I am in the process of designing a mobile application for both Android and iOs that displays certain elements on a map.
On the map itself I show your current position relevant to other people. Clicking on a person's position will bring up a pop-up/tooltip containing relevant information about the position.
More than this, the user will require certain 'map tools' in order to interact with the map. These tools could include
- changing map type
- zooming to my current position
- filter out certain entities (like a toggle)
- lock to a specific entity as they move on the map
- create a POI
- etc
- etc
The challenge is whether to have these map tools permanently placed on the map or expose them when needed.
The first option is to have them in a bar or as individual icons permanently across the bottom or top of the screen. The pro's for having them permanently on screen are:
- they are permanently available for ease of use
The cons for having them permanently on screen are:
- These take up very valuable map space
- We are limited to a max of 5 actions and the requirement is that in future we would like to add further map tools.
The second option is hiding the map tools behind a 'tools' button on the top bar and exposing them in an action sheet as and when needed.
The pro's for having them hidden behind a button are:
- we are able to have many more than 5 options for map tools
- We use the full real estate of the map
The cons for having them permanently on screen are: - More clicks to perform the actions - They may be harder to find
Can anyone suggest an alternative that will solve all the needs
- show maximum map real estate
- does not limit the number of map tools and allows us to add more with future releases
- Will be easy for the user to find and interact with