Competitive Analysis
Mapped the road trip arc against existing tools like Roadtrippers.
Finding Magic on the Road
Maps routes the trip. Magic happens between the pins.
Maps × Gemini × Road Trips
Presented 9 insights to Google Maps research, June 2026 · Design exploration ongoing
My role
I led the field study, recruitment strategy, competitive market analysis, and created the magic framework.
Magic shows up between the pins.
What works for one does not work for a group.
Roadtrippers need support in the moments in between: when a group needs to align on a detour, when someone spots a roadside attraction worth stopping for, when the driver wants a quick answer before the moment passes. We are designing a collaborative navigation experience for Gen Z friend groups: spontaneous discovery, seamless re-planning, and post-trip remembering.
One phone carries the route.
Google sponsored our capstone to ask how Gemini could make road trips magical for Gen Z friend groups. Magic shows up when human connection, nature, and novelty serendipitously align. It falls apart when Google Maps treats the car as a single user.
Maps is built for one navigator.
Google Maps routes one navigator. Road trips need four people aligned, room for spontaneous stops, and answers before the moment passes.
North star
How do we help young road trippers make spontaneous stops and discover hidden gems while keeping the whole group aligned and coordinated on the road?
We searched for the road where magic forms.
Field Study
Used Ask Maps on our trip from Seattle to Skagit Valley to Whidbey Island, logging every moment of magic we encountered.
8 Interviews
Gen Z road trippers, a Google Maps product expert, and a road-trip creator with 1M+ followers.
What breaks magic on the road.
Key insight: Magic on the road is unplanned, but it only lands when the group can pivot together. Tools built for one navigator turn every spontaneous moment into a coordination tax.
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People make the final call Young road trippers use AI as a starting point. When it counts, they trust friends, creators, and recommendations from real people.
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Detours need a group decision Hidden gems pull people off route. The friction isn’t the stop. It’s getting the whole car aligned before the moment passes.
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The trip is shared, the tools aren’t Planning, navigation, and decisions live on separate phones. No one in the car shares the same view of where the trip is going.
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Magic needs presence Road trip magic shows up when people are with friends and place. It falls apart when everyone is managing maps, phones, and logistics.
“For me, things going awry is part of the fun, so magical moments typically end up being something we didn’t factor in the original decisions.”
— Participant 8
The Road Ahead.
Three potential directions we’re exploring:
Navigation for the whole car
Rethink Maps for group road trips. One shared surface for planning, pivoting on detours, and staying aligned so one person isn’t carrying the route.
Gemini as ambient social connection
Local context and starting points that help friends discover together at speed. Gemini facilitates discovery between people; it doesn’t make the call for them.
Reminiscing together
A digital overview of the trip: miles driven, stops made, memories captured along the route. Friends can return to it and share it long after the drive ends.