Google Maps: Google Maps’ former designer is ‘unhappy’ with the changes to the app, here’s why

A few days back Google changed the look of its widely popular Maps app. Like with most changes, there were people who appreciated it and there were some who didn’t really care much for it. In the latter camp was Elizabeth Laraki, a former designer, who worked at Google on Maps. Laraki took to X and posted quiet a detailed critique of all that is wrong with the new design of Google Maps.
Laraki said that she helped design Google Maps 15 years ago and still uses it everyday but the dramatically different visual design didn’t impress her. “I don’t love it. It feels colder, less accurate and less human. But more importantly, they missed a key opportunity to simplify and scale,” she said in her post.

Google Maps looks ‘crowded’

One of the criticism Laraki has the amount of stuff that “has accumulated on top of the map.” She said that there are 11 different elements obscuring it now. “The map should be sacred real estate. Only things that are highly useful to many people should obscure it,” she said.
She also shared how new features could have been added without overlaying them directly on the map. The three tips she had for Google include: dramatically simplify; strongly prioritise map visibility; bury legacy and low use features. In 2007, I was 1 of 2 designers on Google Maps. At that time, Maps had already become a cluttered mess. We were wedging new features into any space we could find in the UI. The user experience was suffering and the product was growing increasingly complicated. We had to rethink the app to be simple and scale for the future. It seems like it’s time for Google Maps to do this again…,” she said on X.

What Google has to say

In a statement shared with CNBC, a Google spokesperson said “We’re always thinking about how to make Google Maps more accurately reflect the real world. We designed our updates based on extensive research and feedback from users — with a goal of making the map easier to use and understand. For example, the roads are now darker to look more like actual roads and provide a better canvas for helpful details like lanes,” said a Google spokesperson in an email.