Google Maps punish the slow walkers

This year, I’ve placed a heavier focus on my physical health. This means more sleep, water, protein, and, ironically, steps. Yes, I created a walking app used by tens of thousands of people every day, but that doesn’t mean I’m the most active person. Recently that has started to change. For the past week, I’ve been averaging over 5,000 steps a day which, while not a lot for many people, is a marked increase from my sub-1,000 average towards the tail end of last year.

At the mall yesterday I noticed how slow most people walk. I know many of these people are browsing and meandering rather than trying to reach a specific destination. Still, as someone laser-focused on making returns, this was a bit frustrating.

This got me thinking about apps like Google Maps that give us walking directions. What if there was a feature where you could prohibit slow walkers from getting instructions? This would prohibit them from getting in the way of the fast (and sometimes furious).

To be clear, I don’t think this is a good idea, but it’s one way to incentivize faster average walking speed for the average person.

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