Geoff Norman

SWE Intern 2021 @ NASA Ames, from Film and Video Production to Comp Sci & InfoSec.

[Geoff Norman @geoffknorman]

@rocktoshi21 😂❤️

[Elizabeth Warren @ewarren]

Every time Donald Trump and Elon Musk do something that punishes working people, we have to call it out and push back. I’m staying on this. https://t.co/Gjf4E3Z7iI

[Vice President Kamala Harris Archived @VP46Archive]

As Chair of the National Space Council, I join @NASA and people across our nation in celebrating the 55th anniversary of the moon landing.

We proudly look to the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers to continue this legacy of exploration and innovation.

[Charli @charli_xcx]

i met mr. brat!

[Geoff Norman @geoffknorman]

@WaveConnects Is Astound Wave down in San Francisco?

[Elizabeth Laraki @elizlaraki]

15 years ago, I helped design Google Maps.

I still use it everyday.

Last week, the team dramatically changed the map’s visual design.

I don’t love it.

It feels colder, less accurate and less human.

But more importantly, they missed a key opportunity to simplify and scale.

–––

Google Maps has started to widely roll out updated map colors:

- All roads are now gray

- Water changed from blue to teal

- Parks and open spaces are now mint green

It seems the goal was to improve usability and make the maps more readable.

Admittedly, I do think major roads, traffic, and trails stand out more now.

But the colors of water and parks/open spaces blend together.

And to me, the palette feels colder and more computer generated.

But color choices aside…

If the goal was better usability, the team missed a big opportunity:

Google Maps should have cleaned up the crud overlaying the map.

–––

So much stuff has accumulated on top of the map.

Currently there are ~11 different elements obscuring it:

- Search box

- 8 pills overlayed in 4 rows

- A peeking card for “latest in the area”

- A bottom nav bar

(Personally, I would LOVE to see usage metrics for all these overlays.)

The map should be sacred real estate.

Only things that are highly useful to many people should obscure it.

There should be a very limited number of features that can cover the map view.

And there are multiple ways to add new features without overlaying them directly on the map.

–––

Here’s how it could look:

- Keep the search box

- Keep the bottom bar

- Remove everything else from the map

- Roll the most used features into the bottom bar

- Bury the less used features elsewhere in the app

I assume the search box and directions are top priority and should remain prominent.

My Location and map layers (satellite, traffic, etc.) could move to the bottom bar.

The explore overlays (restaurants, gas, etc.) could live in the bottom bar in “Explore” and open as cards.

The additional space in the bottom bar could be used for Saved, as a “More” option, or could be removed entirely.

There are many variations of how features could be arranged.

But the key points are:

- Dramatically simplify

- Strongly prioritize map visibility

- Bury legacy and low use features

–––

It’s normal for products to accumulate features over time.

But it’s also super important to stay vigilant and continually clean them up.

In many ways, it’s interesting to see history repeating itself.

In 2007, I was 1 of 2 designers on Google Maps.

At that time, Maps had already become a cluttered mess.

We were wedging new features into any space we could find in the UI.

The user experience was suffering and the product was growing increasingly complicated.

We had to rethink the app to be simple and scale for the future.

It seems like it’s time for Google Maps to do this again…

–––

For more on design + tips for early stage founders, follow me on X: @elizlaraki

[Chicago Bird Collision Monitors @BirdMonitors]

~50% of all birds migrating will pass through on only ~9 nights in the season. Tonight will be one of those MEGA migration nights. Please turn off lights to help the birds go along their merry way. Have paper bags ready to contain injured birds, and call us for help! 773-988-1867

[꧁🚀✨The Sky isn't the Limit✨🚀꧂ @Aerospace_Lovr]

The Pillars of Creation in Infrared by @NASAHubble.😲

[Space 8K @uhd2020]

Jupiter from the James Webb Space Telescope

[Chandra Observatory @chandraxray]

❄️NGC 7662, nicknamed the #Snowball Nebula, is located about 3,900 light years from Earth in Andromeda. A combination of X-ray light from Chandra and optical light from @NASAHubble, this image spans about 0.63 light years from side to side — roughly 5.9 trillion kilometers!

[ARCHIVED - NASA Europa Clipper @EuropaClipper]

Coming soon to an ocean world near you. Download the full-size poster: https://t.co/IJvUz9rBAu

[Geoff Norman @geoffknorman]

@Pepperoni_Jo3 @RemindMe_OfThis July 12

[Geoff Norman @geoffknorman]

I'm so proud to be a part of this crew! Thank you @matildaminasian for making us shine! #NCAS2021 #MUREP #AIAA

[USC Viterbi School @USCViterbi]

New research from Prof Qiming Wang and colleagues shows how bacteria can be used to make cars, planes or armor stronger https://t.co/CpEP2dnDWr

[Geoff Norman @geoffknorman]

@iearnfinance Thank you!!!

[London Breed @LondonBreed]

This is an attempted coup encouraged by the President of the United States. It’s a dark day for our democracy, and the culmination of all of his anti-democratic words and actions from his campaign through his presidency.

We are better than this.

[Totally Legitimate Person @selfstyldpundit]

@WatchChad In the future they won’t call it stupidity, they’ll call it trumpidity. And you gots the trumpidity, son.

[Brian Sims 🌈 @BrianSimsPA]

More weirdo energy, please!

[Brian Sims 🌈 @BrianSimsPA]

CALLING ALL WITCHES: ok, witches, warlocks, shaman, medicine women, sorcerers & sorceresses, wizards, spellbinders, conjurers & soothsayers we need your powers! Please send us the best voting conditions ever. That’s it! We need your help. #AbracaPlease #Vote