Bing logo emerging from the back of a snow-capped mountain

Bing’s Approach to Search Engine Design: 10 Principles

Dissection Bing’s 10 Design Principles

Microsoft developed Bing as a search engine. The search engine was launched in 2009 as a competitor to Google. Bing helps users find information on the internet, including websites, images, and videos. To deliver relevant and useful search results, it combines algorithms and user feedback. It is available on a variety of devices, including computers, tablets, and smartphones, and can be accessed via a web browser or app. Searching and discovering new content with Bing is a popular activity among millions of users around the world.

Google and Bing are both search engines that help users find information on the web. Both are popular search engines, but each has its unique features and capabilities. Differentiating the two platforms is mainly based on what type and ranking of search algorithm they use, how search results are distilled, and how privacy is handled. Currently, Bing holds a share of 2.47% of the worldwide search engine market. Since 2019, search engines’ share of the market has increased by 1.23%. But, with a market share of 92.13%, Google is the industry leader.

In this post, I’ll be digging into Bing's applying various design principles for its search engine result structuring, information hierarchy, and interface. Here are all the design principles from LukeW’s 2010 post:

1. Design for explorers
2. Delight and surprise our users
3. Earn Trust
4. Be the brand
5. Make Money
6. Showcase our best
7. Organize the page by relevance
8. Respect the need for speed
9. Give just enough and offer more
10. Present a seamless experience

#1 Design for explorers

• Define the scope and purpose of the search engine: Think about what information or resources will be found using the search engine. Will it focus on a particular topic or subject area, or will it be more general?
• Gather and index relevant information: For a search engine to provide useful results, it has to have access to a wide range of relevant information. This may involve…