Design Evaluation

I have a Google email and a Yahoo email. It has always struck me how different the approach each company takes to making a home page for users. Google is my choice of good design. The simplicity is the first thing you notice. No advertisements, no promotions, just a search field, awaiting your request. The font is sans serif, and the entire page is minimalist. It is professional and the lack of distractions gives a sense of seriousness and authority.

Yahoo has advertisements that change every day, they have news stories that regularly change, they have a huge list of clickable options down the left side of the page and the overall sense is of a suitcase that you packed for a vacation to Europe. You don't want to forget anything, so you throw one of everything in there. Distractions are everywhere, and the viewer is left confused about what they should be looking at. The search bar, though prominent, is not the first thing you notice; it is more of an afterthought.