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> It’s supposed to be functional. For whom? Aldi who is highlighted? Google who is paid? Or the poor suckers trying to find something? A subtle dark pattern t

> It’s supposed to be functional. For whom? Aldi who is highlighted? Google who is paid? Or the poor suckers trying to find something? A subtle dark pattern that Google uses is that they have roughly one size of POI, so there isn't enough space to show everything, or most things, it has to pick and choose. That artificial scarcity is tied to the profit motive (pay for prominence) and is user hostile. Sure, grocery stores are most common, but often you're looking for something else. Using small icons, smaller text, or some other UI affordance to facilitate finding what you need nearby, quickly and without text searching, would be great, but isn't in Google's interest.

robertlagrant 3y ago
> A subtle dark pattern that Google uses is that they have roughly one size of POI How many useful sizes could they have on a phone? > the profit motive (pay for prominence) Can you pay for this?
- 15kingben 3y ago
  > Can you pay for this? Yes - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9934637?hl=en https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9934637?hl=en
thanhhaimai 3y ago
I think this opinion is unnecessarily cynical. The people who navigate to school tend to have one or two school per year. They learn the route by heart mostly. Schools are not interchangeable for the one attending them. On the other hand, I don't keep track of grocery stores, and I'm much more likely to look for them on a map (especially to plan where to stop by along the road). There are more likely explanations here than to immediately jumping to the cynical interpretation.
- guappa 3y ago
  Why if you look for "restaurants" it will show you a restaurant that is 5km away and not one that is 100m away (but is indeed in the db)? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38401345 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38401345
- CogitoCogito 3y ago
  “Follow the money” is _not_ a cynical interpretation. I’d go so far as to say that ignoring the money is entirely naive.
- Lamad1234 3y ago
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robertlagrant 3y ago

> A subtle dark pattern that Google uses is that they have roughly one size of POI How many useful sizes could they have on a phone? > the profit motive (pay for prominence) Can you pay for this?

15kingben 3y ago
> Can you pay for this? Yes - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9934637?hl=en https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9934637?hl=en

thanhhaimai 3y ago

I think this opinion is unnecessarily cynical. The people who navigate to school tend to have one or two school per year. They learn the route by heart mostly. Schools are not interchangeable for the one attending them. On the other hand, I don't keep track of grocery stores, and I'm much more likely to look for them on a map (especially to plan where to stop by along the road). There are more likely explanations here than to immediately jumping to the cynical interpretation.

guappa 3y ago
Why if you look for "restaurants" it will show you a restaurant that is 5km away and not one that is 100m away (but is indeed in the db)? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38401345 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38401345
CogitoCogito 3y ago
“Follow the money” is _not_ a cynical interpretation. I’d go so far as to say that ignoring the money is entirely naive.
Lamad1234 3y ago
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