Today, June 10th, Google are highlighting a new feature whereby you can upload your own image to serve as the backdrop for your Google search page.
If you want to change the image to one of your own choosing, you can click on the link in the bottom left corner of the screen – provided you are logged in with a Google account. If you do not have one you can set one up here: Google Accounts. Otherwise, our understanding is that the homepage will return to normal tomorrow. Whether the link will still be there remains to be seen.
This initiative to make the classically simple Google interface more colourful and ‘homely’ (to use their words) can be seen, I believe, as a direct response to Bing’s popular use of imagery in its homepage. Google’s pared down, minimalist even, user interface was a breath of fresh air when it first arrived and has had a good run of it. But, one must ask the question, and it seems that Google are doing so themselves, as to whether people are starting to tire a little bit of it?
For me the answer is yes, and I am looking forward to being able to upload my own images and to choose from a tasteful selection in the Picasa user gallery. Empowering users to make their own choice as to whether they prefer the classic look of Google or if they wish to customise it with an image of their choosing, Google will soon know the answer one way or the other.
Who’s using this feature?