Next in the my series on Google’s “10 Things We Know to Be True”:

#7 There’s always more information out there.

“Once we’d indexed more of the HTML pages on the Internet than any other search service, our engineers turned their attention to information that was not as readily accessible. Sometimes it was just a matter of integrating new databases into search, such as adding a phone number and address lookup and a business directory. Other efforts required a bit more creativity, like adding the ability to search news archives, patents, academic journals, billions of images and millions of books. And our researchers continue looking into ways to bring all the world’s information to people seeking answers.”

You see the theme here right?  These guys just never stop finding ways to make their products better. If you’re skeptical, think about what seems like an obscure topic.  Now start typing it into the Google search bar. How many letters before your topic was displayed? I am always amazed at how often the term I was looking for comes up first, and how few letters it takes.  You don’t design and develop a service that great by looking at your work and thinking “good enough”.  Google has built a culture where the default for any of its staff when they look at a service is not to think how good it is, but “How can it be better?”  It seems simple, but my experience tells me this is a remarkable accomplishment in a large organization.  Many (if not most) people who work hard at something don’t like someone telling them it can be better.  It seems Google not only likes this, it demands it.