4 ms·

The fact that online maps didn't even exist back then is not relevant. The point the author is making is that he feels that if it did exist then it would've had

by shaan7 6y ago

The fact that online maps didn't even exist back then is not relevant. The point the author is making is that he feels that if it did exist then it would've had better UX (again, whether or not that is true is a different question).

marcus_holmes 6y ago
Again, not 1983, but I was using a DOS (iirc we didn't buy the Windows version because it was too slow) mapping tool to create routes for trucks around 1990/91. It was slow, awkward, and needed a few days' training to get up to speed with. Redrawing a map on the screen took a couple of seconds. Scrolling around to find stuff wasn't really possible. But give it a postcode and it knew where everything was. And give it a list of 10 postcodes and it would spit out the best route a few minutes later. Google's UX for everything except search is utter shite. I don't know what they think they're doing. Anyone here from Google who can explain why their UX is so crap?
- marcosdumay 6y ago
  > I don't know what they think they're doing. They are doing search. Specifialy, the monetizable variety of it.
  - marcus_holmes 6y ago
    yeah, OK, but why make the rest of it so shit?
    - marcosdumay 6y ago
      If you look closely you'll see that Google Maps are not a shitty general purpose application specialized on search. It's a single purpose map application that people insist on using for things that aren't search. It's laser focused on generating revenue. The real question is why do people insist on using it? If people didn't, they would have to broaden their goals.
- BurningFrog 6y ago
  Google is good at search and ads. Best in the world, historic achievement etc. You can think of everything else they do as a hobby for a rich person. They don't really need the money and they don't really care about it. Sometimes it turns out well, and sometimes not. It doesn't matter either way.
- untog 6y ago
  I think part of the issue is software becoming mainstream. What percentage of users need to put in ten different postcodes to plot a route that hits all of them? Barely any. So it doesn't make sense to optimise the UI for that use case. Instead it's optimised for traveling A-B, and to my eyes does a great job of it.
  - hedora 6y ago
    How do I type this query into google maps? I need to buy groceries, get a few t-shirts, ship a package, and put gas in my car. Minimize travel time. Alternatively (and even easier): I need to go to Safeway, Target, the UPS store, and Chevron. Pick a route and and order. This would be trivial to enter into the computer using the interface in the article, and trivial for a modern computer to compute and display in under a second.
    - untog 6y ago
      You put in your first destination. Hit directions. Then hit “add stop” until yo-you have your whole route. Why would you need to do that, though? It only makes sense if you’re going to print out directions, which no one does any more. You put your destination in the maps app in your phone and go. Then enter the next destination once you’re there. And so on. There’s very little utility in planning such a trip upfront in a world of ubiquitous GPS and internet.

by shaan7 6y ago

marcus_holmes 6y ago

Again, not 1983, but I was using a DOS (iirc we didn't buy the Windows version because it was too slow) mapping tool to create routes for trucks around 1990/91. It was slow, awkward, and needed a few days' training to get up to speed with. Redrawing a map on the screen took a couple of seconds. Scrolling around to find stuff wasn't really possible. But give it a postcode and it knew where everything was. And give it a list of 10 postcodes and it would spit out the best route a few minutes later. Google's UX for everything except search is utter shite. I don't know what they think they're doing. Anyone here from Google who can explain why their UX is so crap?

marcosdumay 6y ago
> I don't know what they think they're doing. They are doing search. Specifialy, the monetizable variety of it.
- marcus_holmes 6y ago
  yeah, OK, but why make the rest of it so shit?
  - marcosdumay 6y ago
    If you look closely you'll see that Google Maps are not a shitty general purpose application specialized on search. It's a single purpose map application that people insist on using for things that aren't search. It's laser focused on generating revenue. The real question is why do people insist on using it? If people didn't, they would have to broaden their goals.
BurningFrog 6y ago
Google is good at search and ads. Best in the world, historic achievement etc. You can think of everything else they do as a hobby for a rich person. They don't really need the money and they don't really care about it. Sometimes it turns out well, and sometimes not. It doesn't matter either way.
untog 6y ago
I think part of the issue is software becoming mainstream. What percentage of users need to put in ten different postcodes to plot a route that hits all of them? Barely any. So it doesn't make sense to optimise the UI for that use case. Instead it's optimised for traveling A-B, and to my eyes does a great job of it.
- hedora 6y ago
  How do I type this query into google maps? I need to buy groceries, get a few t-shirts, ship a package, and put gas in my car. Minimize travel time. Alternatively (and even easier): I need to go to Safeway, Target, the UPS store, and Chevron. Pick a route and and order. This would be trivial to enter into the computer using the interface in the article, and trivial for a modern computer to compute and display in under a second.
  - untog 6y ago
    You put in your first destination. Hit directions. Then hit “add stop” until yo-you have your whole route. Why would you need to do that, though? It only makes sense if you’re going to print out directions, which no one does any more. You put your destination in the maps app in your phone and go. Then enter the next destination once you’re there. And so on. There’s very little utility in planning such a trip upfront in a world of ubiquitous GPS and internet.