Designing Map Interfaces: Patterns for Building Effective Map Apps

Create useful and usable map apps that your users will love.

Turn your next map app project into a success with Designing Map Interfaces: Patterns for Building Effective Map Apps. Whether you're configuring an out-of-the-box solution, building an app using one of the readily available app builder tools, or working on a custom app project, this book will guide you toward developing more useful and usable apps. Current courses for application development focus on technology and architecture rather than the tenets of interface design. This book teaches GIS professionals, developers, and designers the principles and best practices that will help them create stunning consumer-grade apps.

Designing Map Interfaces provides a language for planning and building map apps. The elements of this language are made up of user interface (UI) patterns. Each pattern describes a solution to an observed and recurring problem in UI design. This book explains when to use the pattern, why it is important, and what to consider―and in turn will help readers make educated decisions on what, why, when, and how to solve problems to make their apps work. Throughout the book, patterns are illustrated through real-world examples.

Key topics include: 

• getting started with design, 
• selecting the right layout, 
• interacting with the map,   
• dealing with complex data, 
• designing for mobile devices,
• building single-purpose apps, and 
• common mistakes and how to avoid them.

This book is aimed at anyone who configures (solution engineers, GIS professionals) or builds (developer community, designers) map apps, especially the fast-growing group of users who employ application builders and tools that create apps to publish their own data and maps on the web. Designing Map Interfaces fills the gap that documentation lacks―practical tips on how to assemble a meaningful UI.

This book is the essential guide to designing map interfaces that are usable and efficient, and that look good in the process.

Michael Gaigg is a User Interface Engineer responsible for designing and building front-end solutions that meet the needs of the business as well as the goals of the end-user. In his capacity as a UX consultant he works with clients such as Fortune 500 companies and US Federal agencies to review their map apps and leads teams during their UX research and UI design process. Throughout his over 3 decades of web design experience, he has guided the creation of countless apps from conceptualization to implementation.  

Michael earned his MSc. in Computer Science from the University of Salzburg, Austria and is a regular speaker at the Esri Developer Summit in Palm Springs and the Esri User Conference in San Diego. His passion to share his experience can be seen at mapuipatterns.com where he has been writing about his observations about common and recurring design problems. These insights led to authoring the Esri Press book “Designing Map Interfaces”.