Google Image Search is probably one of the most sought, after its main search result.
After a month or so of testing, Google confirmed to have launched a redesigned Image Search which essentially moves the preview box from horizontal to vertical, putting it on the right-hand side of the screen.
Available on Google Image Search for the web, the interface boasts the preview box in a larger frame, allowing the search engine to put more details about that image, as well as related images.
This is possible because on the sidebar, Google made the preview box scrollable. This allows users to get through more details, but without having to ruin the main Image Search results.
According to Google:
With this web design, Google said that it should make things easier to compare one image to another on its Image Search. Furthermore, it users accidentally click on another image, they can return to the last image they were looking on, by just hitting the 'Back' button.
The redesigned interface should also help retailers in attracting more potential customers seeking information about their products.
"To help make shopping decisions easier, when you select an image of a product, you’ll now see details such as the brand, price, availability and reviews. We’ve also added captions to the related images shown under the image you’ve selected so you know where you're going before you click.," the company added.
In general, the update should also help web publishers too, with Google saying that "this updated interface also means people are more likely to visit a web page to get information to help them with a task".
In short, the redesigned Image Search appearance is yet another way for Google to showcase more of what it has to give in its search results.
Google has been testing this kind of variation of the preview box for quite some times.
Back in March 2019, the interface was initially called 'shoppable ads'. And in its initial trials, only broad search terms like 'home office ideas' or 'abstract art' would show deliver prices and product links. But with Google in rolling out the interface to all of its Image Search results, virtually any terms will return this design.
This design looks similar to Bing's Visual Search, which has links to 'related searches'.
But unlike Bing, Google hasn't copy the 'View Image' link, which allowed users to see a picture in isolation without visiting the page on which it's hosted.
Google had one similar feature, but after a complaint by Getty Images, which claimed that Google was "creating captivating galleries of high-resolution, copyrighted content", and giving users little reason to visit the site where it originated, Google removed the button in 2018.