2022
We’re excited to continue our Ask a Googler series with our guest, Kevin, a Lead UX (user experience) Designer on the Google Maps team.
Many of you reached out with some great questions for Kevin. Before we dive into those, we asked him a few questions we thought you’d be interested in to get to know him a bit more. As we shared in our previous post, Kevin works on reviews on Google Maps.
Read on to learn more about him.
Are you a Local Guide? Why or why not?
Yes! I’m currently at Level 9. I love contributing because I take so many photos anyways, and I feel like someone might benefit from them. When I read a good review that has helped me, I feel compelled to pay it forward.
What’s your favorite type of information to contribute on Google Maps?
I have two things I love doing: leaving a quick, unique tip about a place in a review and adding photos.
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I would visit Taiwan for some delicious beef noodle soup!
What’s the one question your friends and family always ask you about working at Google/on Google Maps?
My family and friends always ask me to fix something about their Google Account. Google is a big place, and I don't work on every Google product. 😁
Local Guides Q&A with Kevin
Editor’s Note: Some questions submitted by Local Guides below have been edited for length and/or clarity.
@iorikun301 from Indonesia asked: What is the philosophy/basic principle of Google Maps' UX design, especially when talking about reviews?
Answer: This is a great question! For me, it has always been to provide helpful information for our users. A difficult part of this is making it helpful for several very different types of users.
@Gezendunyali from Turkey asked: As a UX designer, is the most important thing for you the visual part or the usefulness?
Answer: I'm generally more interested in the usefulness and problem-solving of the design process. We actually have incredible visual designers who partner with us to deliver an amazing-looking user interface (UI).
@PennyChristie from Australia, Connect Moderator and Guiding Star, asked: Have you thought about creating a template that people can use to help them with reviews? This could include generic questions with a yes or no answer and a space to add more detail. This might encourage first-time or casual users to add more quality reviews with better information.
Answer: Great question, this is something I’ve always personally wanted as well. We recently launched extra questions in the review experience in the United States. We are currently working on expanding the question types and countries that we cover. So far, the results have been great.
@SP31 from the United States, Connect Moderator, asked: Recently, we learned about enhancements to reviews for restaurants. I'd like to know if there are plans to roll out similarly-styled review questions for other locations that may benefit from similar contextual insights?
Answer: Yes! Currently, we’re working on adding questions to leisure locations such as museums, with more to come. We hope this will help people write better reviews in the future and also save them time from writing the same thing over and over again.
@PaulPavlinovich from Australia and @LaloPadilla from Mexico, Connect Moderators and Guiding Stars, asked: Have you considered some kind of visual indicator that gives the writer a real-time indication of the quality of their text before they submit it? For example, a simple traffic light with green, yellow, or red, where red means this review wouldn't be published if you submit it.
Answer: Review quality is something we always keep our eyes on. I love the idea behind the traffic light. We have some things in the works that I can’t share yet, but stay tuned.
@Shola4sure from Nigeria asked: Could you share some tips from your personal experience regarding writing reviews? Also, is there a limit to the number of reviews one can write in a day or within a given period of time? For instance, if I visit more than one place in a day, like a bank, a barbershop, and a shopping mall, is it advisable to delay some of the reviews, or is it alright to write all at once?
Answer: My personal tip for writing reviews is: make it short and to the point! I used to write long reviews, but I realized I didn’t want to read long reviews. I love reviews that tell me something amazing or a tip I didn’t know about in one or two sentences. Photos are also a great way to provide a quality review and back up what you say. As for your question about the limit of reviews, you can write all the reviews you would like; just make sure they accurately convey your experience at that place and can be helpful for someone else or the business owner to read.
Editor’s Note: Contributing information to Google Maps is based on your personal preferences, but we encourage you to check out the Help Center article Tips for contributing high quality reviews & photos.
@EmekaUlor from Nigeria, Connect Moderator and Guiding Star, asked: Are reviews on Google Maps screen reader enabled?
Answer: Yes! I use screen readers on iOS and Android, and they read reviews just fine. Please let us know if you have any issues.
@LaloPadilla from Mexico, Connect Moderator and Guiding Star, asked: What are your favorite places to review?
Answer: I love reviewing coffee shops and hole-in-the-wall restaurants, but recently, I’ve been really into adding public bathrooms and bus stops because I think those are helpful.
@Yannibmbr from the United States asked: Why is being a Google Local Guide important to you?
Answer: In the beginning, before I joined Google, I was a City Expert (that's what we used to call Local Guides)! Back then, I did it because I wanted to remember the places I’d been. Now, I do it more to remember the experiences I’ve had across the world, and if I can help a few people out along the way, then that’s great, too.
@LuigiZ from Italy, Connect Moderator, asked: What's your favorite video game?
Answer: Portal 2. Best game. Amazing gameplay, storytelling, voice acting. EVERYTHING. It’s from 2011 but still holds up today.
Stay tuned to hear more about the next Googler in our series soon! Want to see other posts in our Ask a Googler series? Read previous posts below:
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