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I am about to create an android application. The application deals with objects that have location attributes and can be displayed on a map.

I am thinking of having the map be displayed first with nearby objects. By clicking on the object marker on the map, the application will reveal a detailed view.

My question is, do I have to provide another way of search, like manual search? Manual search would require the user to type his location (city+street) manually. Upon that the application would list available objects in a simple list view, not map. Clicking on the list item reveals the detailed view.

What would be the pros & cons of having such a manual search in your opinion?

For me, it would create unnecessary coding hours :) I am asking this question because a design colleague told me this manual stuff is a must have. I dont think so... the application should be intuitive and easy to use. What do you think?

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Pros:

Your design would be intuitive if it had manual search built in. Here is one very typical use case:

I am searching for things around a location that I will be at later. I'm not familiar with what the location looks like on a map. I don't know what part of town it is in, but I know the cross streets.

Cons: more coding hours.

Verdict: Build the manual search.

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  • as you would zoom and walk around the map, more objects would be loaded to it. So you could search this way for locations you will arrive later. May 1, 2014 at 20:01

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