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It’s very easy to badmouth Google, and there’s plenty of justifiable criticism levelled at the company’s monopoly over the internet. I come from an SEO background, so I have a shaky affection for the ‘big G’ at best.

But holy crikey do they make a good product.

Just look at Google Search’s homepage..

Has there ever been a more streamlined, direct and user friendly webpage than this? Well maybe apart from zombo.com.

You can understand the outcry from people last month when it was announced that Google would roll out a new homepage featuring customisable newsfeeds for the homepage.

Here’s what the US mobile version looks like…

I know, sick and gross right?

But I would argue that it’s not just Google’s commitment to user-friendly and consistent design (as exemplified by its principles of material design), or its sheer ubiquity when it comes to using anything even vaguely connected to the internet, that keeps people coming back for more

Well alright, it is mostly that second one, but may I suggest something else that helps us warm to the brand…

Microinteractions

Also referred to as Micro UX, microinteractions are the tiny interactions we carry out with a product (in this case a website or app) that help us accomplish a single task in a charming, unique way.

Here’s Dan Saffer, the author of Microinteractions, Dan Saffer with his thoughts on the phrase he coined…

I genuinely believe that Google has really taken these principles to heart with its own product design.

Below is a collection of some of the best Google microinteractions, as well as some of my favourite ‘easter eggs’. These secret features aren’t strictly microinteractions, but they do have the same intention – they help humanise the experience and create that sense of ‘surprise and delight’ which is so popular with the kids these days.

Chrome: dinosaur

You’ve probably already seen the dinosaur of despair when your internet connection disappears. It’s a grave omen indeed. But before you fling your laptop off the train and run into the woods to start a new life with the badgers, hit the space bar and you can play a fun little platform game with the scampering fella. It’s the most fun you can have not on the internet.

Search: Bletchley Park

If you search for Bletchley Park, the knowledge graph reveals a live deciphering for the site of the British codebreakers. There’s no confirmation from Google that one of those combinations says, “Bing is rubbish.”

Maps: walking distance

If the distance to your destination increases to more than a few hours, the little walker person turns into a hiker with added backpack, stick and Kendal mint cake, probably.

Inbox: compose

Courtesy of William Joseph, who says the spin on the compose button makes him send emails “just to see it dance.”

Maps: the Hawaii mermaid

If you’re looking up Hawaii and you grab the little streetview character to plop down on the map, they turn into a mermaid. Because that’s where mermaids come from???

Search: I feel lucky

If you just click on the ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button without typing a search term, it takes you to the Google Doodle archive.

Inbox: phishing

The Gmail Inbox app has a quick way of helping you identify phishing scam emails, by changing the icon to a fish hook. Nice try ‘Adobe’! If that’s even your real name.

Search: the answer to life, the universe and everything

Search the answer to life, the universe and everything, and you’ll presented with most accurate answer available, a neat reference to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe and, most importantly, a handy calculator.

Google Hangouts: easter eggs

When chatting via Google Hangout, you can confuse and astound the person on the other end with a variety of weird easter eggs just by typing a few simple phrases prefixed with a backslash.  My personal favourite: /ponystream

You can also try /pitchforks, /shydino or /bikeshed.

Search: do a barrel roll

Searching for do a barrel roll leads to Google doing exactly that, while also revealing my sources.

Search: solitaire

Play a round of solitaire on the house! The first one’s free, the rest will have untold costs on your existing workload.

Search: Festivus

For all your secular, non-commercial December celebration needs, search for Festivus and enjoy this unadorned, aluminium pole.

Gmail: sign up

If you use too many full stops in your email address, Gmail will warmly correct you.

Image search: Atari Breakout

Ever get the feeling Google don’t want you to ever leave its search pages? OH WELL… Atari Breakout.

If you’ve found any more, please let me know in the comments…