Yahoo! is testing a new design approach for its search pages, topped by a distinctive shiny blue bar.
The new look is not currently available to all users, but several searchers have reported seeing the change.
The new format presents links to search categories like Video and Images, as well as to core network features like Mail and Shopping, across a horizontal bar at the top of the page.
A glassy blue effect beneath the Yahoo! logo has drawn comparisons with the Aqua theme of Apple’s OS X user interface. A drop-down menu contains a link to “advertising programmes”.
The change was noticed as early as May, but has been more prevalent in the last week.
One user complained:
“Although I think it looks nicer, it doesn’t display the number of results found in a search. That number is a very important number so I hope they’re working on including it.”