Maps usability on tablets severely poor

[btphelps]

When viewing the ward map using a 8 inch Samsung Tab E, the maps are virtually useless, leading to a very frustrating user experience. I bet similar issues exist on other tablets. I believe mobile devices are now or soon will be the predominant type of device used to access church web sites. "According to SimilarWeb's State of Mobile Web US 2015 report, roughly 56 percent of consumer traffic to the leading US websites is now from mobile devices." Needless to say, the maps feature is unusable on mobile phones like my Galaxy Samsung 4.

The issue is two fold:

1. The directory is displayed by default. On the Tab E, almost half the map is covered by the directory. There is no way to prevent the directory and prompt from displaying. I can minimize the view of the directory to the prompt only, but this reveals a second problem.

2. The cursor focus is irretrievably locked in the search prompt, which causes the on-screen keyboard to display, blocking the bottom third of the screen. I can press back or escape to make the keyboard go away temporarily, but the next time I attempt to pinch / zoom on the map, the keyboard reappears.

When both the directory prompt and the on screen keyboard are displayed, only a VERY TINY portion of the map is visible.

Our ward missionaries do not yet have iPads. I want to be able to use the map feature to show them where members live in a given geographical area. Even if they had iPads, I wonder how useful the maps feature would be on those tablets.

Recommendation:

a) Allow full screen display of the map.
b) Allow users to completely minimize the directory and prompt.
c) Alter the cursor focus so it doesn't cause the keyboard to display.

Thanks for your time and attention to this matter.

[lajackson]

Please be sure to send your suggestions through the Feedback link at LDS.org so they will get to the developers. This Forum is a user-to-user site where we are able to help one another, but the developers very rarely frequent this site. I believe you have made some excellent points that ought to be seen by the developers.

[sbradshaw]

Another approach would be to send feedback for the LDS Tools app to include features there that you've needed the LDS.org map for. The LDS Tools app is more optimized for mobile devices than the LDS.org tools.