The Moment
As the product started to take shape, I wanted locations to feel real and useful. Not just names of places, but something more intuitive — the ability to search, recognise, and anchor places in a way that reflects how people actually plan trips. Naturally, this led me to explore Google’s ecosystem, particularly Google Maps and Google Places. At first glance, it felt like an obvious choice. The data was rich, the experience familiar, and the capabilities were already proven at scale.
The Tension
But as I went deeper, the decision became less straightforward. The APIs were powerful, but they came with constraints. Costs could scale with usage. Data usage had rules. And more subtly, the structure of the APIs influenced how the product needed to behave. This meant that choosing the APIs was not just about getting data — it was about accepting a certain way of working.
What I Did and Changed
I broke the decision down into practical considerations — not technical capability alone, but how each part would affect the product experience and long-term flexibility. Looking at it this way made the pattern clear. Each component was strong on its own, but adopting all of them deeply would mean the product starts to inherit the structure and constraints of the platform. So I made a conscious choice. I used Google APIs where they clearly improved the experience — especially for search and accuracy — but avoided over-dependence in areas where it would limit flexibility.
Google API Evaluation
| API / Option | Strength | Trade-off | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Places API | Strong autocomplete, accurate place recognition, global coverage | Cost scales with usage, restrictions on storing/modifying data | Very effective for input and search, but should not fully dictate data structure |
| Google Maps JavaScript API | Rich interactive maps, familiar user experience | Adds frontend complexity, dependency on external rendering | Useful for visualisation, but not always necessary for core experience |
| Google Static Maps API | Simple map previews without heavy frontend integration | Limited interactivity, still tied to usage quotas | Good balance for lightweight use cases like previews and sharing |
| Google Geocoding API | Converts addresses into coordinates reliably | Additional API calls, dependency on external service | Useful as a supporting layer, but should remain behind the scenes |
The Insight
Powerful platforms are not neutral. When you use them, they begin to shape how your product behaves.
Broad Reflection
Modern products are increasingly built on top of ecosystems. This brings speed and capability, but also introduces dependency and constraint. The real discipline lies in deciding where to draw the line. Because building something sustainable is not just about what you can integrate, but what you choose to keep under your own control.