CONCEPT 01
Traveling to a new country often require culture-specific logistical knowledge.
Currently, Google Maps don’t account for the fact that traveling to new locations often require cultural and social context that's specific to the region. At a restaurant in Japan when traveling with my family, we had the slightly frantic experience of not having enough cash to pay the meal. We weren't familiar with the fact that many restaurants in Japan only accepted cash. Luckily, there was an English-speaking guest sitting nearby who offered to help.
CONCEPT 02
Maps can notify nearby saved places, helping travelers integrate these stops more easily in their itinerary.
Currently, travelers often find it difficult to use saved items in their folders because it often requires going out of their way to visit those places. Maps can intelligently notify travelers of nearby saved items, helping them easily spot saved places close to their must-visit destinations.
Get familiar with useful norms in the new location, and turn on helpful reminders.
Upon landing, first-time travelers can get more familiar with helpful norms in the new country, and turn on location-based notifications that are specifically helpful in the area.
Time-Sensitive Notifications specific to the region.
These norms can be reflected in time-sensitive notifications. Instead of going out of the way to find ATMs, notifications can remind you when you're walking near an ATM when exploring around the city.
Notifications can intelligently surface to remind travelers of nearby saved items.
Notifications can appear when travelers are near saved items. This makes going to saved items feel more convenient.
Google Maps for Traveling
I explored ways that Maps can enhance the experience of traveling to a country for the first time. In addition to my personal experience, I conducted interviews to strengthen my understanding of navigating an unfamiliar space using Maps.
If you're curious about the detailed design process, I'd love to chat on Linkedin!
TIMELINE
October 2024
CONTRIBUTION
User Research, Prototyping, Product Thinking
PROJECT TYPE & TEAM
Independent Conceptual Work
Special thanks to Simran Mehta for discussions