Mapping the new digital world

Published by Pino Bonetti on February 28, 2012

BARCELONA, Spain – For centuries, mankind has used maps to mark the physical world, evolving a visual shorthand that lets us know, at a glance, the scale of places, borders, waterways, open spaces, directions, compass points and the most direct routes to get us from A to B.

San Francisco Maps old

San Francisco Maps new

Old on top; new below

The iterative mapping of the world, you might argue, has been almost too successful. With no significant new parts of the globe to describe, apart from new developments — and with cities having become hugely complex centres of buildings, people and activities — we are saturated with information. We understand not only roads but hotels, parking spaces, places of worship, museums and, on digital maps, even restaurants, bars and shops.

This is all wonderful… to an extent. A major issue now for map-makers, or at least consumers of maps, is that they may not be able to ‘see the woods for the trees’. That is they can’t get to the important information for all the surrounding detail, confusion and obfuscation.

That is why we, together with our partner Microsoft and their Bing Maps team, have taken a fresh look at maps and jointly developed a new form of presentation. So what have we done with our maps?

First, they’re simpler. There are fewer intrusive objects, icons and signs that get in the way when you just want to navigate. If you are exploring places in a city you might want to see the local art gallery or eating options but if you are planning a route you just need to know where you are going and the best way to get there.

We’ve redesigned for context too, so a very different level of information is presented to you when you zoom compared to when you pan out. Go in for detail, pull back for context. Simple, and all in a liquid user interface that provides a seamless transition from birds’ eye panorama to close-up view.

Mobile Maps old

Old on top; new below

Mobile Maps new

Our colour palette has been reduced to make for maps that don’t confuse the brain but present an orderly view of roads, locations and directions. We’ve also beautified our maps using the Nokia Pure font for all legends so place names are legible and elegant.

We’ve also taken advantage of the latest technology to ensure that our maps are viewable from anywhere. With a gradual rollout, you will see the new design first on maps.nokia.com, on m.maps.nokia.com (which is the mobile browser version, for iOS and Android) and on Nokia Maps for your Nokia Lumia. If you are using e.g. Nokia Drive, you won’t see the new design just yet, but in the coming weeks.

Our new maps will help you not only to find out where you’re going but also to explore new and unfamiliar places.

Comments

Pingback: Microsoft Bing & Nokia Announces New Unified Mapping Style & Experience | WMPoweruser
http://blog.gisuser.com gletham

The fast, smooth tiling is way slick and very impressive!
Pingback: New Presentation Of Maps from Bing / Nokia - Windows Phone Forums at wpcentral.com
Anonymous

I can see the streets easily on the old map. My eyes are straining to make them out on the new one. I understand it makes the overlayed data easier to see, but it feels like it’s gone too far. that’s my initial impression at least.
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Thank you @brownbox:disqus.
  Of course it’s difficult to please every single one of you, however, I will bring your feedback back to the team.
  Improvements do not end here.
Anonymous

I can see the streets easily on the old map. My eyes are straining to make them out on the new one. I understand it makes the overlayed data easier to see, but it feels like it’s gone too far. that’s my initial impression at least.
Pingback: Microsoft and Nokia Announce Unified Map Style Going Forward | WinSource
Pingback: Bing, Nokia Unify Map Designs, Make Aesthetically Pleasing World | WebProNews
Pingback: Microsoft and Nokia announce new Unified Map Design at bingchili.searchengine.hoops227.org
Anonymous

Does Nokia ever plan to re-enable maps for Cyprus? Its almost a year and a half now that Nokia is “trying to resolve the issues”
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Hi @ChrisSsk:disqus, unfortunately we don’t have any news to share at the moment.
Pingback: Microsoft And Nokia Present Unified Maps On PC, Mobile
Pingback: Microsoft Bing & Nokia Announces New Unified Mapping Style & Experience – - MobileNewsX - Mobile News AggregatorMobileNewsX – Mobile News Aggregator
Pingback: Microsoft and Nokia announce new Unified Map Design - My Blog
http://www.facebook.com/lnbemail 李宁泊

So bad on so-called update to map. Reduce the colour of map will seroursly interupt user indentify the street lane avenu and motorway. It even to miss out the main road when you want to serach for the landmark. Vivid colour is good to recgonise and to find my location. Please to not make the ovi map just the BIng. Do the put the ad fees for your company? Bushit for such work done. Hope nokia can improve to colour world!
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Hi, thank you for your feedback. We will consider it for future releases.
Anonymous

It’s TOO light and washed out. Bing is not as bad; roads and text are slightly lighter than on Bing. Did you use a calibrated monitor to test it??

Some text labels now look awkward; they are too big and right next to others with no spacing.

Finally the scrolling via my touchpad is completely off (both two finger scroll and pinch to zoom). Again fine on Bing maps.

Poor show.
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Hi @rpns:disqus, do you have exact examples of the spacing problem you are complaining about?
  Scrolling with touchpad works fine with me… Which browser/computer are you using?
Pingback: Nokia and Bing Maps get visual makeovers | iphone Apps Consulting
Pingback: Microsoft And Nokia Unify Maps On PC, Mobile | Top SEO News
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=745017261 Michael Bond

(I Compared the same area above in Bing Maps, Nokia Maps and Google Maps on a calibrated monitor on a pc)

As others have said the image is far too washed out so it is hard to make out the roads. Also in the UK maps you have removed so much colour that the road classifications can only be deciphered from the road numbers, which are now in a standard black and white. ( Not having the standard road colours for the road numbers means that you are significantly slowing down recognition of the roads.)
You have also deviated from the standard colours for roads so that you have given motorways in the UK a bizarre pink colour with major A roads being a slightly lighter shade of pink. Since A roads and motorways have different rules this is potentially a very dangerous move.

With the A roads being in a very pale yellow I find it incredibly difficult to make out the difference between normal A roads and B Roads/streets. The lack of contrast is a concern for those with less than perfect eyesight.

I strongly suggest you get hold of an ordnance survey map and see what a proper colour scheme is. The OS maps have strong differentiated use of colour and makes it incredibly easy to use. Pastels may please a design aesthetic but they make maps very hard to use.
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Thank you @facebook-745017261:disqus for taking the time to detail your feedback. I will let the team know and I’m sure we will improve our next release even more.
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Thank you @facebook-745017261:disqus for taking the time to detail your feedback. I will let the team know and I’m sure we will improve our next release even more.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=745017261 Michael Bond

(I Compared the same area above in Bing Maps, Nokia Maps and Google Maps on a calibrated monitor on a pc)

As others have said the image is far too washed out so it is hard to make out the roads. Also in the UK maps you have removed so much colour that the road classifications can only be deciphered from the road numbers, which are now in a standard black and white. ( Not having the standard road colours for the road numbers means that you are significantly slowing down recognition of the roads.)
You have also deviated from the standard colours for roads so that you have given motorways in the UK a bizarre pink colour with major A roads being a slightly lighter shade of pink. Since A roads and motorways have different rules this is potentially a very dangerous move.

With the A roads being in a very pale yellow I find it incredibly difficult to make out the difference between normal A roads and B Roads/streets. The lack of contrast is a concern for those with less than perfect eyesight.

I strongly suggest you get hold of an ordnance survey map and see what a proper colour scheme is. The OS maps have strong differentiated use of colour and makes it incredibly easy to use. Pastels may please a design aesthetic but they make maps very hard to use.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=745017261 Michael Bond

(I Compared the same area above in Bing Maps, Nokia Maps and Google Maps on a calibrated monitor on a pc)

As others have said the image is far too washed out so it is hard to make out the roads. Also in the UK maps you have removed so much colour that the road classifications can only be deciphered from the road numbers, which are now in a standard black and white. ( Not having the standard road colours for the road numbers means that you are significantly slowing down recognition of the roads.)
You have also deviated from the standard colours for roads so that you have given motorways in the UK a bizarre pink colour with major A roads being a slightly lighter shade of pink. Since A roads and motorways have different rules this is potentially a very dangerous move.

With the A roads being in a very pale yellow I find it incredibly difficult to make out the difference between normal A roads and B Roads/streets. The lack of contrast is a concern for those with less than perfect eyesight.

I strongly suggest you get hold of an ordnance survey map and see what a proper colour scheme is. The OS maps have strong differentiated use of colour and makes it incredibly easy to use. Pastels may please a design aesthetic but they make maps very hard to use.
Pingback: Microsoft And Nokia Unify Maps On PC, Mobile | Search Engine Marketing & Website Optimization
Pingback: Microsoft And Nokia Unify Maps On PC, Mobile | blu-host-us.tk
Pingback: Nokia Maps Dan Bing Maps Memperkenalkan Rekabentuk Yang Selari | Amanz
Pingback: Bing and Nokia light a fire, snuggle up
Pingback: Mapping the new digital world | Geographic Information Technology | Scoop.it
Pingback: Nokia and Bing Maps get visual makeovers
Pingback: Nokia Maps and Bing Maps Tie the Visible Knot – Jive New Phones
Pingback: Microsoft’s Bing Maps Team And Nokia Jointly Announced ‘Unified Map’ Design - I2Mag
Pingback: Bing and Nokia Maps–finally unifiedMSicc´s Blog | MSicc´s Blog
Pingback: My Blog » » Bing, Nokia Unify Map Designs, Make Aesthetically Pleasing World
Pingback: Latest Barcelona Hotels News
Pingback: Mapping the new digital world – Nokia Conversations : the official Nokia blog | telematics | Scoop.it
Anonymous

as a color blind person, i find the new maps appalling
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Hi @jonathanrho:disqus, would you mind being more precise here? We are very interested into collecting a detailed feedback that could help us improving our maps.
Pingback: Nokia Maps renueva la presentación de los mapas
Pingback: Nokia Maps renueva la presentación de los mapas | Que hay de nuevo mundo?
Pingback: gmSoft - software factory
Anonymous

Hey Pino

its really nice and clear :-)
The concept behind the changes is great because the user is no longer overloaded with too many unimportant information.

I don’t know how other people handle lots of information.
I can only speak for myself. I mark lots of information from different sources as “unimportant”.

Sounds crazy but it needs lots of time to throw unused information away…so the maps changes are great. focused on really important things…

great

thumbs up
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Thank you @Rikibu:disqus, I’m glad you like the new design and thanks for explaining why.
- Anonymous
  
  My wife is similar to you =D
  
  I, on the other hand, actually like my maps to give me more information.
  - Anonymous
    
    haha, some of my friends told me that I am a girl…
    
    haha
    I know that I have some female behavior :-D
Anonymous

Hey Pino

its really nice and clear :-)
The concept behind the changes is great because the user is no longer overloaded with too many unimportant information.

I don’t know how other people handle lots of information.
I can only speak for myself. I mark lots of information from different sources as “unimportant”.

Sounds crazy but it needs lots of time to throw unused information away…so the maps changes are great. focused on really important things…

great

thumbs up
Anonymous

in all honesty the original or “old” way is more appealing to me as its like im actually looking at a map… this new way its as if i couldnt afford an Oxford Atlas and bought a community colleges atlas
Anonymous

its hard to imagine who you’re pleasing at all by making the maps dull and lifeless…..
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Hi @Stylinred:disqus, we didn’t just change the colors which have been chosen after testing them on different devices and in various lighting situations.
  We also fine tuned the whole experience. For instance, background information (like water areas and parks) have been clearly separated from foreground information (like streets and labels) so that all different elements of the map are legible.
  We also improved the contrast, clarity and how overlay information (like traffic, public transport lines) is displayed.
  - Anonymous
    
    Are we looking at the same maps? You do realize that the requirement for different uses (car, walk, location scouting, etc.) require very different classifications on the map elements? Allowing different schemes would be quite more useful than dulling everything to a single, compromising scheme?
    - http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
      
      Hi @mandibela:disqus, yes we are looking at the same maps. And yes I do realize that different use cases need different maps representations. This is exactly what we are working on.
      I also hope you realize this is just the first step in that direction and that we are not stopping improving our maps.
      As we are not stopping listening and considering your comments.
      Now, which version of Nokia Maps have you tested with the new design?
      maps.nokia.com or Nokia Maps for Nokia Lumia? For which use case in
      particular have you tested the new design? Your answers would help us giving more context to your feedback.
      - Anonymous
        
        I’m using the desktop (maps.*) version on a number of different devices (Macbook Pro 15″ High-res antiglare display + Sony bravia 40Z5500, MacBook 2.0 (glossy), Windows Server 2008R2 with some old acer LCD, and a Philips LCD display on a Ubuntu machine). Also, I tried the m.maps.* on my N950, it shows the new version in ‘live traffic view’ only.
        The new map looked best on the Sony Tv with built-in sharpening and contrast enhancement; also the large pixel size helps enormously. This is via HDMI from the (HR, AG) 15″ MacBook Pro. On the high DPI screen I have to squint to see paths in parks or in cities.
        The Philips LCD (1024×768) was very bad due its old age and bad color representation, only labels were clear enough; lightly colored areas change tone and brightness depending on viewing angles – it is unusable.
        MacBook 13″ screen is also old, and is not calibrated, probably has a wrong .ics profile – it looks like the Philips, all light pastel colors are very hard to tell apart. Light yellow streets look white.
        Depending on viewing angle, the acer looks ok or unusable – not a good average though, the map is too white or pink – I have had many issues with light gray looking pink on windows machines due bad color management and display profiles. The streets have the same hue as the general buildings in cities.
        On the N950 the m.maps.* experience is bad, the tiles seem very smooth, much smoother than other devices. This further reduces outside legibility to near useless, even if looked from a small distance the maps are unclear. As I can directly compare the old maps with the new, the old is still smoothed but very much more legible. Also, the color coding on highways is a lot better. Car usage is not good overall, intersections lack clear contrast and legibility – this is bad, it is very difficult to get a good overview. The ramps have no outlines, as do the highways (kehä I or kehä III in Helsinki area are especially difficult – I’m not a native driver this area).
        The overall clarity and legibility of the new map depends on zoom level, it is better if the scale is larger, but still the road classifications could be better – dirt roads have apparently no different color than tarmac. This could be due bad map data too.
        
        I hope this truly helps. I used quite some time to verify my findings. I did not try to print these maps on paper, but I suspect the legibility even in good sunlight is not good, these colors require a clear focus to understand the categories and details in the image – I suspect that the use of a pen to enhance the streets is needed.
        
        Use cases are at home – preparing routes, and in this case, looking at cities, surroundings and landscape in general of other countries as well – btw the issues seem to wary in different locations around europe. Also, walking, driving (N950 obviously) using m.maps.*. The built-in navigation of Harmattan (PR 1.2) is Much Better. I’d like to tweak the colors on the maps in the Drive app, as I do drive off the route occasionally. The route actually deteriorates the glancability of the rest of the map, as it is much more defined than the map.
        
        Overall, glancability is gone, it was/is not spectacular in the old version either but it was acceptable (as it was what it was without a mechanism to change it). In actual use, I have other services that I have been using, including the online map services offered by eniro, maanmittauslaitos and Google. For offline use I have routebuddy on OSX and on windows the mapping software from the Finnish national land survey.
        
        As a side-note, atm I’m glad that I have not been depending on Nokia Maps. I’m actually somewhat shocked by your decision in this matter – it just seems that bad to me and my usage.
    - http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
      
      Hi @mandibela:disqus, yes we are looking at the same maps. And yes I do realize that different use cases need different maps representations. This is exactly what we are working on.
      I also hope you realize this is just the first step in that direction and that we are not stopping improving our maps.
      As we are not stopping listening and considering your comments.
      Now, which version of Nokia Maps have you tested with the new design?
      maps.nokia.com or Nokia Maps for Nokia Lumia? For which use case in
      particular have you tested the new design? Your answers would help us giving more context to your feedback.
  - Anonymous
    
    Are we looking at the same maps? You do realize that the requirement for different uses (car, walk, location scouting, etc.) require very different classifications on the map elements? Allowing different schemes would be quite more useful than dulling everything to a single, compromising scheme?
  - Anonymous
    
    there’s no need to describe how the maps were “improved” its clearly been turned into a colouring book except the users aren’t able to colour anything in
    
    the only thing that actually looks to be an improvement is the changes in Font type
Pingback: Bing Maps and Nokia Release Unified Map Design ‹ GIS Times
http://twitter.com/emgx EMacA

I felt the original was too “busy”. The new is a bit too dull and washed out. A balance between the two would go perfect in my opinion!
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Thanks @twitter-9549832:disqus, we’ll consider your feedback. Improvements don’t end today ;-)
- Anonymous
  
  Agreed I think this is too washed out.
Pingback: Microsoft And Nokia Unify Maps On PC, Mobile | My Blog
Pingback: Mapping the new digital world – Nokia Conversations : the official Nokia blog | Nokia, Symbian and WP7 | Scoop.it
http://twitter.com/PatataJohnson Patata Johnson

What about Maps for Symbian? You know, Nokia’s own OS (just in case that you forgot that there is something else than wp ;) )
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Hi @twitter-51819522:disqus, with Windows Phone as our new main smartphone platform, it is clear that moving forward our focus for our mobile maps application will also switch to Windows Phone. This goes also for the new map design.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Jill-Dasani/818900286 Jill Dasani
    
    Hell !!
    That’s pathetic .. don’t you think so ?
    - http://twitter.com/Alex_a_Chemist Alex Ruppel
      
      For now there isn’t really a feature gap between Maps on Belle and WP7, with arguably more features on Belle’s version.
      
      However, I’m sure we all have the sinking feeling that our beloved Nokia Beta Labs are coming to an end of days. Nokia claim to provide service to the Symbian ecosystem to 2016, but it seems like it’s just lip service.
      
      At this point they might as well stop any evangelism for QT, it’s all going down the drain.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Jill-Dasani/818900286 Jill Dasani
    
    Hell !!
    That’s pathetic .. don’t you think so ?
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Jill-Dasani/818900286 Jill Dasani
    
    Hey .. you just lost a customer there .. feeling good ?
    - http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
      
      Hi @facebook-818900286:disqus, actually I think that we have a strong product for Nokia Belle (Symbian) which is Nokia Maps Suite we just released in beta. It has great features like offline navigation with Nokia Drive and Nokia Maps, support for Nokia Car Mode, Public Transport, Weather, Guides…
      Even if the new maps design is currently not available on Symbian, everything works perfectly.
      - http://www.facebook.com/people/Jill-Dasani/818900286 Jill Dasani
        
        My concern is when you say that in future you will only focus on Windows Phone .. lets be practical .. I can understand that your focus is Windows but there are numerous Symbian users out there & with new phones like 808 just launched .. What does this mean ?
        
        On one hand you are asking developers to use Qt to develop for Symbian & N9 and on the other hand you just say that going forward your focus will be Windows ? If this is Nokia’s approach what approach do you expect from developers ?
      - http://www.facebook.com/people/Jill-Dasani/818900286 Jill Dasani
        
        My concern is when you say that in future you will only focus on Windows Phone .. lets be practical .. I can understand that your focus is Windows but there are numerous Symbian users out there & with new phones like 808 just launched .. What does this mean ?
        
        On one hand you are asking developers to use Qt to develop for Symbian & N9 and on the other hand you just say that going forward your focus will be Windows ? If this is Nokia’s approach what approach do you expect from developers ?
      - http://www.facebook.com/people/Jill-Dasani/818900286 Jill Dasani
        
        My concern is when you say that in future you will only focus on Windows Phone .. lets be practical .. I can understand that your focus is Windows but there are numerous Symbian users out there & with new phones like 808 just launched .. What does this mean ?
        
        On one hand you are asking developers to use Qt to develop for Symbian & N9 and on the other hand you just say that going forward your focus will be Windows ? If this is Nokia’s approach what approach do you expect from developers ?
      - http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
        
        Hi @facebook-818900286:disqus and @twitter-51819522:disqus, I think we have covered this topic often enough in the last 12 months. Please refer to the past discussions if you want to learn more about our strategy, Symbian and developer support.
        And even if it’s a bit off topic, I can repeat again that not only our location based apps are very mature and solid on Symbian but that we have also just released a new beta of Nokia Maps Suite which you can test at http://betalabs.nokia.com/apps/nokia-maps-suite
      - http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
        
        Hi @facebook-818900286:disqus and @twitter-51819522:disqus, I think we have covered this topic often enough in the last 12 months. Please refer to the past discussions if you want to learn more about our strategy, Symbian and developer support.
        And even if it’s a bit off topic, I can repeat again that not only our location based apps are very mature and solid on Symbian but that we have also just released a new beta of Nokia Maps Suite which you can test at http://betalabs.nokia.com/apps/nokia-maps-suite
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Jill-Dasani/818900286 Jill Dasani
    
    Hey .. you just lost a customer there .. feeling good ?
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Jill-Dasani/818900286 Jill Dasani
    
    Hey .. you just lost a customer there .. feeling good ?
  - http://twitter.com/PatataJohnson Patata Johnson
    
    and leaving millions of existing customers for that, still meaningless plattform that wp is?
    Who do you think will buy your products in the future, if you don’t mind about your existing userbase at all? ;)
  - http://twitter.com/PatataJohnson Patata Johnson
    
    and leaving millions of existing customers for that, still meaningless plattform that wp is?
    Who do you think will buy your products in the future, if you don’t mind about your existing userbase at all? ;)
  - http://twitter.com/PatataJohnson Patata Johnson
    
    and leaving millions of existing customers for that, still meaningless plattform that wp is?
    Who do you think will buy your products in the future, if you don’t mind about your existing userbase at all? ;)
  - http://twitter.com/PatataJohnson Patata Johnson
    
    and leaving millions of existing customers for that, still meaningless plattform that wp is?
    Who do you think will buy your products in the future, if you don’t mind about your existing userbase at all? ;)
Pingback: Bing Maps And Nokia Make Sweet Love, Give Birth To Unified Map Design
http://twitter.com/DigitalAmoeba Alan Howshall

I’m sorry but as a UI designer the old map styles are much preferable to the new styles, as the new styles colour contrast and definition is way too low for normal desktop users, let alone users with colour issues or those dealing with screen glare on any sort of mobile device near sunlight.

Obviously the bigger technical change of varying the amount and type on information overlays based on zoom level makes complete sense, but those ‘old’ map colours and styles were a huge improvement over the previous to that map styles. Please don’t backslide on usability and clarity.

A good test of clarity in non-optimal conditional is always to look at how things look slightly zoomed out from 100%…if you look at the embedded screenshots above on this very page it’s clear to see which one is showing more detail clearly. As others have said text, main roads and minor roads are all clearer on the ‘old’ versions.
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Hi @twitter-52676679:disqus, we really value your feedback and we are going to consider it for future releases.
  However, would you mind taking time to actually use the new design at maps.nokia.com or on your Lumia instead of comparing only two (small) screenshots?
  You might not change your mind about the new design, but your feedback would be much more relevant.
Anonymous

I also think the roads should be more contrasty and some color coding would help.

A lot better result would be to just replace the font with Nokia Pure instead of doind the complete “washup” of colours.
Anonymous

I also think the roads should be more contrasty and some color coding would help.

A lot better result would be to just replace the font with Nokia Pure instead of doind the complete “washup” of colours.
Anonymous

I also think the roads should be more contrasty and some color coding would help.

A lot better result would be to just replace the font with Nokia Pure instead of doind the complete “washup” of colours.
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Hi @nrde:disqus, the font we are using is actually Nokia Pure…
  In fact, we have improved much more than just the colors which are understandably the more visible changes.
  - Anonymous
    
    Hmm, yes I know you used Pure. I meant that the result would have been more to my liking if you would have stopped the improvements there.
    
    i.e.,
    
    kept more or less the same colors as before but updated just the font. In my opinion the only really good improvement actually was to use Pure.
    
    But maybe in real world the improvements are more visible, but for now the screenshots indicate at least on my 24″ monitor that the maps have turned into a grey canvas with text instead of clear maps.
    
    I suggest you don’t listen to the Bing people anymore if their suggestions make the maps look stylish but unreadable.
Anonymous

Glancability is gone. Pathways look like contours on buildings. Road classifications are not apparent, the previous was bad, but this is worse (Finland). Have you actually tested these pastel colors in use? On an actual device? Outside, or in a car?
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Yes, indeed, we have tested the new design on different devices and lighting conditions…
  I have answered to your other comment too, perhaps you would like to give us more details about the situations during which you have tested the new Nokia Maps.
Pingback: Mapping the new digital world | cartography | Scoop.it
Pingback: Nokia and Microsoft Take a Fresh Look at Maps | Spatial Sustain
Pingback: Nokia y Mapas Bing ahora con diseño unificado | | smartGSM Teléfonos Celulares
Pingback: Nokia Maps and Bing Maps unify their map design | Gadgets
Anonymous

The washed out grey is unacceptable. Option of proper maps please.
Anonymous

I hav read all the comments. You seem to have got this wrong Nokia. I am using Co Pilot on an HTC HD2, I am 70 years of age. I just could not use your new design. I need glanceability and high contrast, eyes get weaker as one ages. Pity, I was just considering returning to Nokia for my next phone. One poster mentioned OS Maps, they are great, clear and strongly coloured and have stood the test of time.

It is truly amazing that you mess up on such a basic issue.
Anonymous

I hav read all the comments. You seem to have got this wrong Nokia. I am using Co Pilot on an HTC HD2, I am 70 years of age. I just could not use your new design. I need glanceability and high contrast, eyes get weaker as one ages. Pity, I was just considering returning to Nokia for my next phone. One poster mentioned OS Maps, they are great, clear and strongly coloured and have stood the test of time.

It is truly amazing that you mess up on such a basic issue.
Pingback: My Mobiles» Blog Archive » Nokia Maps and Bing Maps unify their map design
http://twitter.com/haikus Pino

Hi everyone, we are valuing all your precious feedback which we will incorporate in future development.
I am particularly impressed by how emotional this topic is and I would like to personally thank @nrde:disqus and @mandibela:disqus who have provided a lot of details with their feedback. Really appreciated.
Pingback: Microsoft and Nokia unify Bing Maps and Nokia Maps for mobile | MobileSyrup.com
http://twitter.com/Alex_a_Chemist Alex Ruppel

As a hardcore N8 user I hate this! I never liked Bing Maps because I didn’t like the muted colour scheme, and how the writing and map itself are so pale. At the same time, they have a bad habit of having the names of neighbourhoods sort of just floating over a neighbourhood.

Even just looking at the usability based on your examples, I can look at one map and immediately see major thoroughfares and where minor streets are, the pastel mess that is Bing maps is so hard to even begin to understand.

Bing would’ve been further ahead taking Nokia’s style. Maps is the killer experience for Nokia, and you’re shooting yourself in the foot to let MS make you irrelevant. Next map update I get on my N8 w/ Maps Suite 3.0 better not look like this!
Pingback: Microsoft and Nokia unify Bing Maps and Nokia Maps for mobile – - MobileNewsX - Mobile News AggregatorMobileNewsX – Mobile News Aggregator
Pingback: Microsoft And Nokia Unify Maps On PC, Mobile - My Blog
Pingback: Nokia ve Bing Haritalar’a estetik güncellemeler
Pingback: My Blog » » Microsoft and Nokia unify Bing Maps and Nokia Maps for mobile
Pingback: Microsoft and Nokia unify Bing Maps and Nokia Maps for mobile – - LiveNewsX - Live News AggregatorLiveNewsX – Live News Aggregator
Pingback: Your Questions About Naturally Improve Eyesight
Pingback: MWC 2012 day 1 news [Feb 27, 2012]: Samsung and Nokia | Experiencing the Cloud
Pingback: Nokia Maps and Bing Maps to Use Unified Design | Nokia Phones
Pingback: 网站优化
Pingback: Les cartes de Bing et Nokia Maps évoluent | WindowsPhoneFR.com – Windows Phone 7 / Windows Phone 8 (Apollo)
http://www.facebook.com/lnbemail 李宁泊

Jsut Look at this. You can not even tell the yellow which mean the main street from the white nomal street. What worse is the motoway take the purple. What a fool to the strategy of Bing group combine the Nokia. Hope the map team can re-considerat the voice of usuer!
Pingback: Nokia Maps and Bing Maps unify their map design : TheGadgetMedia
Pingback: Barcelona mobile show puts Nokia on top of the world | MWC March 12 | Nokia Rules : NOKIA Ideas Project and Imagine Cup 2012
http://www.facebook.com/people/Eric-Snyder/100000147969874 Eric Snyder

My visiion isn’t that good. I would like to be able to read the map without reading glasses, which makes it glanceable while I drive. Removing the contrast will make that impossible.

Thanks for trying to take a bold step to improve the map experience. MS And Nokia will be successful if you guys don’t take it too far.

-e
Pingback: “that map is wrong and this plan is holy” | JRFibonacci's blog: partnering with reality
Rajkumar S

outlines are not clear.
Rajkumar S

outlines are not clear.
Pingback: Digitalworld mapping | Manaartstudio
Zapallo

l love those maps
Keynon Cameron

If it is vitally important to Microsoft that Nokia Lumia and Phone 8 are a success, and it seems the maps collaboration is another way to promote that success, why doesn’t Microsoft license it’s high res Global Ortho Project imagery data to Nokia. It’s far superior to the Nokia satellite imagery. Also, Microsoft could allow Nokia to use it’s streetside imagery, which is superior. If Microsoft is truly a partner with Nokia, they should be supporting Nokia Maps improvement in these obvious and concrete ways, not just offering their “color palette”.
- http://twitter.com/haikus Pino
  
  Hi @keynoncameron:disqus as you can see your comment is visible and we would like to thank you for your feedback.
Keynon Cameron

I just left a pertinent post, was it deleted?
Keynon Cameron

I just left a pertinent post, it has disappeared, did it get deleted?

Mapping the new digital world

Comments

By Pino

Article info

Tags

Mapping the new digital world

Related articles

Mapping the future on maps.nokia.com

All you wanted to know about Nokia location-based services

Maps and the importance of offline

Comments

By Pino

Share article

Article info

Tags