BACKGROUND

Google Maps is a leader in modern navigation, boasting over 2 billion active users monthly and over 7 billion saved locations worldwide. Among its many features is the Saved tab, a tool that empowers users to bookmark favorite spots—like restaurants, landmarks, or addresses—with a single tap. For many, it’s a trusted digital breadcrumb trail to remember places they want to revisit.

But here’s the real question: Have you ever saved a location in Google Maps, only to struggle to find or remember it weeks later?

*This case study is an independent project and is not affiliated with Google.

Problem

Google Maps serves over 2 billion active users monthly, with more than 7 billion saved locations globally. While the Saved tab empowers users to bookmark places with ease, conversations with users revealed key frustrations:

• Finding saved places is difficult: Users often forget where they saved locations, creating unnecessary friction.

• Missing context behind saves: Many struggle to recall why they saved a place.

• Disorganized experience: Without sorting tools, saved locations feel cluttered and overwhelming.

These issues not only impact user satisfaction but also represent a missed opportunity for Google to increase engagement, retention, and insights. By addressing these pain points, the Saved tab can evolve into a feature that’s not just easy to use but essential for users—driving both loyalty and business growth.

Solution

To tackle the challenges of memory recall and organization, I introduced two key features:

1. Search Bar Functionality
   A new search bar allows users to find saved locations instantly by name, tag, or keyword. No more endless scrolling—just quick and effortless retrieval.

2. AI-Driven Tagging System
   This feature uses AI to automatically tag saved locations, such as labeling a café as “Brunch Spot.” Users can also create custom tags, making their pins more personalized and easier to organize.

These features transformed Google Pins into a tool that not only saves places but also adds context and meaning to them.

The Design Process

User Research

What exactly are users having trouble with?

As an avid Google Maps user, I was curious about how others saved and organized their locations. I conducted user interviews with a diverse group of Google Maps users, each saving pins for different reasons—whether for travel, convenience, or exploring new places like coffee shops and restaurants. What I found was surprising: while the core function of saving pins was the same, how people organized and retrieved them varied drastically.

Key insights included:

• Organizational Struggles: Users often forgot how they categorized their pins, making it hard to find them later. Many felt frustrated and blamed themselves for not understanding how to use the app effectively.

• Lack of Context: Without contextual notes or cues, users struggled to remember why they saved certain places, losing valuable meaning behind their pins.

• Overwhelming Lists: Some users managed 30+ lists, but often forgot to add places to all the right ones, creating confusion.

• Different Saving Styles: Travelers often dumped all their pins into one list, relying on the map view, while urban explorers categorized their locations by place type, like "coffee shops" or "hikes."

Across the board, users felt the system was lacking and were left frustrated by the absence of an efficient way to organize their saved locations.

Defining our users’ needs

ALl users save locations differently, creating different needs

During user interviews, I was surprised by the diversity in how people used Google Maps and saved locations. The users’ needs varied significantly, with two distinct types emerging: the active traveler, who frequently explores new cities and countries, and the local explorer, who enjoys discovering new coffee shops and restaurants within their city. These differing user profiles highlighted unique needs and challenges in how they saved and organized their locations.

Pulling Inspiration from existing products

How might we help our users efficiently (quickly and easily) retrieve their saved locations?

By exploring existing digital products and reviewing what’s already on the market, I was able to identify valuable inspiration from both digital and physical products. I examined how apps organize information, such as food delivery apps like DoorDash, how Google Photos organizes images, and even how iOS settings allow users to quickly access information.

Designing for Our Specific Users

Creating new opportunities for our user group

After reviewing the market research, I began brainstorming ways to enhance our users' experience with Google Maps, specifically in saving and retrieving locations. I revisited the existing task flow for users retrieving a pin and carefully considered how we could make this process more seamless.

I used user stories from my user research to help understand my design decision about moving on specific designs. I leaned into what my users wanted specifically when they used the Google Maps and thought about different ways to sped up the process of designing. I studied the current existing Google Maps, looked at designing.

Design system

designing with google material design System