Our web site uses location data to give the user a localized UI. I was wondering what other peoples experiences were with the newer HTML 5 pop ups that offer to automatically grab the user's exact location. Are people more weary of this when it's not a smart phone? For some reason I seem to have less of a problem giving an app my location than a web site, but maybe that's just me. Has anyone else found this to be the case when designing this service in? Right now we ask for the users zip code so their location basically remains anonymous.
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1 Answer
I use automatic location services with some of the systems. However, be aware that some people find this intrusive and you need to ensure that your site clearly indicates what the geocaptured information will be used for.
Also remember that when the information is NOT from a smart phone, the answers that the system returns to you can vary significantly.
I am currently coding a system that "could" depend (and captures manually) location at a suburb and postal code level. But since the "last mile" could be outside this area, sometimes the information that is returned from a conventional browser can be inaccurate.
All in all, I would steer clear of the locality information for now until users begin to appreciate and not distrust this feature.
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Good to know, it does seem like it's going to take awhile to get some of the kinks out of HTML 5. Commented Sep 26, 2013 at 4:02
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I don't this that its just the technology at HTML5 level is the problem... Its a hard sell as I mentioned in my answer, but its also about how to trust the information being returned to you. Older laptops lack GPS information, and I am not sure, but can you determine the source of the location from the API? Commented Nov 2, 2015 at 3:26