Design Patterns: Instant Gratification
Wolfram Alpha, if you have not heard of it by now, is what is known as a computational knowledge engine. It has an easy to user interface that allows users to ask complicated math, statistical and other quantitative questions. Wolfram Alpha uses instant gratification to mimic that style of desktop calculator. Instant, quantitative results to quantitative questions.
A quick example: Take a basic mathematical problem “pi*12^2inches”. This yields an answer of 452.4 inches. However Wolfram alpha shines in that asking: ”What is the area of a 12inch circle?” would still provide the correct answer.
For simpler queries, such as unit conversions or the one shown above, WolframAlpha now provides an instant response. Just like Google’s Suggest feature, the instant result appears directly below the input box as the user types:
This response is quite useful for a number of reasons. First and foremost, for simple math and unit conversions there is only one answer. By not loading a second page the user cuts their time spent on the site in half. Second, the instant result allows the user to double check that their input is correct. A wildly incorrect answer or the wrong unit can be fixed before moving on to the results page.
A lengthier explanation of the answer appears if the user presses the return key. Although not as instant as what I talked about above, the results page is chock full of relevant conversions and statistics that relate to the user’s query. For example the results below shows a comparison of the entered mass as a comparison to another common mass:
In this case a 400oz bar of gold was used as the comparison. Whether or not these comparisons are helpful is, of course, up to each individual and his or her situation. By providing the user with additional information that they are likely to need, a second and third query can be averted. This saves the user time and, hopefully, promotes a better understanding of the answer to their query.
