UX Considerations for Mapping Apps on Touch Devices

UX Considerations for Mapping Apps
on Touch Devices

“Touch-friendly mapping apps”

Allan Laframboise
Frank Garofalo

#uxmaptouchapp #esriuc #mapux #gisux

So you’ve got a web mapping app…


So you’ve got a web mapping app…
…is it usable on a touch device?


Why?


Time Design
Cost

Knowledge

Standards

Technical Limitations


it’s a jungle out there!


it’s a jungle out there!

Touch


touch = mouseless


Device challenges

Viewports

Interaction

Processors/speed

Connectivity


Viewports - Resolution/Orientation

1024, 768,480,320

Rotation, orientation

UX
• Handling physical device
• Large screen size = small buttons (OK!)
• Small screen size = big buttons (challenge!)
• Glare, fingerprints…


Interaction - Keyboard vs mouse vs touch

• Physical differences… / Input

• Form factor

• UX
• Click vs tap vs voice
• Mouse cursor vs direct interaction (finger)
• Keyboard shortcuts vs gestures
• Right-click, mouse over (don’t exist)


Processor Speed & Connectivity

- Connected & Disconnected

- Wifi vs mobile

- UX
- user feedback one when connection status
- too slow due to connection speed
- out of memory/memory limitations


Mapping dev challenges

Mouse vs touch events

Mouse vs touch vs mapping events

Usability


So where do I start?


Think mobile first


Think relevance


Think simple


Think reusable (content)


Think “responsive”


Your app running everywhere…


Plan/design for each device
What is most relevant?


Mock-up first (mobile, tablet & desktop)


Use case: Javascript Dev Starter App

 Web app

 Touch

 Responsive

 Good UX


Dev solutions, thinking responsive...

Touch

Fluid layout (960 grid)

Media Queries – screen, print, handheld

Smart css


Touch

Minimum “press-able” area 36px x 36px

Keep “press-able” elements away from edges

No right-click & hover / mouse-over for touch

Avoid the "double tap"

Gestures should be used as shortcuts


Fluid Explained…

Percentage based widths

960 grid system (www.960.gs)

grid_16

grid_5 grid_11

grid_8 grid_8


Media Query

@media
@media all and ( min-width : 768px ) and ( max-width : 1024px ) and
( orientation : portrait ) { … } /* Tablet - Portrait */

@media all and ( min-width: 768px ) and ( max-width : 1024px ) and
(max-height : 768px) and ( orientation : landscape ) { … } /* Tablet - Landscape */

@media all and ( min-width: 321px ) and ( max-width: 480px ) { … } /* Smartphone - Landscape */

@media all and ( max-width: 320px ) { … } /* Smartphone - Portrait */

@media all and ( min-width: 800px ) and ( min-height: 800px ) and
( max-width: 1279px ) { … } /* Desktop */

@media all and ( min-width : 1280px ) { … } /* Desktop - Wide Screen */

Resource: http://css-tricks.com/snippets/css/media-queries-for-standard-devices/


Smart CSS
<body class = “ … ” >

“ui_iOS ui_iOS_iPhone” “ui_Android ui_AndroidPhone” “ui_Win ui_Win7_Phone”

Same HTML with different CSS applied


Mobile browser challenges…

Tool bars take up space too!


Touch-friendly dev


ArcGIS Javascript Compact

<script
type="text/javascript" src="http://serverapi.arcgisonline.com/jsapi/arcgis/?v=3.0compact">
</script


Viewport and orientation

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0,
user-scalable=no"/>
…

"autoResize": function ( window ) {
var supportsOrientationChange = "onorientationchange" in window,
orientationEvent = supportsOrientationChange ? "orientationchange" : "resize";

function orientationChanged( map ) {
if (map) {
map.resize();
map.reposition();
}
}

// Attach
if ( window.addEventListener )
window.addEventListener( orientationEvent, function () { orientationChanged(map); }, false );
},


Device detection
var mobileDevice = {
Android: function () {
return navigator.userAgent.match(/Android/i) ? true : false;
},
BlackBerry: function () {
return navigator.userAgent.match(/BlackBerry/i) ? true : false;
},
iPhone: function () {
return navigator.userAgent.match(/iPhone|iPod/i) ? true : false;
},
iPad: function () {
return navigator.userAgent.match(/iPad/i) ? true : false;
},
Windows: function () {
return navigator.userAgent.match(/IEMobile/i) ? true : false;
},
any: function () {
return (isMobile.Android() || isMobile.BlackBerry() || isMobile.iPhone() || isMobile.iPad()
|| isMobile.Windows());
}


Events: onclick vs ontouchstart

<button id="addPoint" class="buttonControls" onclick="setActiveTool(this);"
ontouchstart ="setActiveTool(this);"><span class="buttonLabel">Add Point</span></button>

<button id="addLine" class="buttonControls" onclick="setActiveTool(this);"

<button id="addPolygon" class="buttonControls" onclick="setActiveTool(this);"

<button id="clearGraphics" class="buttonControls" onclick="setActiveTool(this);"
ontouchstart ="setActiveTool(null);"><span class="buttonLabel">Add Point</span></button>

onmousedown + onclick = ontouchstart

ontouchstart != onmousedown || onclick


Events: No onmouseover (hover)

<div id="containerMenu" class="">

<div id="basemaps" class="buttonNav selected" onmouseover="setActiveModule( this, true );"
ontouchstart="setActiveModule( this, true );"><p>Basemaps</p></div>

<div id="geolocation" class="buttonNav" onmouseover="setActiveModule( this, true );"
ontouchstart ="setActiveModule( this, true );"><p>Geolocation</p></div>

<div id="graphics" class="buttonNav" onmouseover="setActiveModule( this, true );"
ontouchstart ="setActiveModule( this, false );"><p>Add Graphics</p></div>

<div id="findAddress" class="buttonNav" onmouseover="setActiveModule( this, true );"
ontouchstart ="setActiveModule( this, true );"><p>Find Place</p></div>
…

</div>


Events: No doubleclick
function addGraphicCallback( evt ) {

var pt = evt.mapPoint;
clearAddGraphics( false );

var finished = ( evt.type == "dblclick" || evt.type == "touchend“ );

switch ( activeToolId )
{
case 'addPoint':
addPoint( pt, finished );
break;
case 'addLine':
addLine( pt, finished );
break;
case 'addPolygon':
addPolygon( pt, finished );
break;
default:
}
}


Locking map navigation

function setActiveTool ( ctrl, active) {
lockMapNavigation( active );
…
}

function lockMapNavigation( lock ) {

if ( lock ) {
map.disableDoubleClickZoom();
map.disableClickRecenter();
map.disablePan();
} else {
map.enableDoubleClickZoom();
map.enableClickRecenter();
map.enablePan();
}

}


Final UX thoughts
Toggle - turn tools on and off (expected)

Guide your user
- “just-in-time-assistance” (user message)

Give them a way to “back-out”


Remember the “Javascript Dev Starter App”?


Grand Finale

http://edn1.esri.com/starterapp/


In the end…

Design for touch

Design for devices

Design for the user!

There are challenges!


Questions?

Allan Laframboise Frank Garofalo
.NET Technical Lead, UI / Human Factors Engineer,
Esri Developer Network Esri Professional Services

@Al_Laframboise @fgarofalo


Questions?

Allan Laframboise Frank Garofalo
.NET Technical Lead, UI / Human Factors Engineer,
Esri Developer Network Esri Professional Services

@Al_Laframboise @fgarofalo

http://edn1.esri.com/starterapp/


Today’s feature presentation…

Apps need to run everywhere

UX considerations

Dev solutions


Things to think about


UX Considerations for Mapping Apps on Touch Devices

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UX Considerations for Mapping Apps on Touch Devices