Why v9's removal of green traffic lines is bad UI

[thecloud]

I took the attached picture of v8's map yesterday while waiting at a stoplight. If you look closely, the road I'm taking (Sunnyvale-Saratoga Rd) is missing traffic data for the stretch that I'm currently on. The traffic data doesn't resume until Fremont Avenue, and that section seemed to be fairly busy.

Looking further, there is also no data for highway 82 (El Camino), or for Wolfe Road, a major surface street running N-S. Normally these would show data, and they can be routes to avoid at peak traffic times.

The underlying problem is something that's become a more common occurrence in the Bay Area recently: my car is failing to obtain an Internet connection. Notice the empty bars with the line through it at the top. However, because the icon is drawn over the top of the map and has no real visual weight, I didn't notice it until after I had taken the picture.

Now imagine this was happening on v9, where no green lines are drawn to show you where data exists. This map would still show some orange and red lines, but highway 82 would appear clear (even if it wasn't). It would be much harder to see that some sections are missing data entirely. Losing that visual information seems like a bad thing.

 

[RDoc]

Interesting.Our 3G connect is also flaky. It won't connect very well at all. This is new behavior starting about 3 updates ago.

 

[thecloud]

Interesting.Our 3G connect is also flaky. It won't connect very well at all. This is new behavior starting about 3 updates ago.

I wonder if it's correlated with a particular update, or just a coincidence. Wouldn't be surprised if the high volume of new Model 3s in the area is pushing the limits of the server infrastructure.

 

[BerTX]

I don't feel that strongly about this topic. I do find it funny during rush hour to zoom way out on the map. Previously, when the green lines were there, it looked reasonable. Take away the green, and the cities look like a 2 year old scribbled there with a red and orange crayon.

 

[Ande]

Meh, why see all the green everywhere, when the only data one really needs is the orange & red ?
Your cellular network provider could of course be better.

 

[cynix]

Meh, why see all the green everywhere, when the only data one really needs is the orange & red ?

Because green is not everywhere — there are plenty of roads for which there is no traffic information. Now there's no way to tell if traffic is normal or unknown.

 

[sorka]

This is one of the MANY reasons I will not upgrade my V8 to V9. V9 feels like a multi year step backwards. It's truly insane.

 

[Grant]

This is one of the MANY reasons I will not upgrade my V8 to V9. V9 feels like a multi year step backwards. It's truly insane.

You are right. The navigation is worse, the default interface (music) when you turn on the car is worse and the HVAC controls are worse.

 

[brianman]

Because green is not everywhere — there are plenty of roads for which there is no traffic information. Now there's no way to tell if traffic is normal or unknown.

Yah, this is exactly why I was initially surprised they went this route. I suspect the intent was "to reduce visual clutter" but the problem is that they removed critical information. One approach they could have used as a middle ground is to indicate "no data" areas using yet another color -- thus you'd only get "clutter" for "no data" portions.

 

[kavyboy]

The green can be critical info. It's necessary to make some routing decisions. Let's say there's an accident or flooding ahead. The path ahead turns yellow, red, dark red as traffic slows. If the way is impassible, I'll see no traffic data past that point. If traffic is moving past, I'll see green. I know what's going on and can decide to detour or not. (I've used this many times.) With V9, I'll only see the slow and stopped traffic. Without the green, I don't know what to do.

Another situation is seeing a large length of red ahead while on a highway. With the green, I can tell which direction is backed up. On V9, I see only a slow stretch ahead and can't tell if I need to reroute around something, or if it only affects traffic going the opposite way.

 

[sorka]

Wait, so you're saying that even when a section is red you can't tell which direction it is? That's EVEN more broken than I thought.

 

[Merrill]

Yes, it is hard to see anything at the top of the screen overlaid on the nav. Also I liked the album art in the center not on the far left. My wife says I need to get over it!

 

[kavyboy]

Wait, so you're saying that even when a section is red you can't tell which direction it is? That's EVEN more broken than I thought.

See the picture in this post. I would have to lean over to get a closer look at which lane the red segments were in. With the green, it would be obvious from a distance, at a glance, which side of a two way pair has the congestion. I.e., in the pic, V8 would have a yellow segment on the left and a green segment on the right. So in V9 you could still but not nearly as easily.