Google’s Instant will change user expectations for search interfaces. Any interface that is less responsive will be viewed as less capable. Quality of results will have a minor impact on user ratings of an interface. (I am projecting the results of future surveys analyzing the failure of less responsive interfaces.)
“Instant” display of the names of topics is certainly one useful response to Google’s Instant.
Or display of relationships to other topics.
Or, displaying merging results as property values are selected.
Google’s Instant has raised the bar. Will your topic map interface met the challenge?