Google Maps: saving the road ahead — a UX case study

Plan now, Go Later.

I have a lousy sense of direction, so Google Maps has always been my right-hand app. On a whim last year, I decided to skip the beach and sunburn and head to Budapest for spring break. That’s when Google Maps became my best friend.

When I wasn’t admiring the Buda Castle or bathing in the Széchenyi Thermal Baths, I was on Google Maps. Google Maps helped me decide where to eat, how many attractions I could see in a day, what public transportation to take, and — when I inevitably got lost — how to get back to my Airbnb.

I learned that when I take a trip to a new area, I want to explore and engage with that place as much as possible. This is difficult because:

1. I don’t always know which places to explore
2. I don’t know how to optimize my route to make sure I get to all of the places I want to see
3. I don’t know where to save my ideas and plans in one place

First Things First

User Research

I interviewed ten users to understand how people use Google Maps to plan daily activities. I found two distinct user-types:

1. Logistic-Oriented. These are users who use Google Maps daily to optimize their routes. They like to focus on numbers: trip duration, mileage, and traffic delays.
2. Explorers. These users might not use Google Maps as their primary navigation app. They use it to find things to do, pin locations they want to visit, and see what those places look like using Street View.

In general, both user types agreed: Google Maps is great at 1) helping you decide where to go and 2) helping you get there.

Market Research

Logistic-oriented users praised Google Maps for having the most accurate GPS information. Users also agreed that Google Maps promotes exploration more than other navigation apps.

Feature comparison among top navigation apps.

Although Google Maps lets you share your route progress and favorite places with friends, it has…