WHAT
Easy way to navigate to a known or initial extent or boundary.
WHY
Map navigation is non-directional without a clear start and end point. Users are free to zoom in and out or pan the map in any direction leaving the original starting extent behind. The home button offers a way to navigate to that initial and therefore known place so that users are less likely to feel trapped for example in a large scale, i.e. zoomed in to street level.
WHEN
Users are done with a task that included navigating the map and now want to start the next task from the original state (extent, zoom level, etc.)
HOW
Provide a single button labeled “Home” or with an icon of a house that zooms the map to its original zoom level which typically is the full extent. Under certain circumstances current work and selections may need to be reset so that user can truly start over again.
Consider whether the Home button should only revert the map back to its original extent or also reset the application so that the user can start over like refreshing the whole application. In that case a warning message may be necessary to avoid losing crucial work.
3 thoughts on “Home button”