New Google Maps

[Mr. Analog]

So I just wanted to check the bus schedule between TWO locations that I'm NOT at and there's nothing in the newest Google Map interface that lets you pick two addresses, it always assumes you are standing with GPS enabled at one of the addresses. You only get one box to put your address in? Is there some magical button I'm not seeing or what.

Is there a better map tool anyway?

[Tom]

If you click the "my location" item, you can then select any options or search.

[Mr. Analog]

I don't see it as an option. I see the search box and an accordion button and that's about it. When I click the accordion button I get a list of travel options but even after choosing an option from there no additional box to specify to/from locations.

On the web version I see an icon with two divergent arrows, when I click that it gies me the directions interface, which I assume is on mobile hidden away somewhere.

The Google Maps app is one of those things that has rapidly deteriorated in functionality through bad UX. I'm sure all the functions I want are in there but getting to them isn't obvious.

[Mr. Analog]

To illustrate what I see I've attached a screenshot

[Tom]

Maybe I don't have that version.. But you'd think....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-vxcWSZ2nI

That's what I see.

append: The top option that I clicked on originally said "My Location". but I cleared the settings by killing maps to get it to empty state.

[Mr. Analog]

Oddly that's what I have on my phone too

It's my tablet that seems not to have the obvious UI

[Tom]

Oddly that's what I have on my phone too

It's my tablet that seems not to have the obvious UI

Yeah, I figured it might have to do with it being a tablet. Maybe they don't think a 10" tablet is "portable" enough to have traffic directions?


My Nexus 7 has the Y button in the search. I don't know what's up. maybe go into the Apps settings (in the actual android settings menu), select maps, and Clear all settings and data?

[Mr. Analog]

So I think I found what's going on, don't enter an address in the field and you get the divergent arrows button, from there you can enter two addresses

How user hostile!

[Tom]

Ah, you have to clear the field if you entered an address?

That is dumb.

[Darren Dirt]

So I just wanted to check the bus schedule between TWO locations that I'm NOT at and there's nothing in the newest Google Map interface that lets you pick two addresses, it always assumes you are standing with GPS enabled at one of the addresses. You only get one box to put your address in? Is there some magical button I'm not seeing or what.

Is there a better map tool anyway?

So I think I found what's going on, don't enter an address in the field and you get the divergent arrows button, from there you can enter two addresses

How user hostile!

Yeah I noticed how much I hate the new interface, in the rare time I try to figure out how to get from "A" to "B". It's just not as intuitive as it used to be, somehow. But it's so infrequent a need that I haven't bother to figure out exactly HOW it has been modified (for one thing, didn't it used to be really easy to switch on and off certain LAYERS? Like cycling routes, bus routes, etc.). Instead...


...as an alternative to The Big G, I have sometimes given https://www.openstreetmap.org/ a try.
The main reason I sometimes use it instead of Google? To find out an ETS Bus Stop #! **

Then I just enter that bus stop code into the fast and super-reliable texting service provided by ETS to find out when the next few buses are arriving. (I really don't trust apps or Google Maps to tell me how to get around via transit, too often it misses the obvious, or provides incorrect timing points etc. )


Also you can use the OpenStreetMap data offline ; on my Android I found and installed a free app that uses that data, and I chose to downloaded the entire Alberta map content -- so now I can even do this stop number lookup while underground on the LRT \o/





** for example if I am hoping to head north to Southgate, or east to Millgate, and I want to know if it's worth walking to these stops or whatever:
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/53.47982/-113.50249

[Mr. Analog]

Yeah its really dumb and hard to use. The thing I don't get is why they broke such an easy to use interface. It makes no sense

[Tom]

They seem to be bent on simplifying the up-front interface to such a degree that you get one widget and its all flat, similarly coloured rectangles.

One thing that's really been bugging me is chrome on android has hid most of the most useful commands in a "..." menu. like what the heck is the point of that?

[Mr. Analog]

I would say they are trying to hide functionality to "de-clutter" the UI which makes it harder for everyone to use

A lot of UX people seem to really enjoy hiding function

[Tom]

Yeah, they claim it improves Accessibility cause clutter is confusing... *sigh* and I swear it started with Gnome, and just exploded from there. Everyone is doing the "Flat & simple" bull@%&#.

[Mr. Analog]

Actually most UX people have their heads up their butt and are trying to solidify their "brand" through unique interface. Hell a lot of them don't even say the "user" part any more it's just the "experience". Like you know, a rectal exam is an "experience"

I once sat through a UX meeting where a guy was trying to justify having the hyperlinks as red by default. When asked why he said that "blue was boring"

At that point I knew I was dealing with a moron