Google is the latest one to follow this trend as the . The blue Sans “Search” button takes the place of a magnifying glass icon at the right side of the search field. It is placed alongside the multi-colored microphone icon (used for collecting voice input).
Earlier, the microphone and the search icon were placed side by side with minimum space. However, as the button with the word “Search” written on it requires much more space, the mic has further been pushed to the left side. The button, when highlighted with cursor, appears as oval-shaped. Moreover, clicking it enhances the light gray outlines on the search bar.
The magnifying glass icon now shows up on the left side of query, when it is being typed into the field. This change surprisingly comes at the same time as Google.com Homepage’s design modification. A light gray unclickable icon also pops up on the search field’s left side.
Although the addition of the Search button will result in it occupying a considerable amount of space, it will give users a clear meaning of the button. It can be argued that this change was unnecessary as users can simply press “Enter” to submit their queries instead of relying on an icon or button. However, many users still prefer clicking on the action button/icon.
It should be noted that the “All” search filter already included a magnifying icon and the recent update resulted in the introduction of multi-colored Material Theme icons to every query category.
As of now, the “Search” button is just being tested. There is no timeline for its general release. However, it shouldn’t take long if the test results are satisfactory. Stay tuned for further updates in this story.