and chose to view calendar details/settings. Within the setting page, I couldn't find a way to exit -- and return to the calendar. The link "Return to Calendar" is at the bottom.

It would be convenient to have the option of jumping through results pages without having to scroll through each page. It would also give the results pages more consistency:

The text input field resides at both the top and the bottom. Actually, different versions of the search input appear in the top versus the bottom.

The top just has the simple search input field:

The bottom has search tips, filtering options and language tools:

Another issue, which I discussed in an earlier post, is the ambiguity of what the links "Web" "Images" "Maps" do. Are they links to other Google products/services (nouns), or search result filters (i.e. "show me results within Images."). If you experiment, you will find inconsistent results. For example, if I click "Gmail" it doesn't search my gmail for "gold" (search term), but if I click "Maps" it does. And how does the set of links above the Google logo differ from the set of links below the logo?

Trader Joes Checkout Line

Trader Joes is an awesome store for many reasons. One of them is the way checkout is handled. The clerk takes your cart and empties it for you. That makes sense, and it removes that awkward discomfort of positioning yourself behind or in front of your cart as you strain to remove the objects. That's how it's done at "legacy" super markets. Most of the major chains have remodeled their stores over the past 5 years.

Many of these stores are very pleasant places... and yet the checkout lines remain narrow passageways where the shopper is left to remove the items and place onto the conveyor belt. It's got to change. Thanks, Trader Joes, for showing the way. And also, for those 3 sample coffees I had last week.

Google Calendar: Time Zone Snag - No Absolute Time

(first published Feb 14, 2009 in The Freewheeler blog)

Google Calendar is terrific. But a major problem I've found is a Time Zone is set not to the Event, but to the Google Calendar User. Thus, any event that user creates, is set to his user setting timezone.



So, if I live in Los Angeles but schedule an 8pm Monday London event, it will show up as a 3am Tuesday event to Londoners. As long as my user setting is PST, I have to do this: set the event for 1pm. In Google Calendar, a user can have more than one calendar. Each calendar can have its own setting for Time Zone.

Thus, I thought a bad but working solution would be to temporarily set a calendar to time zone London. But, that setting just dictates the Display of the time, not the absolute date time start. The absolute is still based on the user's time zone.



The issue is all the more confounding because the Calendar gives much weight to an Event's Location field. It wants specific information so that it can map it and offer directions or other services. Yet it's not interested in the time?

Here I create a 9am New York City event. But to Google, it's a 9 am PST start -- 12 pm in NYC and 5pm in London.


Here's how it's published, in London Time:

The solution is: Google should let viewers / subscribers to a calendar set a timezone for "Viewing"-- thus all events are translated into a time relative to that user's view. In that case, if I'm looking at a 5pm New York event as a Californian (PST) I see it as 2pm.

The absolute time should be defined by the manager per event. When entering the time there should simply be a field to enter the time zone, which Google could 'predict' once location is entered (that would also require an alteration in the Form inputs so that Location is entered before Time).

Suggested:

As it is, Google Calendar cannot be accurately deployed by a manager of an entity that crosses time zones (sports teams, performers) or has subscribers across multiple time zones.

Oh Google! Yours is such an awesome, awesome company, and yet snags like these make me think you might spend just a wee bit too much time drinking your own Kool-Aid and not actually engineering for humans.

YouTube Profile Upload Picture Does Not Work

(* Feb 5th: this issue appears to be resolved as of Feb 2 *)

YouTube gives mention on its users' homepage to new features, among them, the ability to upload a Photo to the profile page.

However, the system does not accept any images. Regardless of which file you input, you will receive the message: "File not provided for upload image operation."

Here are screen shots step by step:

Link to new feature:


Option of what to Upload

Input field to browse computer
Quick load... show preview (generic preview?), prompts to click "Update"The error message after clicking "Update"

iPod earbuds post un-tangle still Confuse

The iPod's white earbuds would be easier to use if one of the earbuds was colored.
The only way to determine which piece is for Right Ear versus Left Ear is to hold one of the pieces close to the eye, turning the piece to view the single letter ("L" or "R") faintly marked on its inner-side.
Ironically, Apple celebrates its releasing of various colors for various products, but the lack of an additional color Within an existing item makes it less usable.
You almost get the feeling that the geniuses would 'rectify' this problem, by releasing an all-green ear buds....amen.

What you can do: use a marker to color one of the buds. Or, use high-quality stereo headphones.
In that case, the Left and Right sides is known / derived from the shape of the phones.
Even if still ambiguous, at least the quality sound makes up for the momentary confusion. Not something that can be said of the shabby iPod phones.
(My editor just informed me that any mention of iPod phones must include the word "ubiquitous." )

The iPod earbuds are ubiquitous but far from perfect.

YouTube Full Screen View Means Re-Start

If you are watching a YouTube video, and wish to view it in Full-Screen mode, you have to click an icon in the bottom-right corner of the Player. The icon, as well as the other icon in that corner, attempt to symbolize the concept of 'Go to Full Screen' (and the other, 'Go to Letterbox').

I would say that these buttons are not self-evident.

When you do go to full screen mode, a message overlays the video player: "Click ESC to exit Full Screen Mode." That is helpful information. Why then, not have a similar Text prompt, when in Regular mode?

"Click (x) to go to Full Screen Mode."

It would help. The bigger issue to address, re. Full Screen Mode, is that it returns the Playback cursor to the Beginning of the video. Why? Windows Media Player has for many years offered the 'Full Screen' method (also via iconography) which continues to play the video. Can't the Google Gang at least match that work from Redmond?

YouTube: As awesome as your awesome tools are, can you please make some tweaks that would enable users to easily find the way to Full Screen, and when they do so, to not have to restart the movie?