Hello everyone
I have been using Stravas updated map features quite a bit recently and wanted to share some feedback. I will go through what I like and also point out a few things that could be improved. I hope this helps others who are exploring these changes and possibly inspires future updates.
Activity Map Changes
Positive Impressions
• Preserved Gradients: When you select a map type such as Time, that color gradient remains visible on the map itself. This is especially helpful for loop routes because you can immediately see the direction in which you were moving. I really love this new feature!
• Award Overlays: This is a nice little feature to know where exactly a Local Legend or PR was achieved. It was really cumbersome to figure this out before.
Possible Improvements
• Toggle for Awards: While this s a nice feature in general, it can get cluttered quick. A default-on, toggle-off option would solve that issue.
• Heat Map Category Issues: When someone classifies an activity as a trail run, the map automatically shows your personal trail running heat map. Im primarily a trail runner, but do not classify all my runs as trail runs on Starva, instead I just use the general run classification. Because of this, I’m not able to see any of my heatmap data on my friend’s activities if they classify it as a trail run. The same issue appears with the Global Heat Map because it may show only trail running data, which is much more limited as theres not as much data going into it (because of runners like me who don’t sub-classify our runs). Deafult-General Run heatmaps with the option to toggle trail running specific data would solve this issue.
Extra Notes
• The new touch controls can be a bit sensitive when rotating.
Map Tab for Navigation and Route Planning
The general map tab for navigation has remained relatively unchanged, which is a good thing, because it is fantastic when you're out in the field or on trail and you need to navigate on the fly. But, unfortunately, there has been some minor changes which are not very convenient.
Possible Improvements
• Labels on the Satellite View: Previously there were map options for a Standard illustrated map, and two Satellite maps, one with label and one without. Personally, I like the Satellite without labels because it offered the most clutter-free way to visualize personal and global heatmap data. Now, there are no label-free options. It’d be nice to have that back.
• Compass Reorientation: The button that let you reorient the map to north has disappeared. Having that feature back would make route exploration a lot easier. This is a problem in both Activity and Navigation Tab maps
