Google Maps: Design for Context

While Google has released some excellently designed mobile products as of late, there are a few “features” in the new Google Maps for iOS that leave me puzzled.

While the left menu drawer can be opened by tapping the hamburger icon in the lower left corner, the menu can also be easily opened by a right swipe from the left side of the screen. This gesture may work in some apps, but it becomes particularly troublesome in Google Maps. Users will find themselves inadvertently opening the drawer when attempting to pan and zoom in/out on the map.

Google wanted a simple way to report errors back to them, and added a cute “shake to send error report” gesture. Perhaps they intended it to be used when someone is shaking their phone in frustration, but you must consider the context in which the app is used. If the user has the Google Maps app open while they are jogging down a street, the app may incorrectly register their movements as the shake gesture and open the error report dialog.

It is critical to understand the context in which an app will be used to help design systems that will satisfy the user’s needs.

Google needs to more stringently test their applications to attain the high quality we come to expect from them. Using contextual design techniques such as contextual inquiry can go a long way in enhancing the usability of Google Maps.

Update: the “shake to send feedback” gesture has been turned off by default, and the left-hand drawer can no longer be triggered from a pinch/zoom gesture.

Originally published at matthewdeutsch.org on 4/11/13.