The purpose of this article is to show the differences in users’ experience when performing an interactive task with GUI buttons arrangement based on Google Maps and OpenStreetMap in a simulation environment. The graphical user interface is part of an interactive multimedia map, and the interaction experience depends mainly on it. For this reason, we performed an eye-tracking experiment with users to examine how people experience interaction through the GUI. Based on the results related to eye movement, we presented several valuable recommendations for the design of interactive multimedia maps. For better GUI efficiency, it is suitable to group buttons with similar functions in screen corners. Users first analyze corners and only then search for the desired button. The frequency of using a given web map does not translate into generally better performance while using any GUI. Users perform more efficiently if they work with the preferred GUI.

Eye tracking has been served as one of the most objective and valuable tools towards the examination of both map perceptual and cognitive processes. The aim of the present article is to concisely present the contribution of eye tracking research in cartography, indicating the existing literature, as well as the current research trends in the examined domain. The authors discuss the existing challenges and provide their perspectives about the future outlook of cartographic eye tracking experimentation by reporting specific key approaches that could be integrated.

The main objective of this article was to determine the effectiveness of a web map GUI (Graphical User Interface) layout designed specifically for desktop monitors and smartphones. A suitable design of buttons for the graphical user interface is vital for the effectiveness of web maps. This article presents a study of three rules that prevail in GUI map design in terms of responsiveness, which was analyzed on two devices: a smartphone and a PC screen. The GUI effectiveness study, based on six variants of web maps, was conducted by means of eye-tracking on a group of 120 participants. An additional goal was to find an index (based on eye movements, mouse tracking, and time) that would be assessing the effectiveness of the GUI layout on both devices. The main motivation for conducting the research described in the article was the desire to find a synthetic measure based on more than one factor (time) in the context of determining the effectiveness of the GUI.

Eye tracking constitutes a valuable tool for the examination of human visual behavior since it provides objective measurements related to the performed visual strategies during the observation of any type of visual stimuli. Over the last decade, eye movement analysis contributed substantially to the better understanding of how visual attention processes work in different types of maps. Considering the clear need for the examination of map user reaction during the observation of realistic cartographic products (i.e. static maps, animated maps, interactive and multimedia maps), a critical amount of experimental studies were performed in order to study different aspects related to map reading process by the cartographic community. The foundation of these studies is based on theories and models that have been developed in similar research domains (i.e. psychology, neuroscience etc.), while the research outcomes that produced over these years can be used directly for the design of more effective and efficient maps. The aim of the present article is to summarize and present the current panorama of the existing eye tracking studies in cartographic research appeared over the last decade. Additionally, methodological contributions (including analysis tools) of cartographic society in the field of eye movement analysis are reported, while existing challenges and future perspectives are also discussed.

The following paper is an analysis of user preferences for the placement of buttons on a mobile map application. The authors focused on six public web mapping services, analysing them in terms of the graphical diversity of their buttons. What made the study innovative was the comparison of subjective user preferences regarding buttons placement with the layout of public web mapping services. The obtained results led to a conclusion that user preferences differ from the solutions applied on web mapping services. Adjusting the placement of buttons to fit those preferences would be a way of addressing the practical needs of people who use mobile maps application.

The main focus of this paper is the effectiveness of dynamic point symbols in the presentation of quantitative data. Such symbols are of particular use in the design of animated maps and computer games. The authors examine three existing techniques of using dynamic point symbols to present quantitative data: blinking, pulsation, and rotation. The aim of the study is to compare their effectiveness with that of classical cartographic animation techniques. The results of the study show that in animated map design, dynamic point symbols might be used to present not only qualitative but also quantitative data with comparable effectiveness. The results may serve as the basis for designing dynamic point symbols to be as effective as the classical techniques used in animated cartography.