Google Maps Mobile App Redesign
OVERVIEW
The Google Maps mobile application allows users to conveniently navigate their way and plan their journeys without the use of traditional maps and paper.
The goal of this project was to identify any usability issues and come up with solutions that can solve the issues and even propose new features to improve the overall experience when using the application.
ROLE
UX/UI Designer
User Researcher
Ideation
User Persona
Task flows
Wireframing
Prototyping & Testing
September 2022 - October 2022
Background
Google Maps is a multilingual, web-based mapping service offered by Google that provides users with detailed information about geographical regions and sites around the world.
It offers a wide range of services that include satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, street view (which is a 360° interactive panoramic views of streets), real-time traffic condition updates, public transport information and also the feature of route planning.
As of 2020, there are about 1 billion people who use Google Maps every month around the world.
The Issue
As times change, people seemingly are getting more and more impatient and seek convenience whenever they can. Therefore, they will look for options that will allow them the most cost-effective and time-efficient route to use when travelling as "Time is money".
I noticed that users were having issues when using the app to search for travel routes that were the most efficient, which results in a dissatisfying experience.
User Research
To better understand the issues that the app poses to the users, I decided to conduct a simple heuristic evaluation on various aspects of the app. This helped me to have a deeper understanding of what worked and what didn't, which allowed me to get a better of what users would potentially want from the app.
Target Audience
To gain a better understanding of the app's target audience, I decided to conduct a simple survey and interview session to aid in collecting information.
For the survey and interview, I made sure to pinpoint three main areas to clarify:
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frequency of use
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reasons for using
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features that users would like to see
From this, I was able to identify what users wanted to have or not have from the current app.
What they liked:
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Route suggestions from the app
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Able to look at the information of various places directly
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Able to save locations to visit
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Give contributions/reviews to help others
What they disliked:
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App did not suggest the most optimal route
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App chooses route that is the shortest, but often has the most traffic during peak hours
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Unable to click on what they wanted on the app
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Too many things appear on the map at a time
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Unable to find a straight, clear-cut route to destination
User Personas
With reference to the results obtained from the survey and interviews, I was able to craft three different user personas based on the compiled list of information gathered.
User Task Flows
To get a clearer view of what can be improved, I decided to create different tasks based on two of the three personas:
- Daniel (Primary persona, red)
- Emily (Secondary persona, green)
This helped me to gain a better understanding of where the pain points are and with the help of these visuals, I can better identify the areas that need to be improved.
Search Route to Destination with Bus/Mrt (Primary)
Walk to Destination without using Live View (Primary)
Walk to Destination using Live View (Primary)
View the Reviews of a Location (Secondary)
Add a Favourite Location (Secondary)
Search for Similar Places (If Desired Location is Closed) (Secondary)
Search for Similar Places Near Your Desired Location (Secondary)
Ideation
Sketches
With the research compiled until this point, I began ideating by creating wireframe sketches. This helped me with visualisation and allowed me to effectively try out different layouts efficiently.
Low Fidelity Prototype
With the sketches done, I then created a low-fidelity prototype to perform some user testing. With the low fidelity, it does not take too much type to make, so I can freely reiterate the designs as needed.
Medium Fidelity Prototype
With the results of the first user testing session in hand, I then proceeded to create the medium fidelity prototype and conducted another round of user testing.
High Fidelity Prototype
Ultimately, with the feedback from the two versions of medium fidelity prototypes, I was able to combine the suggestions and additional ideas to form the high fidelity prototype.
Mock Up
This is the final mock up for the Google Maps Mobile App Redesign.
Final Closing Thoughts
From the experiences I've gone through during this project, despite the many ups and downs, I'm glad that we've managed to push through and created a design that improved the overall user experience. I have now gained more insight into designing of mobile applications with a larger user base and it was quite a fun journey to have gone through.
I would like to express my thanks to my fellow team members of Team One Mikaleh for going through this journey together with me.
Special Thanks to:
Team One Mikaleh
Jie Yu Ong
UI/UX Designer
Nicole Tan
Product Manager
