Maps Maps Everywhere
Everyday new sites are cropping up that integrate mapping features from Google, Yahoo, MSN and others. I even integrating mapping features with my apartment sites a few months ago. This is all possible now that their available for free. Just a few years ago MapQuest offered me lesser functionality for about $4,000 per site. Something I wasn't going to spend for sites that I was working on in my free time. But now that it's free and relatively easy to add maps sites there are a few issues. Today I'll be discussing just one them.

In my last post I made mention of a site that appears to be my closest competitor. The problem with their site (and many others) is an over reliance on mapping. Yes when it comes to housing or any other real estate it's "location, location, location", but I don't believe a map is the best user interface for doing searches. Location and price my be most important to users, but there are a number of other search variables that are also important. I've seen interfaces using a map with the ability to filter on price and bedroom and square footage, but that still doesn't cover all of the options people want in their search. If a map had all of the necessary search options, chances are it's going to be overly complex and just plain messy. So that's all on the search side. For results, I really believe tables rule. People want to be able to make comparisons between listings in way that you just can't do on a map. A table of results provides the easiest way to compare several variables. Don't get me wrong though, maps still add a lot of value, I just think there's a tendency to rely on them too much. Take LaywerMaps.com for example. When I'm looking for a lawyer, location may be one aspect of my search, but I also want to make comparisons on firm size, fields they cover, experience and much more. Using a map as the main search interface just doesn't work. Now for sites where you're not concerned with comparing lots of variables and location is important, then go ahead and make the mapping the core of your site.
- posted by Drew @ 10:18 AM