Kartoo and other next-generation search engines with visual interfaces - Why do most people stick with traditional result lists?
If you enter the word exercise into http://www.kartoo.com you will get an image map that lets you refine your search. When you enter the term into Google you get a list of 158,000,000 results.
Here’s some additional information about Kaboo:
Kartoo is a next-generation meta search engine which displays a visual interface. It was co-founded in France by two cousins, Laurent and Nicholas Baleydier. This project was then launched in 2001. Most of their advertisement has been through word of mouth. Kartoo has the quality to redefine searches with a click of the mouse. A topic list is displayed on the side as suggested words. Recently, Kartoo created a new version called UJIKO (they are actually the five keys on the keyboard like the concept of QWERTY). The interface looks more like a “jukebox” with the linked sites as playlists, where you can add or delete your preference.
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8 Answers
Google won for being clutter free and fast. Honestly, the results could have been shit and it still would have won.
I don’t want a portal or fancy shit. I want search. Google does the best job. Personally, I find the search at Yahoo better, but the interface sucks ass. So I use Google.
I have used Kartoo for years, but for most questions or research I don’t need the relationship to answers that Kartoo provides.
Most people I think are looking for an answer not the relation of answers.
Example— What is “blue”? Would be answered in Kartoo with relationship to sky, ocean, ice, eyes…..
I’ve never heard of Kartoo before; thanks for bringing it to my attention. What else am I missing?
Ew, I don’t like it. It’s messy.
Wow I think it is great, thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Wow, that looks like crap. I did a simple search for “RPI”, the college from which I graduated. I see a bunch of random floating words, none of which tell me a single thing about the college. How am I supposed to use that?
Not to mention the idiotic little cartoon that’s played while it’s searching. Yeah that’s certainly something I want my boss or coworkers to see on my computer as they pass by my desk. Sheesh.
There are so many reasons that Kartoo won’t ever be a contender against Google. One reason is that no search engine will ever overtake Google’s number one spot without a completely innovative idea. People are used to typing their queries into Google and aren’t going to change for anything less than an amazing innovation, besides visual search has been in the works for quite a while now (SearchMe, oSkope, Viewzi).
The layout is another issue. Google uses a very user friendly layout (clean & crisp) whereas Kartoo looks like a kids gaming site. Any search emerging search engine that wants to gain more than the Internets equivalent to a cult following needs to have a user friendly layout that appeals to the masses, Kartoo is definitely not built with a neutral aesthetic.
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