Apple Maps Redesign: A UX Teardown of Routing and Local Context

Design · 6 min read

Apple Maps has made strides in aesthetics and lane guidance, prioritizing a clean map canvas. However, place pages often lack depth compared to third-party services: user-generated tips, event context, and transient closures are inconsistently surfaced, which affects trip planning.

Multimodal routing — combining walking, transit, e-scooters, and rideshares — is conceptually supported but the UI for switching modes mid-route and understanding transfer costs remains cumbersome. Users benefit from clearer cost/time tradeoffs and single-tap mode toggles that preserve partial routes.

We recommend richer place pages with timely community-sourced notes, a timeline view of opening hours and typical crowding, and a modular route builder that can assemble multimodal legs visually. These additions would make Maps more than navigation — a dependable trip planner.