How often do you search for a particular image of something on Google Images, without giving the web functionality any further thought? As it turns out, you have pop singer Jennifer Lopez (a.k.a. J.Lo) to thank for it.
Google‘s CEO Eric Schmidt revealed that when J.Lo paraded down the red carpet at the 2000 Grammy Awards, the world wanted to get a glimpse of her (now) infamous, neckline-plunging Versace dress. Schmidt said that there was huge interest, but users had no real way of seeing the dress for themselves.
“People wanted more than just text. This first became apparent after the 2000 Grammy Awards, where Jennifer Lopez wore a green dress that, well, caught the world’s attention. At the time, it was the most popular search query we had ever seen. But we had no sure-fire way of getting users exactly what they wanted: J.Lo wearing that dress. Google Image Search was born,” Schmidt wrote in his Tinkerer’s Apprentice opinion piece for Project Syndicate.
Image Search isn’t the only aspect of Google that was born out of user behaviour. Thousands of people navigate the globe everyday by way of Google Maps, but the service only started when the company realised that people don’t want more search results of a particular address – they want to see where it is.
“Maps are another great example. When people search Google for an address, they do not want a link to Web sites that mention the street. They usually want to know how to get there. So we built a map that was clickable, draggable, and easy to explore. Maps have become such an integral part of Google that most users probably cannot imagine it without them.”
But even with Google’s innovations and (sometimes) forward-thinking ideas, Schmidt knows the day will come when Google will face stiff competition.
“Someone in a garage somewhere is gunning for us, and 2015 could be the year that they make their move. I know, because not long ago we were in that garage. And I know that the next Google will not do what Google does, just as Google did not do what AOL did.”
[Image – CC by 2.0/Ana Carolina Kley Vita]
