The new Google Maps redesign aims to keep your eyes on the road, not your screen

Turn-by-turn directions are going 3D, in a big new design update powered largely by AI.

“At the light, take a sharp left onto Washington Street.”

“So the second value prop—”

“Turn right onto Third Avenue, then at the next stop sign…”

Charles Armstrong, the product manager on Google Maps, is trying to explain how the platform’s turn-by-turn directions are getting their biggest update since the service launched in 2009. Maps is an almost unfathomably impactful platform that reaches around 2 billion people worldwide; it dominates navigation apps by commanding as much as 70% of the global market share.

But as Armstrong attempts to walk me through the rich redesign, he keeps getting interrupted by his own demo. And I have to admit…anyone who has ever attempted to converse in the car while navigating would find the moment more than a little vindicating.

Schadenfreude aside, I have to admit, the updates, launching on March 12, look promising. In an exclusive discussion with the Google Maps development team, here’s a look at the most significant UX updates.

Google Maps is in 3D now

Maps’ single most significant update is to the 2D navigation we’ve grown so accustomed to over the last 17 years. Now, the camera has been tilted down to reveal a real-time 3D map—complete with buildings, crosswalks, and off-ramps. 

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