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(Note: This post is part of two major announcements for Bing Maps/Local on Dec. 15. Be sure to check out the other announcement about Interior Views, OpenTable, Real-time Transit, & Streetside on Mobile)
A few months ago, we launched our new map style which provides a unique backdrop for information delivery and helps content “pop” on the map, allowing people to find what they are looking for more quickly.
The initial feedback was positive but we were given great constructive feedback – users appreciated the new style’s uniqueness and loved the clean, calm look; but, some felt it made aspects of our maps more difficult to read. Specifically, users were interested in:
1. City density - how many cities appear at each zoom level? 2. Street differentiation – can viewers tell which city streets are major and minor? 3. Color contrast – are different map components easily distinguishable?
We’ve updated our map style to reflect user feedback so it’s even easier for people to find where to go, how to get there, and what to expect along the way. Key changes are:
A. Increased city density while preserving a clean, visually appealing map B. Clearer differentiation between major and minor city streets C. Greater color contrast at the city-level so streets “pop” out more D. Altered font sizes and contrast for crisper, less cluttered map labels E. Improved highway shields for US and added new shields for 7 countries
Pictures are worth thousands of words though, so let’s jump into screenshots (or just head straight to Bing Maps to explore). It is difficult to distinguish the differences in these lower-resolution screenshots, so please click on the screenshots or text links to view the full-size pictures
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Screenshots #1 & #2 – Zoom Level 5, United States Western/Mountain and Central/Eastern Zones Key Differences:
Screenshot #1
Click to View Screenshot #2
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Screenshots #3 – Zoom Level 16 Seattle Key Differences
Screenshot #3
Screenshot #4– Zoom Level 4, United States Key Differences:
Click to View Screenshot #4
Screenshots #5 – Zoom Level 6, Pacific Northwest United States
Key Differences:
Screenshot #5 _______________________________________________
Screenshots #6 – Zoom Level 8, Pacific Northwest United States Key Differences:
Click to View Screenshot #6
Screenshots #7 – Zoom Level 11, Taiwan Key Differences:
Screenshot #7
Screenshots #8 & #9 – Zoom Level 13, San Francisco and New York City Neighbords Key Differences:
Screenshot #8
Click to View Screenshot #9
Screenshots #10 – Zoom Level 15, New York City Key Differences
Click to View Screenshot #10
And there you have it. This update goes a long way in improving our map style and how users experience interact with Bing Maps. This change will affect all Bing Maps platforms: the main site,the Silverlight site, Bing Maps on Bing Mobile, and our Enterprise/API platform.
Enjoy!
Follow me @BingMaps ^BH
Brian Hendricks Product Manager Bing Maps
Why can you still not set the Silverlight maps as default in the UK?
uk & japan maps are still not adhering to the standards.. whats up with that?
especially japan.. totally useless for foreigner (non japanase) users to use.
I like the building outlines, but how about the tax lot boundaries that the big G has? Those are kind of cool and give a better idea of the layout of a neighborhood when the imagery isn't so great. And yeah, I would like to be able to get the silverlight maps as my default too. They are whole lot better than the ajax ones, even the spiffed up ones under IE9.