What Problem Does This Solve? Introduce the user to the application and gather first inputs to optimize the map experience Why Use This Pattern? For years map application developers have chosen (intentionally or not) to start the application with the map at the smallest possible scale, i.e. the initial map extent shows the complete extent […]
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What Problem Does This Solve? Clustering is limited to counts of features without the ability to visualize a second dimension within the data Why Use This Pattern? A common technique to avoid showing too many points on the map is clustering them into bubbles with numbers inside. This mechanism is effective to illustrate the amount […]
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What Problem Does This Solve? The map is overloaded with layers and users struggle to reduce the clutter Why Use This Pattern? Interactive maps are collections of layers and each layer that is turned on adds to visual information to the map and if any one of those layers isn’t required or desired it can […]
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What Problem Does This Solve? Help users to avoid revisiting the same popup repeatedly Why Use This Pattern? A pattern that has been around since the early days of HTML is to show links that have been visited preciously in a different color. This is considered a usability best practice to help users recall which […]
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What Problem Does This Solve? Avoid updating features on the map until user has explicitly opted in to do so Why Use This Pattern? Any time a user pans or zooms the map the extent changes and therefore the visible features on the map will change also. Sometimes this behavior is expected but in other […]
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What Problem Does This Solve? Showcase all conceivable functions and data in one page. Why Use This Pattern? The Kitchen Sink approach, sometimes also referred to as Swiss Army Knife app or data portal, is useful for demo applications which showcase all (or almost all) of the features and is a great way to introduce […]
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What Problem Does This Solve? Visualize how a measurement varies across a geographic area. Why Use This Pattern? Choropleth maps provide an easy way to visualize how a measurement varies across a geographic area or show the level of variability within a region. When to Use This Pattern Choropleth maps are important to support analysis […]
Read MoreThe best way to introduce you to the Map UI Pattern library is by relating it to Atomic Design, which many of you are probably familiar with, and which is the basis of most Design Systems. Map patterns (Navigating the Map, Orienting Yourself, Visualizing Data, and Views) and Content patterns (Interacting with Content, Exploring Spatial […]
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What Problem Does This Solve? User needs to select a floor/level in a 2-dimensional indoor map. Why Use This Pattern? Indoor maps are inherently 3-dimensional in that they usually include multiple floors or levels. When displaying a planar (2D) map users do not know which level they are looking at or how to select a […]
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What Problem Does This Solve? Comparing changes, patterns or differences in data is difficult to impossible with interactive controls on a single map view. Why Use This Pattern? Small Multiples is sometimes also called trellis maps or tile maps. It is a series of similar maps using the same size and scale, allowing them to […]
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