Shapes and selection
The teardrop pin is a settled convention (Norman, 1999); lodging apps use price labels. Enlarge and recolor the selected pin and show details in a bottom sheet (Apple, n.d.) so the map stays visible.
Clustering
Dense small targets are hard to hit (Fitts, 1954). Merge nearby pins into counts that zoom in when tapped (Google, n.d.); users also pinch to zoom. Keep touch areas at touch target sizes (Parhi et al., 2006).
My location and accessibility
Android separates approximate and precise location (Android Developers, n.d.); approximate often suffices. Use shapes and contrast, not color alone, per WCAG 2.2 (W3C, 2023) 1.4.1 and 1.4.11, and offer a list view.
FAQ
- Too many pins?
- Cluster nearby pins and expand on zoom.
- Is a map alone enough?
- Add a list view for comparison and accessibility.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-27
References
- Apple. (n.d.). Maps. Human Interface Guidelines. Annotations and clustering.
- Google. (n.d.). Marker clustering. Maps JavaScript API. Clustering overlapping markers.
- Android Developers. (n.d.). Request location permissions. Approximate vs precise location.
- Fitts, P. M. (1954). The information capacity of the human motor system in controlling the amplitude of movement. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 47(6), 381–391. Small dense targets are hard.
- Parhi, P., Karlson, A. K., & Bederson, B. B. (2006). Target size study for one-handed thumb use on small touchscreen devices. In Proceedings of MobileHCI 2006 (pp. 203–210). ACM. Pin touch areas.
- Norman, D. A. (1999). Affordance, conventions, and design. Interactions, 6(3), 38–43. Familiar conventions.
- World Wide Web Consortium. (2023). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. Criteria 1.4.1 and 1.4.11.