Proof that Google is evil
A few days ago I hinted that Google’s 404 page is proof that they’re evil. Before you go off on me for making such a wild accusation, please stop and think about who Google is, their mission, what a 404 page is and the utility that a well designed 404 page can provide.
Okay, now allow me to answer those questions.
- Who is Google? Google is a very successful corporation who has made millions out of search services.
- What is Google’s mission?
Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
- What is a 404 page? A 404 page is a single web page that informs the user when the page they are trying to access cannot be found on the server.
- What utility can a well designed 404 page provide? It can actually do a lot of things, but most importantly on a user experience level, it can help the user find what they’re looking for.
To put it another way, Google is a very rich search company with tremendous resources that has made its name by helping people find information. A 404 page is one of the simplest error handling utilities available to websites, which among other things, can be extremely useful for finding information. Yet Google’s 404 page is one of the poorest designed 404 pages I’ve seen on a corporate site.
Now if that isn’t proof that something evil is lurking inside the Googleplex, I don’t know what is.
I’m only half serious about this. I don’t actually think that Google is evil, but I do think their sites have some major user experience issues: the 404 page being only one of them.
- 19 Mar 05
- google, usability, web design
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Comments
Summary: Goggle’s 404 Pages Suck For A Search Company. …
TrackBack from davidbisset.com on 21 Mar 05
I have never actually landed on Google’s 404. Ever.
There’s probably no way you can encounter a 404 when using the search engine, but maybe other services, I don’t know.
Do you have a real example?
ghola on 25 Mar 05
Ghola: I’m sure that other people have landed on Google’s 404 page. All it takes is someone clicking on one mistyped URL. I don’t have a real example, but I’m sure I could find one if I took the time.
Joshua on 25 Mar 05
Talking of well-designed 404 pages, I had a pleasant experience at the Rice University web site. Try out their site and check out their user-sensitiveness.
Sam on 30 Mar 05