[mbreese]

I'm less interested in how fast Google can return a result. (That should be as fast as possible...)

What really matters to me is how quickly can I find what I'm looking for and go on my way. This is the only metric that really matters.

Total time = search result + visual scanning/deciding

Right now, for me, the total time has increased because the time it takes for me to scan the page and figure out if I want to click a link has increased. Also, because you're being bombarded with extra links as you type, I'm more apprehensive about clicking a link, because I'm wondering if there was a better choice using a different variation of the query.

I loved the older method of as you type updating the query box, but this is information overload.

[Kadrith]

I just open the links in a new tab, then once I have several open I check to see if they are what I want. If they are not I close them and go back to the search tab to refine what I am looking for.

Slightly different topic, but I like Wonder Wheel for searching as well. I start with something intentionally vague if I don't know the exact phrase I want for describing something. Then I select the best choice from the Wonder Wheel.