A good drive can be one of life’s most enjoyable experiences. But a bad one is, of course, no fun at all, and poor directions are often responsible for making things take a turn for the worse. So Google appears to be overhauling the way in which it tells people to get from one point to another.
Ever follow some computer-generated directions in a strange city? It’s possible to wind up creeping along after dark, braking to peer at every street sign, just knowing that you’ve missed your turn. On the other hand, a human would save you some trouble by instructing you to drive past the Hilton and take a right at the blue Fifth Third building.
Google has picked up on this. A post on the Official Google Blog stated today, “We found that using landmarks in directions helps for two simple reasons: they are easier to see than street signs and they are easier to remember than street names.”
And now, at least in India, Google Maps is mentioning landmarks to help people orient themselves, describe turns, and confirm paths. You can see an example of the end result below.
It’s likely that this improved approach to giving directions will be implemented in other countries at some point. Google hasn’t promised anything, though, so the order and timing of any rollout remains unknown.
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