TripAdvisor Maps

Although competitive in the review space, TripAdvisor and Google have had a positive long-term mapping partnership. Over time, TripAdvisor wanted to grow past the constraints of what the Google Maps API was offering and build mapping features that were unique for the TripAdvisor audience. In August 2016, TripAdvisor acquired Citymaps with the goal of switching their entire global map over to Citymap’s proprietary map engine.

Working in a cross-functional team of 15 Engineers, Product/Project managers, and QA. I led the end-to-end planning and hands-on execution of the map design vision. In my role, I was responsible for integrating the overall design system for the full map experience, across 20 different zoom levels, throughout the TripAdvisor ecosystem.

In reaching our goal, we built and implemented a custom map style and design elements that blended seamlessly into the new look and feel of the TripAdvisor redesign that was happening alongside our work. We introduced new mapping features, such as downloadable offline maps, that were designed to help customers in all life cycles of their vacation and trip planning from mobile to desktop. Ultimately, we achieved our goal and were able to entirely replace Google Maps in over 400 cities across 70 countries worldwide.

Some key metrics achieved post-launch:

・iOS page views increased +70% for attractions, +42% for restaurants.
・iOS restaurant engagement increased +47%.
・Android attraction revenue increased +16% per user app-wide.
・Android restaurant page views increased +19%.