Maps layers selection is not intuitive

asked 2014-10-26 02:09:05 +0300

ssahla gravatar image

updated 2014-11-03 00:27:21 +0300

With 1.1.0.38 Uitukka, Maps has new features: night/day mode, satellite view, etc. Great! However, the UI for selecting these is not optimal.

How it works: Once you tap on the map, you see two icons in the bottom corners of the screen and some text in the middle (by default, "Street map"). With the left corner icon, you can change night/day mode; with the right corner icon, you can show/hide saved locations. And from the text in the middle, you can select satellite, transit, street or pedestrian view.

Problem 1 (as pointed out by @damourti in the comments): To bring up these options, you need to tap on the map, which changes your position on the map (unless you tap on the very centre of the screen). You should be able to access the options without changing your position.

Problem 2: How are you supposed to know that the text in the middle ("Street map") is interactive? Before you tap on it, you have no hint that there's a menu. Especially because once you tap one of the corner icons, this text is overwritten by another text ("Night mode", "Saved locations hidden", etc.).

In an intuitive user interface there should be no confusion between interactive and non-interactive elements. Here we have a text which is sometimes a menu ("Street map"), but not marked as such, and sometimes status information ("Night mode") – with no visual distinction between the two.

So, the menu in the middle should be indicated as such. How? With an underline? Well, it's not a button but a menu. There's another question about indicating contextual menus, but so far there's no solution to that (and this is not actually a contextual menu, as it's not behind a long-tap). So the solution to this (1st world) problem is up for finding. :)

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Comments

1

On top of that, to change the layer, you have to change the circle position according to the clic you made. This is not intuitive/normal

damourti ( 2014-10-26 04:22:31 +0300 )edit

@damourti what are you trying to say? I did not get that.

Otherwise, personally, I was searching for a "Settings" pulley menu until I discovered that Street map was clickable.

Sthocs ( 2014-10-26 14:08:40 +0300 )edit

I'm not seeing any of this stuff. When I tap on the map I just see the old directions and 'what's near' options, the same 'here' icon on the left and circle on the right. no 'street map' text.

Am I missing something, or is my maps app broken?

Andy Branson ( 2014-10-26 14:43:07 +0300 )edit
1

@Andy Branson, there seems to be some problem with the Maps or other apps not updating to latest versions...

https://together.jolla.com/question/60676/new-maps-overlays-in-1103839-howto/https://together.jolla.com/question/60686/native-jolla-apps-new-versions-after-upgrade-to-uitukka-11038-11039/

ssahla ( 2014-10-26 15:11:58 +0300 )edit
1

@Sthocs: To bring up the options, you need to tap on the map, and when you do, the map will be centered on the position where you tapped. So your map position changes when you bring up the options, unless you tap right in the centre. @damourti, is this what you meant? You are right, this is not good.

ssahla ( 2014-10-26 15:17:53 +0300 )edit