14 DAY TRIAL // Google Maps is closing in on five years now and the mapping service was in need of a little touching up, as it was looking a little dated, but, more importantly, because it was getting very crowded with more and more information added over time. So, Google decided it was finally time to make some changes and, by Google standards, they're pretty big.
“[W]e've been steadily adding details like walkways, address labels, bus stops, new country coverage, and improved satellite imagery, but the look of the map hasn't changed much,” Jonah Jones, User Experience designer, Google Maps, wrote. “Today's changes are intended to keep the same information-rich map while making it easier to pick out the information that is most useful. The changes affect both the 'Map' and 'Hybrid' styles, and include numerous refinements to color, density, typography, and road styling worldwide.”
The changes go pretty deep and affect most zoom levels in both the 'Map' and 'Hybrid' views. For example, in Hybrid mode, the roads are a lot sharper and easier to spot and there are more of them at higher zoom levels making the mode more useful in several use cases. This comes especially handy for smaller towns and villages.
The biggest changes, though, are with the Map view, which has gotten a lot of changes, both in the colors and also in the features. When looking at dense cities, the less important details like local roads are a little more faded, while the main roads or neighborhoods are crisper and easier to spot. Going in a little closer with the zoom level in cities, you'll notice even more changes. The roads are now thinner, this making them a lot easier to follow in places where they are very packed together. Along with the thinner road lines, the colors are a little more faded, which, despite sounding like a bad idea, actually makes it easier to focus on the features.
