Lazycoder

Windows Live Local – still no good

One of my first tests of any only mapping system is to see how it tells me to get to somewhere I know. I usually use my work place. It’s a pretty big location, well known in the Seattle area, and we’ve been in our current location for a while. So it’s a big target.

I saw the update to Windows Live Local and decided to give it a try. Check out the results.

First, there are two results given for the search term “Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center”. Neither one is correct, the “100 Fairview ave” address is less wrong, the actual address is 1100 Fairview Ave N, but it still won’t get you here since Fairview ave branches and heads east when you are going north on it to the lake. The first hit is no where NEAR the actual location. Heck, it’s not even near the OLD location on First Hill. When you open up the birds-eye view, you can see that the location is wrong.

Even more interesting is what I get when I type in “1100 Fairview Ave N Seattle, WA” in the search box.

I know what’s happening and it’s a usability issue. The top search box is for “Business or category” the bottom is for addresses. Now, how do you write an address on an envelope? Do you write the stree address above the city, state, zip? Or do you write the entire address all on one line. Current formatting norms are an important issue to consider when you are designing forms.

For the record, the real FHCRC is here.