Although conducting research in a conference room is a valuable way to test designs with potential users, sometimes teams at Google need a more hands-on method for interviewing users and conducting usability tests. In this video, I'll tell you the story of how the Google Maps team expanded its understanding of how people get around in countries like India and Indonesia. Their firsthand learnings changed the design of Google Maps. In large, densely populated cities like Delhi, India, and Jakarta, Indonesia, traffic is a real headache. In a car, someone might be stuck in traffic for several hours per day, so locals have found a way around this obstacle: two-wheeled vehicles, like scooters and motorcycles. They can weave around traffic and take shortcuts a car can't. The problem? Mapping applications like Google Maps were built for cars. Although cars and scooters drive the same roads, the drivers don't have the same ability to use Google Maps. For example, someone driving a car can listen and see directions as they drive. Although this is still possible for someone driving a scooter or motorcycle, it's much more difficult. They're likely wearing a helmet which covers their ears, the road noise is louder and harder to block out, and even having visible access to a mobile device while driving a scooter or motorcycle is complicated. A few years ago, a team of UX designers, researchers, engineers, product managers, and marketers from around the world traveled to the region to meet with locals. They interacted with locals in traffic, in their homes, and even on the backs of their motorcycles. The team valued the immersive experience of actually riding through traffic and experiencing the bugs in the Google Maps app in real-time. What insights did the team learn from their research? First, the team discovered that it is difficult to follow a map while driving a motorcycle, so many drivers memorize their routes beforehand. This insight was valuable in the design stage. It helped UX designers make the trip instructions more glanceable and memorable. Researchers also realized that pointing out landmarks during the trip is especially important for drivers of two-wheeled vehicles. The team took this insight and added more landmark references to the directions in Google Maps. Another research insight the team applied to the app was the addition of more language options. India alone has 22 official languages and thousands of local dialects. Indonesians speak hundreds of languages as well. Giving drivers more language options means they're more likely to understand the map's directions. Finally, another way that researchers applied their insights to the app experience was by customizing the directions themselves. Before, drivers of two-wheeled vehicles would be frustrated when they were expected to drive roads that were inaccessible to them because the terrain was too rough, or the speeds weren't safe. In addition, driving a two-wheeled vehicle lets you take shortcuts through narrow alleys and roads that a car can't travel through. Now users can switch Google Maps to two-wheeler mode, which changes the route that Google Maps recommends. This benefits users because it reduces time spent in traffic and provides them a more accurate estimated arrival time. Traditional research, like asking riders to test a new app feature and collecting feedback and compiling data, is always a useful process in the UX world. However, field research or firsthand observation of people in their natural environment is incredibly valuable too. It allows researchers to collect audio, video, and in-person experiences. These personal experiences helped the UX team truly empathize with its users and understand exactly what each person needs. Pretty great, right? Not every app or feature update requires this kind of hands-on research, but recognizing when your team would benefit from an authentic experience is a great skill to hone while you're building your knowledge of the research and design process. Pretty soon, you'll be taking on all the research and insights you've collected and iterating on your own designs. When you do, keep the story of the Google Maps team in mind, it might just inspire you to empathize with your users in a new way.
