Did Someone Say Road Trip?
A UX comparison of navigation apps
Travel is one of my greatest passions in life, and fortunately, I get to drive cross country just about every year. It’s over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go each summer. My kids don’t always appreciate the journey, but they love the destination just as much as I do. We live in Tucson, Arizona, and we have been traveling by minivan to Erie, Pennsylvania to visit my mom almost yearly for the past 12 years.
I remember back to the first couple of trips in the pre smartphone era. We would have our pages and pages of Google map directions printed out on paper, (Still beats the days of unfolding the big cumbersome map in the passenger side of the car.) hoping not to misplace or lose an important sheet. With so many stops and points of interest, the directions were not always straightforward, but even when driving directly from point A to point B, there are a lot of twists and turns and exists to take over the 32 hour drive. Yes! I said it. Thirty-two hours in a vehicle with five children. Surprisingly, they have always done quite well.
Normally while traveling, I will use the Google Maps application on my iPhone. I got so used to using Google Maps from my days of being an Android user that I honestly never really played with Apple Maps much. On my most recent trip out east this year, however, I decided to give Apple Maps a try for comparison. I discovered some very impressive differences between the two apps, and I find it important to point a few of them out.
So without further ado, let’s take a trip from Tucson, AZ to Erie, PA.
Apple and Google both display their trips in different ways. There isn’t a clear winner for me in terms of who does it better as a whole, but there is definitely a winner for certain features. I will just point out a few along the way for each screen. Google Maps will be displayed on the left with Apple Maps on the right.
Let’s start on the overview screen for the trip. Apple will actually tell you which one is the fastest. It isn’t rocket science to know that 6 hours is less than 7 hours, but it’s a nice touch for Apple to label the fastest route for the user. Although both apps use a map to show the total view of the trip, only Google actually shows the states labeled and outlined on the map which I find very helpful. I also like the way that Google tells the user upfront how long the trip will take for each mode of transportation.
When you take a look at the turn-by-turn directions, Google fits a lot of steps onto one screen. It is a really great overview if the user is not currently driving. Apple, on the other hand, is thinking about the user as they are driving because each step is written very big for the user to quickly and clearly see the upcoming direction changes.
While riding along, I noticed that Google gave the indication that there would be an exit or turn to take 55 miles ahead. Apple just indicated that the user had to drive 54 more miles ahead without an indication of what was coming next. Each app lays out their trip details a bit differently. The way that Apple displays the ETA and remaining time and miles makes it a lot easier to read as the user is driving.
Later on Google instructs the user to drive 43 miles before taking a right onto another road (832). Apple doesn’t give further instructions past the 43 miles straight ahead.
A little further down the road, however, Apple redeems itself. As the user gets a bit closer to the exit, Apple displays the upcoming turn along with the exit number so the user has more information about the next move. Google merely continues to display the turn only. They add in the exit number when the exit is only about two miles away (of which I do not have a screenshot to share).
Lastly, when exiting the interstate and entering a regular street, each app displays the map a bit differently. Google seems to give a longer range of view than Apple does. It allows the user to see further along the road which can help with planning the next move. Apple, on the other hand, gives the user more information than Google does. Apple will actually inform the user of stop lights and stop signs. Google does not yet offer this very useful feature. In my opinion, this is something that makes Apple a more usable navigation tool for driving around town. I wish Google would add this feature soon.
So, there you have it folks, a basic comparison of the two most popular navigation apps — Google Maps and Apple Maps. Which is your preferred application? Is it one of these or something else entirely? I would be curious to hear your thoughts in the comments.
