Map Refinement

With all the icons and elements I had created my final part of the design process was to refine my map background. I incorporated feedback from my peers and created my first version of my E-bike route map. I used a simplified version of the road layout, which incorporated the most important landmarks needed to follow the route and find the tourist attractions and cafes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating a stylized map as opposed to a realistic map, was far more enjoyable to work on and allowed me to use my intuition. Exactly as Harry Beck did with his Tube Map, I could bend reality to the point where I could exaggerate distances, or create the sense of an urban environment by adding a few buildings, something I could not achieve with a realistic map to scale.

This also allowed me to inject my own style into the artwork as I did not to conform to the bounds of realism.

With my first map in place I put it out for user testing. I did this by creating a Poll on Google Forms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doing some basic user testing like this was invaluable because users picked up on things I missed or did not even consider. Some users were local to Great Malvern and provided useful information I had not known about, like the Tourist Information office being relocated, and had not been updated on Google Maps yet. Also suggestions of adding traffic lights and extra roads with more cafe's or attractions I had not considered before.

I also managed to get some feedback from Katy Boom, who is The Director of Sustainability at Worcester University, and is fulfilling the role of the client for this brief. Katy gave me some pertinent points and this feedback was particularly useful. 

With all this feedback I made the following changes:

Removed the compass

Added Edith Rd., Public Toilets, and A Theatre of a Small Convenience

Adjusted the Key, Size and Background

Added distance points along the route

Added elevation markers to peaks

Below is the revised map with amendments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, I was happy with how useful the user testing and tutor feedback was and it allowed me to create a more effective map which has some real human input and has not been created in a design vacuum.