Google & Icons
With SO many posts on this blog lauding the value of pinning things to maps it's interesting to note that Google Australia has changed the way some of its map pins look: some of them now look like the icons for the stores they're marking.
The Official Google Australia blog talks about it from the perspective of ease of use: once you scroll down far enough the logos of participating businesses will appear as their map pin, so maps “more closely depict online what the offline world looks like, so next time you're trying to find your way on the map you can navigate more easily using these icons as landmarks.”.
This new display could definitely prove useful to people who navigate by shops or cafes - but only if the landmark businesses are major players, as this new option will only be useful for businesses with easily recognisable logos, who are also likely to be the only ones interested in paying for it. The businesses who do pay for this service will also be able to provide more information when their icon is clicked on, but Google says the logo pins will only be used in ways that improve the user experience - so that means you won't see shopping malls confusingly crowded with logo pins.
Google Australia started adding charcoal rectangle pins and labels for places of interest and businesses they term prominent in August last year – which is really useful when it comes to locating a shop or restaurant you're looking for, as well as for general navigation - but there's a cloud of both of positive and negative chatter about the value of the logo icons for users, with negative viewpoints coming from Australians who like to protect their local businesses.
So far icons for the NAB, BankWest, Chemist Warehouse, JB HiFi and real estate agent LJ Hooker can be spotted on the map of the Sydney CBD – but the golden arches are noticeably absent.
Google Maps Australia is the guinea pig for this trial logo display so it will be interesting to see what their maps start to look like once more businesses get involved.
