Microsoft fully launched Bing (which replaced Live Search), on June 3, 2009, following the release of a preview version on June 1, 2009. Its launch was accompanied by a global media frenzy, including a reported $100 million marketing and advertising campaign.

I originally assumed that Microsoft’s hopeful slogan, “Bing, then decide” encouraged the public to try it out before making up their mind about whether or not to make the switch from Google as their primary search engine. When I became aware that Bing was being touted not as a search engine, but as a decision engine, the slogan took on a new meaning.

Almost two months post-launch, the initial reviews are in, and they’re mostly mixed. A good portion of media coverage has focused on comparing Bing with Google. Commentators have praised Bing for innovations in certain areas- namely, providing better travel, shopping, health and local business results. However, thus far, at least, Bing has hardly been able to put even a minor dent into the Search Behemoth’s dominance. Foraker’s initial data on search engine traffic for a sampling of our clients found that the percentage of total site visits from Microsoft was higher pre-Bing than it was post-Bing.

While Bing’s comparisons with Google are certainly natural and interesting, if Bing truly is a decision engine, and Google a search engine, are we comparing apples to oranges? A little over two weeks after Bing launched, on June 16, 2009, another decision engine, Hunch, burst out of the gates. I was interested to see how Bing and Hunch compare. But first, I wanted to know: what exactly is a decision engine?

According to Microsoft, it is part of the larger search engine class, with the added ability to organize answers in such a way as to help you make “faster, more informed decisions.” Hunch, in its own words, exists to “offer you a great solution to your problem, concern or dilemma, on hundreds of topics”..with “answers based on the collective knowledge of the entire Hunch community, narrowed down to people like you”.

I decided to compare Bing and Hunch on the following criteria, using the decision query “What kind of car should I buy?”:

• visual design: is the design clean? simple? aesthetically pleasing?
• relevancy of results: are results personalized/tailored to me?
• value: do I feel ready and confident to make a decision based on the results provided?

Note: You can create a free Hunch account and answer a seemingly endless slew of questions (samples: Would you rather be: Obese and Wealthy or Healthy and Poor?; All-you-can-eat buffets: Great or Gross?), whereas, presumably, the more questions you have answered, the more personalized results you will receive.  For comparison purposes, I tested each engine without signing in.

Visual Design

Bing: I concur with the frequent accolades for Bing’s “Picture of the Day”, which features a different photo on its main page each day, often of impressive locations, animals and events.  I think it’s a nice touch to have something engaging to look at as I enter my query. I also like that the search field catches my eye right away.

Hunch: While Hunch’s visual design is also clean and simple, the main real estate on the page is devoted to 4 thumbnail images of pieces of art and the question “Of these choices, which type of art do you prefer?”  For a new visitor to the site, it is potentially confusing to begin by questioning their preferences, without an appropriate lead-in.

Winner: Bing

Relevancy of results

Bing: The top search result (for my query of: What kind of car should I buy) on the page was an article from Edmunds.com entitled “10 Steps to Finding the Right Car for You”, which contained fairly relevant information.  Results #2 and #3 were an answer to a question posted by a self-described 20-year old male college student with a budget of $25,000 in a forum on Men.Style.com. Given that I purchased my last car for less than a third of that price, am no longer in college, and am of the opposite gender, I did not find these results relevant.  The rest of the results were a mix of additional forum answers as well as several articles and quizzes.  Interestingly, Hunch itself was listed in the top 10 results.  Overall rating: Just-like-Google.  I definitely don’t feel ready to make a decision based on the first page of results I was returned.

Hunch: Instead of being returned a list of results, I was prompted with the question: “How much are you planning to spend?” with a list of options ranging from “less than $18,000” to “more than $55,000”.  I had the option to “skip this question” but I answered it with “less than $18,000” and was prompted with the next question: “Which style of car would you like?” with options of “SUV or truck; sedan; sports car; minivan or van; wagon; convertible; crossover; compact/sub-compact; MPV”.  I selected “sports car”, and received a result of: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

The results page provided a link to “learn more or get a quote on Edmunds.com”, as well as lists on which the car is ranked highly and a compilation of “Pros and Cons” submitted by registered members of the site. There is also a link labeled “Why did Hunch pick this?” although I was somewhat disappointed that it simply repeated back the criteria I had submitted. It also provided a popularity rank amongst all Hunch users. Overall rating: Woo hoo! I got a concrete answer to my question and feel that the result was personalized to me.

Winner: Hunch

Value

Bing: While Bing’s results provided some appropriate articles that I could read to further consider the factors involved in deciding what car to purchase, it did not help me make my decision in any concrete way.

Hunch: By receiving answers to the mere two questions it asked me, Hunch provided me with a custom-tailored answer; a specific car that I might consider purchasing.

Winner: Hunch

With wins in 2 out of the 3 categories in my completely un-scientific survey, I’ll be much more likely to trust my decisions to Hunch than Bing.

Of course, only time will tell whether Bing will make a significant impact in the Search arena. By billing itself as a “decision engine”, Microsoft was likely attempting to differentiate itself from search giant Google; however when there are similar engines on the Web, such as Hunch, that show more initial promise for truly helping users make decisions, one is left to ponder whether Bing should consider a new self-definition.

In terms of both functionality and design, I find Google and Bing to be much more comparable than Bing and Hunch. So why should users stop using their trusted Google in favor of Bing? What sets it apart, if it does not, in fact, help its users make a concrete decision any better than Google does? Are its noted areas of innovation enough to convert a significant stream of faithful Google users once the initial curiosity – and $100 million – has been spent? My hunch is no.

As for me, I plan to continue using Hunch when I suffer from all-too-common Analysis Paralysis. Incidentally, when I asked Hunch “which search engine should I use?”, it told me: Wolfram Alpha. It seems I’ve got a unique answer engine to go check out.

Niki Konkoly — A lifelong writer who created "The Weekly Geekly" long before the Onion existed, Niki provides web updates and Google AdWords account management services. Her hobbies include skiing, traveling, and hiking. She can be found in the Twitterverse at @nikikonkoly