Viewzi.com — A Beautiful, Yet Complex Visual Search Engine
Viewzi.com is a visual search engine with one of the most beautiful, yet complex user interfaces I’ve ever seen. Instead of taking a machine approach to search results - Where results are presented in the same, list type view - Viewzi provides it’s users 2 dozen or so interpretations or “views” of your query.
Viewzi is a completely new approach to search. There are many different visual search engines out there including Rollyo and Searchme, however none of them even come close to flexibility Viewzi Provides.
Is it a Google Killer?… Probably Not. Is it a better way to search?… Maybe. Is it an enjoyable experience?… Definitely.
It’s all about the interface
My first impression of Viewzi can be summed up in one word; Wow. After typing in my search query, I was presented with something rather unexpected - a flash gallery of ways to view my search results. At first, this completely threw me off as I was expecting a standard Google list type interface, so it took me a few seconds to process what I was viewing. Luckily, the transition from static html to a flash based interface was seemless and very quick… so I was confused in record time.
Viewzi Screenshot. (click to enlarge)
Like I mentioned above, Viewzi allows it’s visitors to view their search results in different formats, each custom tailored to the type of search you’re performing. So, if you’re doing a search for say Dave Mathews Band, Viewzi will present you with an MP3 view, an album view, a news view, and multiple versions of a photo view.
The site is still in beta mode at the time of writing, so it only allows you to choose from a pre-made set of views. However, they do plan to offer an API and view creator that will allow users to creat different interfaces.
Beautiful… But Useful?
While I’m absolutely in love with Viewzi’s design and user interface, I have to wonder how useful it will be as an everyday search engine. After all, one of the main reasons I use Google is for the speed and ease in which it provides me what I’m looking for. With that being said, I think that while user interface increases the enjoyment of my experience, it might actually hamper an everyday type of search.
For example, let’s say I’m trying to find a good restaurant to attend while I’m traveling to Boston. All I really need is a list of restaurants in the area, a list of phone numbers, and maybe a few reviews. I really don’t need a 3D photo view of Boston Restaurants or recipes for Boston Creme pies.
That being said, I do think the site would be very useful from an entertainment or even research point of view, where it would be useful to get multiple interpretations of my results.
Finally
The designer in me loves this interface and I could spend hours exploring different search queries and interpretations of my search. The site itself feels more like an experiment in User Interface and user experience design than an every day search engine. But, it’s definately one I would recommend… for a different point of view(s).
