When Microsoft launched the Bing search website in 2009, the biggest thing that made it different than Google"s site, at least on the surface, was that the Bing.com front page had a different and beautiful photograph that has been changed every single day since the launch. Typically, the image is a static photo but on occasion, the front page uploads an HTML5-based animation.
So with 365 (366 in leap years) images to select every year for the Bing.com home page, how does Microsoft"s team pick which one to showcase on one of the most popular websites on the Internet? The official Bing blog, written this time by Microsoft"s Matt Wallaert, states that normally, the search team is normally looking to give the user satisfaction when they search for something via Bing.com, but for the front page photo the team looks to give a different type of emotion from the user.
Wallaert states:
While it may not increase your life satisfaction by helping you get something done, a quick look at Twitter and Facebook will tell you that it is a source of momentary delight for millions of people every day. The editorial team behind choosing the image carefully considers user happiness in every selection they make, working to maximize the surprise and delight we can get by simply taking a moment to explore our world visually.
Wallaert says the Bing team wants to generate delight from its users when they check out images on the Bing Friends Photos feature. Even the ability to preview a video in Bing Video Search, via the cursor hovering over the video thumbnail, is supposed to bring delight. Wallaert adds, "Is it a huge feature? No. And while it certainly has some utility, it isn’t the reason I use video search. But what it does do is surprise and delight me every time I need to use it."
Source: Bing blog | Image via Microsoft