I came to Openstreetmap.org (OSM) from the OsmAnd mobile app because I found the numerous options in OsmAnd too intimidating. When I looked at OSM on my phone’s browser, I was surprised that the search bar and directions button were missing. I was also surprised to see the zoom-in and zoom-out buttons still being used when people use their fingers on their phones. I recognised the “show my location” icon.

i tapped on a point of interest (POI) on the map expecting to be presented with information about the POI, but instead I was given a series of options. These options were “directions from/to here”, “add a note”, “show address”, “query features”, “centre map here”.

I chose “show address” expecting to be presented with all the information about the selected POI. Instead I got the name of the business and the business address within a search results page. There seemed to be 3 search engines (Internal, Nominatim and Geonames) used to find the address, which just added to my confusion. There was no option to set the address as my destination address, which was disappointing.

I chose the same POI, but this time I chose the option “query features”. A results page appeared listing the “nearby” and “enclosing” features rather than just presenting the POI details. The POI was listed in the results and upon selecting it I was presented with more information about the POI than just the address, but there was still no option to set the POI as my destination address.

The next option I chose was to “add a note” which is a lovely idea with concise help explaining its use. The “centre map here” option worked as per my expectations.

When I chose “directions to here”, my POI turned to a red map pin. When I chose “directions from here”, my POI turned to a green map pin. The usual “directions search box” for a map didn’t appear.

I decided to look at the buttons on the right side of the map. I tapped on the Map Layers button to be presented with 5 additional map layers in addition to the Standard layer that I was currently using. I tried to add several map layers to my existing map, but it didn’t work. I quickly realised that the Map Layers were really alternative maps. Later, I noticed near the bottom of the Map Layers that there were 3 “overlays for troubleshooting the map” which added to the confusion about the the term layers. Map Layers should really be renamed Map Types.

Next I tapped on “i” icon which presented the map key (legend) which changed depending upon the selected map. Nice touch. The Share Icon gives you the option to download a PNG file of the map. Unfortunately, I couldn’t add the marker to the map. The remaining two options were add a note and query a feature which were duplicates of the tap options mentioned earlier.

I tapped the menu option which revealed the map Search box, Directions button, History, GPS Traces, User Diaries, Copyright, Help, About and OSM Account links. I typed an address in the search box and I was presented with the results as before, but again there was no option to get directions.

I tapped the directions button, which presented me with From/To locations and mode of transport. There was no option to use my current location, which seems basic functionality to me. I typed in my two addresses and looked at mode of transport. There was no option for public transport, but there were duplicates for Bicycle, Car and Foot which made things confusing unnecessarily. I tapped Go and I finally got directions. Unfortunately, only one route was offered, while I was expecting 2 or 3 routes to choose. I couldn’t clear the From and To fields when I tried more directions, which is a major problem to me.

I tapped on History which showed changes to the map which weren’t really relevant to me as a user just like the GPS traces. The user diaries is a lovely idea to attract users. The Copyright link was interesting, especially, finding out that governments were listed as contributors for providing their data. I assumed contributors were individuals, but encouraging governments to contribute their data is very clever.

The help section seems to offer duplicate services. The Help Forum, Mailing lists, Forums and IRC are duplicate services with the information stored in 4 different locations with possibly the same questions and questions duplicated. Ideally, theses services should be consolidated into one service so that users only need to look in one location for questions and answers. Similarly, switch2osm and the Welcome Mat are duplicate resources for organisations. Switch2osm is clearly the superior resource although it doesn’t seem to ask organisations to contribute their data back to OSM like the Welcome Mat. Surprisingly, the OSM Wiki is listed last in the help section when it should be the first resource a user looks for answers. The Beginners Guide should be removed from the help section as it only caters for mappers, while the wiki is more welcoming as it recognises users, mappers and developers.

In conclusion, OSM doesn’t seem to really cater for the expectations of general map users. It seems to me to be a technical resource for mappers whose needs are less demanding than general map users. I think it is unfortunate that OSM does not try to attract general map users who made only make a couple of contributions (home, work address).

Please see this post as constructive criticism as that is my intention. These are merely suggestions to improve OSM and in no way do I expect these suggestions to be adopted by OSM. Please don’t take offence as all I want to do is open a dialogue.