Interaction with maps on the Internet - A User Centred Design approach for the Atlas of Canada

摘要

The Government of Canada's Atlas of Canada has, for over 100 years, produced maps of Canada's geography and history reflecting its social, environmental and economic diversity. The current online 6(th) Edition offers interactive and static thematic, reference and topographic maps. Initial interactive mapping user interfaces contained tools that were based on the developers' GIS experience. Users had, however, difficulty using these tools. To resolve this, the Atlas undertook considerable user and usability research initiatives and adopted and integrated a User Centred Design (UCD) process. This paper will look specifically at the methods used by the Atlas, the issues encountered and solutions achieved.