Google Testing ‘Search’ Button That Replaces ‘Magnifying Glass’ Icon

One recent trend in interface design has been to replace icons with text buttons. Aimed at reducing confusion by being explicit about the nature of an action, Google.com is now testing a “Search” button.

“Search” — in blue Google Sans — replaces a similar colored magnifying glass icon at the very right of the search field. It’s next to the existing microphone icon in Google’s four colors for voice input.

Since the word “search” is much wider than what came before spacing has been increased, with the mic further left. Highlighting the button with your cursor reveals that it is oval in shape. Clicking it also elevates the search bar’s faint gray outlines.

When you’re entering text into the field, a magnifying glass icon appears at the left of your query. This change coincides with a design tweak on the main Google.com homepage. The left of the search pill also adds a light gray icon that is purely stylistic, and cannot be clicked.