Introducing Ask3D - A Truly New Way to Search

For the past several years, we have been innovating furiously to provide people with a faster, easier, and richer search experience. We've created products that go some way towards this - Smart Answers, Zoom related search, Binoculars, AskCity, and ExpertRank (aka Teoma) to name a few. Over time, however, the challenge for searching the Web has grown hugely, and the sheer amount of stuff out there is mind boggling.

Today, our search experience is taking a consequential leap forward in making all that information accessible in a coherent way, with the launch of Ask3D, a completely re-engineered version of Ask.com. No, you don't need red and blue glasses to see it. 3D stands for the three dimensions of searching - query expression, investigating results, and digging deeply into content. You used to have to visit three different pages or websites to see and search through each dimension. With Ask3D, you can now get everything you need on one page…in many cases above the fold.

This isn't just about getting more information; it's also about getting the right information. Accordingly, Ask3D literally morphs with each query you enter. No two searches are the same, so why should all search pages have the same stuff in the same order? We customize each page for each different query, based on relevance, but also based on what previous searchers on Ask found valuable for that query (or one like it).

Some people who see Ask3D may initially be taken aback. It looks different than other search engines (which look curiously like they did a decade ago). Some might say there's too much going on. We feared the same thing. That's why we tested Ask3D for nearly 6 months with 5% of our 25-30 million monthly users. Simply put, these people came away happier with their experience than "regular" Ask.com users - they had lower abandonment rates, higher pick rates, and higher frequency of use.

There are also fewer ads on Ask.com than any other major search engine. That gave us more room on the page to devote to content and tools.

Keep checking the blog, as the Ask3D team will be posting this week with a deeper look into the product itself. As well as the new interface, extra things to watch out for include: a new video channel, the "morph" vertical search algorithm, TypeAhead search suggestions, geotargeted results, music clips that play straight from the results page, a modernized homepage design, plus skins to personalize your experience (my favourite is "Azul").

Design and innovation form an important part of our direction at Ask.com, and we have been privileged to have the opportunity to create an entirely new product and a richer user experience. A lot of people here gave up a good portion of their lives this year to bring it to you. We all hope that you will be genuinely wowed by it.

Here are some searches that show you what it can do:

Gwen Stefani

Lord of the Rings

Oakland

--Daniel Read
VP Products and User Experience
Ask.com