August 23, 2007

What Do Laptops and Hypothyroidism Have in Common?

More than you think, because we’ve expanded upon the popular narrowing options for restaurants and hotels (try San Diego restaurants or San Diego hotels). Now searches for popular queries around electronics, medical conditions and medications also display narrowing shortcuts on Yahoo! Search.

If you happen to be contemplating your next electronics purchase, I can tell you first-hand that it can be a research-intensive exercise. I was recently tasked with helping select a laptop for my sister who’s starting college in the next few weeks. I plugged in the search term ‘laptops‘ and got the bulk of my research underway.

After reading some user reviews and comparing model specs, my sister and I agreed that a MacBook was the best choice for her. She loves it! If you have some back-to-school shopping as well, or just crave a new toy, try searching for ‘digital cameras,’ ‘cell phones‘ or ‘mp3 players.’

Looking to do some research on a medical condition or medications? I recently had a close friend diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I used the narrower to educate myself about the condition and gather helpful information.

I now have a better understanding of common symptoms and treatments after reading up on the latest clinical trials on MedlinePlus. I also found a Yahoo! Group that she can join to connect with others living with the condition. And to get more detailed, I did a search for ‘levothyroxine,’ a common medication used to treat hypothyroidism, to learn about the possible side effects.

Try searching for ‘breast cancer,’ ‘ALS,’ ‘Lexapro,’ or ‘vitamin E‘ to see more shortcut examples.

We plan to introduce more shortcuts and create more displays like these, so we welcome your ideas. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Carlos Teran
Yahoo! Search

Comments

  1. This is a very useful feature. You could add a shortcut to people’s opinion about a product.

  2. I think this feature improves search because it shows me the top brands in an easy to read format. (If I am looking for a laptop, I want to see what the top companies have for sale, and the top companies are the ones with healthy advertising budgets. I’m not interested in fly-by-night laptops. I want a good one backed by a large corporation.)

    In other words, this feature often reminds me about things I already know, and that fact helps me save time, especially when I am comparing products.

  3. Great work tying in not just search filters and more info, but also the community resources.

  4. Great work tying in not just search filters and more info, but also the community resources.

  5. Great work tying in not just search filters and more info, but also the community resources.

  6. Great work tying in not just search filters and more info, but also the community resources.
    I agree with

  7. Great work tying in not just search filters and more info, but also the community resources.
    I agree with

  8. Great work tying in not just search filters and more info, but also the community resources.
    I agree with

  9. Great work tying in not just search filters and more info, but also the community resources.
    I agree with

  10. I search for new laptop, in this day meditate for conversion to Mac system. How do you mind?

  11. Great work tying in not just search filters and more info, but also the community resources.
    I agree with

  12. I search for new laptop, in this day meditate for conversion to Mac system. How do you mind?

  13. Yahoo has been so helpful in product selection……..I will use this when I purchase my next laptop………

  14. I think Yahoo position on the website could really help people expand their understanding of medicine and treatments.

  15. Yahoo could play an important part in Medical Tourism

  16. It’s great that people afflicted with a medical condition can so easily meet other people having the same experiences over the internet - good job yahoo I say.

  17. Yahoo!Group is a great idea. Is it available in multiple languages?

  18. Is there any way that Yahoo! could offer services to blind users?