SpaceTokens make locations first-class citizens of map interaction. (a) Four SpaceTokens (gray rectangles with rounded corners), each representing a location. SpaceTokens empower users to use locations directly to address the "seeing" and "linking" problems discussed in the paper. For example, users can (b) tap SpaceTokens to make the corresponding locations visible; (c) drag SpaceTokens onto the map, so the corresponding locations snap to the positions of the dragged SpaceTokens; (d) hold an on-screen location (using left thumb) and tap several SpaceTokens to see their relative positions; (e) link an on-screen location to a SpaceToken using LinkTool (bubble above left thumb). LinkTools in (c–e) also serve as visible labels for the locations being touched.
Map users often need to interact repetitively with multiple important locations. For example, a traveler may frequently check her hotel or a train station on a map, use them to localize an unknown location, or investigate routes involving them. Ironically, these location-centric tasks cannot be performed using locations directly; users must instead pan and zoom the map or use a menu to access locations. We propose SpaceTokens, interactive widgets that act as clones of locations, and which users can create and place on map edges like virtual whiteboard magnets. SpaceTokens make location a first-class citizen of map interaction. They empower users to rapidly perform location-centric tasks directly using locations: users can select combinations of on-screen locations and SpaceTokens to control the map window, or connect them to create routes. Participants in a study overwhelmingly preferred a SpaceTokens prototype over Google Maps on identical smartphones for the majority of tasks.
