What changes would you make to enhance Google Maps?

This question seeks your insights and creativity to enhance the current product, which is Google Maps. The employer is looking to assess your capability to recognize problems and propose effective solutions. It's important to have a solid understanding of the application, including its features, advantages, drawbacks, and user interaction. This is an opportunity for you to showcase your product understanding, technical skills, and innovative thinking. Aim to be specific about the issue you identify and the solution you suggest, focusing on improving the user experience or adding a new, valuable feature.

One aspect where Google Maps could enhance its service is in providing real-time updates. Frequently, the estimated time of arrival (ETA) given is inaccurate due to unforeseen traffic changes or incidents. My suggestion is to incorporate data from local transportation agencies, social media updates, and user-generated reports to help Google Maps more effectively anticipate sudden traffic shifts and deliver a more precise ETA. For example, if there is an accident on a particular route, users caught in that traffic can report the situation. Google Maps could then reroute other users away from the accident area to ensure a smoother travel experience. Furthermore, this improved data could assist the application in learning and making better predictions about future traffic trends.

One recommendation is to enhance the indoor navigation capabilities of Google Maps. Currently, the app tends to lose its effectiveness when navigating through intricate locations such as shopping malls or airports. To tackle this issue, Google Maps could implement indoor mapping technology. For instance, by utilizing the camera and augmented reality (AR), Google Maps could facilitate navigation within buildings. Users could scan a QR code placed at the entrance of a mall or airport, which would provide access to the building's floor plan. After scanning the QR code, a comprehensive indoor map would appear, and the AR feature could offer detailed, step-by-step directions to stores or specific airport terminals. This functionality would significantly improve the user experience, especially for individuals who are visually impaired or unfamiliar with the venue.