RubberBand route planning

possibly in combination with...

http://help.locusmap.eu/responses/edit_track_insert_trackpoint_in_track

Yeah, I like that functionality in Google Maps. Very convenient.

Hi guys,

may I ask you what is missing in Locus about this feature? Because when you use "add new route" feature, this is already implemented there.

At the time I voted for the idea, Locus had no nice grab & drag function or I was not aware of it. What's missing in current implementation?

• It's made for track creation, so does not snap in at roads and it does not work for navigation. Both not important for me, as I use Locus seldom as navigation tool. => From my point of view, idea may be set to "implemented"
  
• The overall UX concept works fine, but some usability improvements are possible, IMHO just minor, if you'd ask my girlfriend it's another story - she was so unable to use the function that she does not want to try once more and uses paper maps for planning, but she's at war with several of the slightly more complex Android touch interaction concepts.
  

Hello GeorgD, thanks for your feedback.

I think anyway, that it's not precise.

Add new route & measure feature has nice button no.5 ( check manual http://docs.locusmap.eu/doku.php?id=manual:functions:add_new_route_measure ), which allows to enable compute of navigation during moving a track. It also recompute track in (I hope) very nice when even when you move some middle points.

Suggestions for possible! UX improvements are always welcome, so if you have anything that may helps you, it's welcome.

I would like to change a navigation route to navigate an alternative route without traffic jam. The handling should be not too complicated, because of using it in stop and go traffic. A new calculation via a rubberband feature to a street beside the jam would be great.

Rubber banding is a great idea if (a) the new route picks up navigation instructions and (b) it can be usable on a cell phone with its relatively small screen.

I tried to use the rubber banding feature of the website ridewithgps while cycling and could not manage. It was impossible for me to click with my finger on the route in order to drag it. I constantly either moved the map sideways on the screen instead of the route or I added a new point to the existing route where I pointed. Very frustrating.

@1: Exactly that was what I meant, rubber band is made for track creation, i.e. it is not offered for modification of a route while already navigating (started menu > more > navigate to). As a standard user, would you start navigation via "navigate to" or via "add new route & measure"? ;-) As I told, nothing relevant for me.

@2: UX enhancements. Difficult to tell & explain, what is hard, what shall be changed in which way. The only I can really explain and causes a lot of stumbling is the context menu handling.

• For reproduction: Move to a map area with many ways/streets. Add 2 points, tap the red point in the middle, and try to exactly position it to the 3rd closest street crossing (this is arbitrary and just to make you search for something very nearby). In 3 out of 5 times, I end up with an opened context menu and a new green point was positioned somewhere I did not want to have it. I guess the reason was, I was tapping and holding too long without moving because I needed time to orient myself.
  For red points, we could disable context menu completely so the red points have exactly one function, to add a new point. I believe "delete" is not really required for a nonexisting point ;-) Another story with "edit". Usually, I do not need to place a point to "map center" or "coordinates" the like, so in the seldom cae I do have to, I could use red points to create a new point at arbitrary position, then tap the new green point and call edit on it.
  
• My girl tried to double tap a point to call edit. Just like in windows double clicking to open a file, she wanted to "open the point". Maybe after 2rd try offer some help/hint?
  BTW, that's a general problem of nearly all android apps: You simply don't see and can't look up which taps, gestures etc will cause what action. And every app has it's own interaction patters. IMHO, on request, a platform function shall visualize all currently registered event handlers (or however they're called) so it works identical across all apps.
  
• The menu unfolds to bottom left. Most users are right handed, tapping with right thumb common, so you're hiding the menu with the finger. Move the menu to in the north east of the tap, so it's right of the magnifying glass, and visible for left & right handed persons.

Oh, and: If you've 5 green points, move the cross over one of the middle ones and press minus icon. Not the "selected" one (=hovered above) is deleted but the end one. But: For plus icon, the cross is used - so interaction patterns appear a little inconsistent despite they're perfectly logical.

I have read thru this & the linked topic & can't figure out how to move an existing green point within a track. It shouldn't be that hard. It's easy & intuitive using Google Maps or RideWithGps (for example) to move a track point.

Hi Georg - thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately for me when I tap & hold on any green point I get a small pop up window saying "loading" then a little while later another window with information found in the database around the point found. I've tried many times to be accurate to tap exactly on the green point, but always the same behavior.

In fact it's the same behavior as if there is no route/ track & I just tap anywhere on the map, that is not on a green route point. I get the "loading" window, then details found at that point.

From reading through this topic, I think the current requirement is implemented, but it is a little unintuitive as you can't edit tracks once you hit save. After saving, clicking on any point on a track just brings up information about this point.

This is covered by a different idea:

http://help.locusmap.eu/topic/edit-a-route-after-saving-or-importing-it

Thanks Alan,

Based on previous discussion,

• topic was quite shortly described and main idea was "planning"! Because this is already implemented, I'm closing this idea now.
• all who are interested in later editing of tracks in same way - so with dragging core points only and automatic compute thanks to Locus system (like when creating a new route), please vote here.

Thanks for understanding and enjoy finally coming summer ;).