Until people show me that paid results aren't relevant (hint: they usually are), then most of the real estate is fulfilling his purpose.

Also, if Google decided to some how change to using 2 columns of organic search so they could squeeze 16 results into a single page, you'd hear just as much, if not more, complaining.

Except you use the navigation to improve your search. No one wants a page completely full of organic results.

Exactly - I use the "search within date range" functionality a lot. No, I don't want to type out that in the search box the entire time - esp. when the default facets (1 day, 1 month, 1 year back) are so convenient.

What I want, ideally, is exactly a page of organic results that fulfills my search query with perfect relevance.

Ideally, in the perfect world, I don't need the navigation, page 2, or even a place to refine my search. Ideally, I don't need any of that.

If we're talking about what I want, that's it.

Surely the ideal would be a single result with exactly the information you need. But because the search query is seldom perfect, it's good to have several results - and by extension, some paid results too.

In a perfect world, you don't even want page 1 -- why show ten results when you really only want one?

And behold, that perfect world exists now: "I'm Feeling Lucky".

You joke, but yes, that's exactly what I want. Why would I not want exactly what I'm looking for delivered directly to me?

Also, "I'm Feeling Lucky" isn't an option for me, not in the version of Chrome I have anyway. Even if I explicitly load the www.google.com which shows the feeling lucky button, as soon as I type 1 letter in the box the screen changes to an interactive search, which no longer has the lucky button.

You can disable Instant Search by going to http://www.google.com/preferences and selecting "Never show Instant results.".

Or, you could set "I'm Feeling Lucky" to be Chrome's default search: http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/chrome/pDpfTIoSa... . Basically, you add "btnl=I%27m+Feeling+Lucky" to the Google search URL.

I do.

Well, except perhaps my query at the top so I can refine it if necessary.

So turn on adblock or get one of the scripts that strips down the UI. Mountains of testing have shown that you're in the severe minority here.

I do use scripts for that. I was just providing a counter point to the parent's "No one wants". "Most people don't want" would be more accurate.

So you would prefer something like the this:

http://i.imgur.com/ryiPq.png

It seems like poor UX to me. It's a little ugly how line length isn't constrained and you're unable to do anything but type a query into the box. Special queries would require memorizing commands or just doing without.

I'd prefer a multi-column layout, 'cause you're right that long lines are hard to read.

I don't use that many special queries, except sometimes "site:", and frankly if I have to type (or paste) the entire domain anyway, "site:" is way less effort than switching to a different text field, even if it were one of the defaults.

I'd be OK having a "More Options" link or something for the rare case when I want to search for images by color or whatever.

Having said that, I'm aware this is very much a personal opinion. Google can design their site for the majority. I don't mind.

I kinda like the collapsable sidebar present in Google Maps. However, I rarely miss the extra space taken up by the current sidebar on the main search results page.