A good digital map shows what matters. Not everything has the same priority, yet on most maps everything looks the same. That can be confusing for users. With small pins and the setting for important routes, you now have more control over that.
On an interactive map, pins are the same size by default. If many pins appear in one place, they are automatically grouped into a stack. That works well, but sometimes you want to create more distinction.
Take a recreation map with museums, hiking routes, and picnic spots. Those picnic spots are nice to know about, but they are not the reason someone opens the map. With small pins, you move them slightly into the background without removing them.
In the category settings, you choose which pins are displayed smaller. This helps guide your map user toward what really matters.
Here are a few examples where this works well:
Besides small pins, you can now also mark individual routes as important. Imagine a map with multiple walking or cycling routes, but one stage is the main route. You can give that route extra weight so it appears thicker and more prominent. Variants or alternative routes then remain standard and fade more into the background.
This is especially useful for DMOs and route managers who want to highlight one main route while keeping variations available.
Small pins and important routes are not major changes, but they do make a big difference. Your map becomes calmer, clearer, and easier to use. Users can see at a glance what matters, without losing access to useful information.
That way, your interactive map becomes more than a collection of locations. It becomes a consciously designed tool.
Curious how this could work for your map? Get in touch and we will walk through it together.
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