Allow showing routes on map from HomeActivity that don't have arrivals listed

[barbeau]

Summary:

Requested by user:

Under previous versions of this app, I could click on a stop, view all the bus lines that stopped there, and show the path of each line on the map.

Unless I'm being dumb, I can't seem to do this any more. I can select "stop information" to list the all the lines, but if one of those lines isn't arriving soon (so it can't be selected in the pull-up menu) I am unable to show where it goes.

This makes the app far less useful to me for planning trips in advance. If I've got a destination selected, I have no way of figuring out how I want to get there unless the route I need happens to be running at the same time I'm searching.

My response:

You’re right, that’s the one feature that didn’t make the redesign that I’ve been looking at ways to incorporate in the new look without being too intrusive or confusing, considering that we now have multiple windows overlaid on the map. If you have any specific ideas for how this might look I’d certainly welcome them. One possibility would be to hyperlink the route names in the “Show stop details” popup, which would allow you to tap on the route number to show that route.

A potential workaround – just hit “Load more stops” until an arrival appears for the route you’re looking for, which could even be the next day. Each time you hit “Load more stops” it increments by 1 hr. Then tap on arrivals and select "Show route on map".

You could access all routes for a stop in v1.x via the header:

I'm more inclined to put this within the "Show stop details" popup (accessible via the overflow menu), to avoid further cluttering the main screen, as this is where the route list moved to:

Steps to reproduce:

From HomeActivity map view, tap on a stop to show arrivals for that stop

Expected behavior:

I should be able to show routes on the map that don't currently have any arrivals listed in the sliding panel header or arrivals list (if the route has an arrival shown, you can show that route on the map by tapping on it and selecting "Show route on map").

Observed behavior:

I can't show a route on the map if an arrival for that route isn't shown in the list.

Device and Android version:

N/A

Screenshots:

See above

[barbeau]

More feedback from same user:

Thanks for the reply. I thought the way it was implemented in the old UI worked well - a thin ribbon at the top listing all the buses, and clicking on one shows the route. I liked that because it didn't require extra clicks to find basic information about the stop. This is useful if you know the route your looking for, but not which stop.

For example, the Bellevue transit center is extremely crowded and it's easy to not know which bus goes to which terminal, or where each terminal is located on the map. If you'd like to know when the 535 departs, with the old UI you just have to click on a each stop. Currently, you have to: click on the stop, open the menu, select "show stop details", then close the window. That might not sound important, but if you're running late, quartering the amount of time you need to find information can be very helpful.

You might be concerned about this taking up too much space on the screen, but I'd consider this important enough to merit shrinking the bar at the bottom a little, or sacrificing the 10 or so pixels.

My response:

Thanks! Definitely useful feedback. I agree that fewer taps are definitely better.

I'll think about this more. A possibility is allow enabling the old route ribbon design via a Setting, and to leave it hidden by default. I'm very sensitive to adding more info to the main map display by default as there is already a lot of content for new users to absorb. Allowing power users to enable this via Settings might be a good compromise.