Interactivity and Cartography: A Contemporary Perspective on User Interface and User Experience Design from Geospatial Professionals

Abstract

This article reports on a semi-structured interview study with 21 geospatial professionals to provide a contemporary snapshot of expert opinion on the design and use of interactive maps and map-based systems (treated together as “cartographic interfaces”). Interview questions were based on key themes regarding interaction discussed within cartography and across the related fields of human-computer interaction, information visualization, usability engineering, and visual analytics, enabling a comparison of the current states of science and practice regarding user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design in cartography. The results are organized according to five broad topics germane to UI/UX design in cartography: (1) the meaning of cartographic interaction in both research and practice (what?), (2) the purpose of cartographic interaction and the value it provides (why?), (3) the times when interaction positively supports work/play and therefore should be provided (when?), (4) the way in which user differences impact the success of the cartographic interaction (who?), and (5) the opportunities for or limitations on cartographic interaction imposed by the computing device supporting the interaction (where?). The interview study is significant for two reasons: first, it charts current trends in interactive mapping from the perspective of expert professionals, a population often missed in quantitative cartographic scholarship, and, second, it enables a reflection on future trends in UI/UX design in cartography, both those resulting from existing gaps between science and practice and those arising from emerging conceptual and technological developments.