I read a post today from Stephanie Sexton about ask.com. She seems to enjoy all the options at ask.com, and suggests that people newer to the internet may enjoy or prefer the use of the ask compared to google and other search portals. I am kind of mixed on this opinion. My first run though of asks new options make me think that is will be more useful for geeks that are used to doing more advanced searches and search filtering.
Although considering her opinion, I can see how some users may find things, or may find more things than they normally would using such a system. My first thought was that google and others already have these options, but I do agree that ask.com makes these options easier to find, and certainly does make these options easier to use.
I wish I could see how new internet users actually use this portal and what they use and don’t use and how they end up using it. I myself am more concerned with the results they show and don’t show. The engine that has most results will normally win in my mind. for some people it will be how easy it is to filter your results, and for some people I am sure there are more important issues.
Overall I like the options, but am not impressed with the design.