MOBILE APP DESIGN
Google Maps Redesign
Providing quick access to information when discovering new experiences
Role
Lead product designer and UX researcher
Tools
Sketch • InVision • Illustrator • Google Forms • Pen & Paper • Google Slides • Zoom • Otter
Deliverables
User Interviews • Affinity Map • Empathy Map • Personas • Journey Map • Competitive Analysis • Competitive Matrix • Auto Ethnography • Site Map • User Flow • Style File • UX & Visual Design • Sketches • Annotated Wireframes • Prototyping • Usability Testing • Validation
Overview
With over 100 million users, Google Maps has become the premiere tool when traveling. But when the time comes to discover a new experience, is Google Maps effective in helping travelers make the ‘right’ decision?
Solution
After conducting user research, it was discovered that travelers like to cross reference multiple sources so they can feel confident in making a decision on what to do next. As part of Pratt Institute’s coursework, I designed a feature in Google Maps that allows users to customize and add other ‘trustworthy’ primary and secondary sources that enable them to make an informed decision quickly.
Research
Screener Survey & User Interviews
A survey was emailed within my network to target spontaneous travelers on how they uncover new experiences. Out of 25 responses, I discovered that those who considered themselves spontaneous actually DO some research before their trip. The amount of research they did was described as either light research or a lot of research.
From the surveyed pool, I interviewed 6 participants, four who identified as doing light research and two who identified as doing a lot of research. One of the themes that resonated with all users was fear of making the wrong decision coupled with the fear of missing out.
An affinity map was created to organize research findings.
To combat these fears, spontaneous travelers engaged in these behaviors:
Opportunity
Users create a loose itinerary with opportunities built in to discover new experiences, especially those off the beaten path.
Research
Users cross reference for validation.
Reviews
A common frustration was having to sift through comments on crowd sourced platforms to find legitimate reviews.
USER STORY
As a traveler in a foreign city, Emily wants quick access to trustworthy information when exploring new experiences so she can feel confident in her decision on what to do next.
Market Research
Even though 100% of the interviewees use Google Maps to locate new experiences in relation to their proximity and use Google’s search engine to find more details, users turned to other tools to validate Google’s results. With so much information on the internet, users wanted a second opinion.
Journey Map
To synthesize the user’s step-by-step interaction and her feelings with the current tools she uses now, I created a user journey map to better understand her pain points and identify windows of opportunity.
User Need
Users can get overwhelmed with the information they find and the tools they use to get that information. Instead of designing another platform for travelers to help them feel confident about their next steps, how can we utilize Google Maps, a tool that is already a part of their everyday life?
HYPOTHESIS
Designing a customizable feature within Google Maps will help travelers resolve their friction with sifting through multiple sources for trusted information .
Auto Ethnography
Before jumping into the design, I wanted to test the current user flow on Google Maps. Using one of the interviewee’s examples as a prompt, I searched ‘Bar near me’ on the app. From this experience, I realized that I was clicking and scrolling more than I wanted to get the information I needed.
Site Map
To focus on our persona, Google Maps needed to help Emily in her decision making when discovering new experiences. With a focus on the search-browse function, I plotted out a site map, integrating the different resources Emily used in tandem with Google.
Sketches
Since Emily cross references multiple sources to make an informed decision, I sketched different ways in which she can get the information quickly - through carousels, cards, tabs, etc. without having to leave the app.
Sketching layouts for the References page…
…and Reviews page.
Annotated Wireframes
I explored different ways that Emily can interact with the app, keeping in mind that I wanted it to be intuitive.
Test & Iterate
Style File
Since Google has an extensive material design guideline, I did not need to design anything new except for a few additional icons that would fit seamlessly within the Google universe.
Design Solution and Validation
I validated the prototype with another group of 7 people by running a test and having them rate the new features on a scale.
85% found the new features easy to use.
100% felt confident after using the new features.
Below are the deliverables that help users make an informed decision quickly when exploring new experiences.
Shortcuts to your favorite resources.
Without having to leave Google Maps, users can discover and access other crowd sourced platforms via the Reviews tab and access other traditional resources via the Articles tab in order to verify a business or experience. Users can also save their go-to resources and get the latest updates in seconds!
Find what you want at a glance.
Users can quickly find what they are looking for when searching through the redesigned Photos tab. With the grid layout, users can see more photos above the fold and with the added sort function and expanded filter options, they can find the photos that are most relevant to their needs.
Save time and browse by proximity to your saved places!
People like to do some research prior to travel and have a list of places to go and things to do. To maximize precious time, users can now browse new experiences in relation to their saved locations and can quickly update their lists on the go via My Maps in the navigation bar.
Take a look at my prototype!!
Reflection
Designing a new feature in a widely used product had some design considerations and user testing really brought these considerations into focus. Since people already have an established relationship with Google, I had to make sure that what was being added was intuitive to how they are already interacting with Google. The feature also had to be accessible for the luddite to the technologically savvy and for all age groups. So when designing for the general public, there is no room for assumptions on how the user will interact with the Google Maps as they all differed to varying degrees. User testing is vital and I would have loved to test a more diverse group if time permitted.
As Google continues to update their app, I would love to see how this feature can evolve over time.