The rapid rise of mobile is wiping out the desktop. At least for consumers, their phones have become the way they experience the Internet. Mobile is not the new web – it is the only web. And it is very different.
Mobile is beautiful precisely because it affords so little. It already gave us the simplicity of scroll and the swipe, but its biggest gift to us will be a whole new way to search.
We are so used to Google search, its interface and format, that we rarely question it these days. After all, it always gives us the answer, right? Whatever thing you are looking for, just type it into browser bar (you don’t even need to go to Google.com) and voila – 10 links, or the so-called answer.
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But why is it 10 links, and how can an answer to every single question be found in 10 links?
Imagine if in real life, someone would ask you a question, and your reply would be – here, the answer would be inside these 10 links. Absurd!
When people talk to each other, they arrive at “the answer” by means of a conversation. I ask you a question, you reply, you clarify, I might follow up, and then you reply again.
A question in real life is a conversation that leads to an answer.
The text message
The email has long being hailed to be the killer app for the web, but on mobile there is a new king. It is text messaging, and we are all addicted to it. We love the form, we love the speed and we love our emoji.
Let’s face it: the feeling that we get when typing a text message, that silly, quick, fun and instantly gratifying thing, is the feeling we never had typing on a regular computer keyboard.
Email is always work, while text messaging is always fun.
But beneath all the fun and emoji silliness, we’ve been evolving something groundbreaking and profound. We’ve created a simple format for quick conversations. We created a new way to ask questions and receive an answer that is a lot closer to how people do it in real life.
By using text messaging, we have been playing an iterative Q&A game. And this is a pretty big deal.
Enter the new kind of search
Now imagine that instead of the Google text field or browser bar, you get a familiar text messaging interface and you can ask questions. Here is what happens next:
1. You will ask questions in the natural form, like you do in real life.
2. Your questions will be naturally compact, because you are used to the compact form of text messaging, but they won’t be one word or one phrase like we type into Google. You still can have typos and missing punctuation.
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3. This format naturally lends itself onto the conversation. That is, you don’t expect 10 links, you expect a human response. And you expect to respond in response to this response, and so on. That is, you expect a conversation.
4. The “answer” will be things, objects and places, and links will become secondary. The answer will be one to three things, but not 10 things. The choice will be naturally added via a conversation and iteration, not by pushing 10 links on the user up front.
5. You won’t be able to tell the difference between a person or machine replying to you. This is where all the amazing AI stuff (I’m looking at you, Amy) is going to come handy and will really shine.
6. You won’t think of this as search anymore, but as your command and control for all things you need – tasks, purchases and, of course, good old search. It will be like Siri, except it will be based on text, and have a lot more capabilities. And it will actually work great. (No offense Siri, but you have ways to go).
Once this new world order is in place, you will quickly forget how Google worked. Phrase-based search and 10 links will become the things of the past. You will quickly get used to, and will love, the human way to search – via a Text Message.
For early hints of what is to come, check out Magic and Cloe.
What do you think? Do you believe that search will stay the same on mobile or change? Let us know in the comments section below.
This article was written by a member of the AlleyNYC contributor network. AlleyNYC is one of the world’s largest innovation hubs, helping foster the growth of startups in its flagship location in New York City. Entrepreneur Media is a partner and investor in AlleyNYC. If you would like to learn more about AlleyNYC and how to apply for membership visit here.
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