[jmspring]

The only UI examples that stand out when I think of google are:

- GMail -- more for the rich use of javascript that a stunning UI. Effective, simple, and performant.

- The main website -- simple, loads quickly, etc.

- Android (Froyo and beyond) -- there are elements I really wish Apple would adopt - widgets, unobtrusive notification system, etc.

Beyond those, I really haven't seen a UI/UX example from google worth being wow'd about.

[panic]

Google Maps should be on that list. Can you remember the sort of maps we used to put up with on the web?

[jmspring]

Good call on Maps. I forgot about them. I think I forgot because I mostly use the Maps app on iOs/Android rather than maps.google anymore.

A serious minus that comes to mind on their UI/UX experience is the way they handle image search now. I'm still on the fence about "instant search"