Google skips Multivariate Testing, Pisses off Planet

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Jun

14

2010

by MrOptimization in Basics

May Binging was just the Beginning

Google's Bing Thing became clear to all when its search results redesign launched last month:

Google got Bing-y with it in May

While far from being universally lauded, at least Google ran extensive Multivariate Tests plus some old-school testing before releasing that redesign.

"Bingle" Foibles

Then on Thursday of last week, Google's Bing fever swept over the home page without warning.

And it doesn't seem that there was data to support such a major change this time.

Google got Stupid-y with it in June

Twitter, blog and message board opinions ran about 30-to-1 against the latest change.

Here's a small sample of the world's instant feedback:

• "What the hell? This makes me NOT want to use google..."
• "this HAS to be a joke"
• "Glad I’m not the only one who hates the ridiculous Google Background Image. I’m sick of having stuff thrust on me like this."
• "This smacks of playing catch up - whether it is or not."
• "This has to be the worse joke of this decade. "
• "Wow.. is the king slipping?"
• "We’ve lost a background image, if found please return to bing.com ;)"
• "Didn't they learn anything from google buzz incident?"
• "First time I've noticed Google imitating Microsoft."
• "whoever came up with this is a complete idiot"

World Mad! Call Wonder Mayer!

Google quickly trotted out Vice President of Search Products and certified Wonder Woman Marissa Mayer to assertively and stylishly backpedal the uproar away:

"the explanatory link [that supposedly should have been there so you could immediately remove the background image] did not appear for most users. As a result, many people thought we had permanently changed our homepage, so we decided to stop [showing] today’s series [of background images] early."

Marissa can't fib because she is a Wonder and fibbing is illogical, so it must just be an unfortunate coincidence that her explanation sounds like a steaming heap of B.S.

Is Google's Human Side Showing?

There's speculation among those in the know — and those who don't know jack too — that Google is in a panic about possible cracks forming in its foundation.

Is a Search Share Scare behind Google going Goofy?

Depending on who you believe, 1% of search share represents hundreds of millions or more in revenue and up to $1-Billion in market cap.

Could an all-too-human panic reaction have caused Google to short-circuit its famously data-driven design process in favor of destructive random flailing?

More Lessons from Digital Giants

There are some simple lessons here we'd all be smart to remember:

• Throwing piles of copycat garbage against the worldwide wall and hoping something sticks is a great way to drive away your digital audiences
• Adding design ditties that don't help your digital audiences in any way is almost always a mistake
• Google can get away with a lot of dumb things. We're not Google
• Google gets LOTs of real-time feedback when they do dumb things. We may just lose lots of customers and never know why
• We need to TEST with real, live audiences before we launch digital experience and content variations

Digital Audiences always get what they want. One way or Another

Do you think Google got the message this time or are we seeing the beginning of Google's long-predicted fade from digital glory?