Google Instant is a new search enhancement that
shows results as you type. We are pushing the
limits of our technology and infrastructure to help
you get better search results, faster. Our key
technical insight was that people type slowly, but
read quickly, typically taking 300 milliseconds
between keystrokes, but only 30 milliseconds (a
tenth of the time!) to glance at another part of the
page. This means that you can scan a results
page while you type.
The most obvious change is that you get to the
right content much faster than before because
you don ’t have to finish typing your full search
term, or even press “search.” Another shift is that
seeing results as you type helps you formulate a
better search term by providing instant feedback.
You can now adapt your search on the fly until
the results match exactly what you want. In time,
we may wonder how search ever worked in any
other way.