Your Journey Seamlessly Guided — Map Navigation Research
Work
UX Research
Year
2025
Overview
No matter what kind of trip it is, a transportation app is always part of the journey. A great navigator helps people live better by keeping them from getting lost and saving time every day. As someone passionate about travel, aviation, and public transportation, I love researching and exploring new ideas to make navigation products even better.
This research focuses on travel across different modes of transportation, such as driving, biking, walking, trains, and buses, using different Apple Maps data from five countries: Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore.
Part I: On The Road
In many countries, including the United States and Thailand, driving remains the primary mode of everyday transportation. Today, technologies like Apple CarPlay have become an integral part of the driving experience offering clear, reliable turn-by-turn guidance that helps users make confident decisions at every junction or intersection.
I believe the best navigation experience is one that works harmoniously with the real world.
On highways, overhead signs guide drivers by showing which lanes lead to specific destinations. A truly thoughtful navigation design should mirror those same city or neighborhood names found on real signage allowing users to stay focused on the road while feeling naturally in sync with their surroundings.
This research explores various turn-by-turn navigation scenarios, categorized into two key contexts: urban guidance and highway guidance. These examples focus on the fundamentals of navigation design, laying the foundation for future enhancements such as detailed lane guidance.
Urban Navigation
In dense city areas with frequent turns and heavy traffic, navigation guidance should focus on intersection names, such as “Turn left at Ratchaprasong Intersection” or “Continue straight at Henri Dunant Intersection.” When turns occur in quick succession, including a secondary turn preview can help users prepare in advance.
Roundabouts should clearly indicate the exit number for the main route. For straight routes through intersections, based on field research, it’s also helpful to display a straight-ahead arrow ensuring drivers stay in the correct lane even when lane guidance isn’t available.
Highway Navigation
On highways with fewer intersections, navigation should emphasize the broader journey context. Overhead signs often display upcoming cities, so when the highway splits, guidance should clearly indicate whether to keep left or right for ramps or to stay on the main route.
In suburban areas, such as Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, where wide highways with multiple lanes are common, these should be treated similarly to expressways since overhead signage often points to larger neighborhood or city destinations.
For tollways, it’s beneficial for users to see toll prices in advance to make route decisions. Additionally, features like those found in Japan’s car navigation systems, which prompt drivers to slow down before entering toll gates could enhance safety and comfort.
From this research, many cities with newer Apple Maps data and lane guidance (e.g., Bangkok, Taipei, Tokyo) effectively balance big-picture guidance (next major turn) and small-picture precision (the correct lane for the next intersection). This approach helps drivers stay focused and anticipate road behavior. For example, understanding that the left lane typically turns left, the right lane turns right, and the middle lanes continue straight.
Part II: On The Train
Public transportation, whether by train, bus, or ferry also deserves great navigation design. I’ve researched and experienced various systems in cities like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Taipei, and even one of the most complex metro networks in the world like Tokyo.
Despite its complexity, Apple Maps guided me perfectly. I never got lost once in Tokyo’s metro system. Once users choose the app as their travel companion, it should prioritize showing the most essential information first. Here are a few key insights from this research.
Entering the Station
When starting a trip, whether walking to a bus stop or entering a train or metro station, users should be guided to the nearest entrance and shown the path to the concourse level.
Example: “walk 150 meters and enter the station via Gate 2.”
Concourse and Platforms
Before tapping their card to enter the system, users should understand their next steps to avoid confusion, especially in crowded areas. This stage should align with real-world signage, helping users identify the correct platform or terminal station to follow.
Example:
“use Platform 3 and take the train to Yokohama.” — For stations where multiple lines share a platform, showing the terminal station helps users confirm direction.
“take Dark Green Line toward National Stadium.” — For metro systems with fixed platforms, focus on the terminal destination shown on signage.
Boarding the Train
Once on board, users should know which station or stop to get off at. Notification timing should adapt to each transport type that has different distance.
Example:
Bus: every 1–5 minutes between stops
Metro: every 2–5 minutes
Commuter train: every 10–30 minutes
Intercity train: 30 minutes or more
A missed stop on an intercity train could seriously affect the journey, so reminders are essential.
Example:
“you’re arriving. get off at Ueno.” works well for metro systems.
“get off at Siam, after Chit Lom.” adds a helpful secondary cue for better preparation.
Find the Station Exit
After leaving the train, the first task is finding the right exit. Most stations have both platform and concourse levels, so users have a moment to decide before exiting. The app should guide them by exit number or name, while still letting real-world signage lead the way.
Example:
“use Exit 2 on the right.” — for a standard exit.
“use Exit 4 to Central Park.” — for exits named after landmarks, helping users confirm direction with real signs.
