Holy Search Improvements, Batman!
We’ve been so busy updating Estately that we haven’t even blogged about many of the recent improvements. We’re so behind that we’re going to cram THREE feature releases into one blog post.
Holy Maps with Holes!
Once upon a time we not only outlined your search area on the map, but shaded it in as well. The downside of this approach was that it obscured the actual maps that you were searching on – we grayed out the area where the homes were. Thanks to some javascript jujitsu and Google Maps V3, we “punched out” the area you are searching for (ka-POW!) and shade the area OUTSIDE the area you are searching for and leave your search area unobscured and easy to read. One small step towards making searching for a home easier, one big step for map search beauty.
Holy Search Results With Photos!
Our search results on a map page used to be crammed into rows on the right side of the map – more than one person compared that area to an excel spreadsheet. They were ignored by users in our usability tests. Now our search results are expanded, so you can actually get a thumbnail-view of the property and really digest the listing from the sidebar. They’re useful: you can actually browse through the properties, sorted by time on Estately, price, square feet, and more.
Holy Born Again Search Menu!
We had to make room for those sidebar photos and we have always been annoyed that the search options just hung around on the screen even when they weren’t in use. We decided to make them super-powerful and easy to use for the first 5% of your search, then tucked away for your panning and zooming pleasure. The new search options menu is elegantly available to you when you want to change it and is compactly hidden once you’ve created your search. We now devote the whole (holy?) screen to the homes you’re looking for once you’re done refining your search.
As always, we want your feedback. Is there something we could have done even better? Something not working quite the way you want it? Let us know in the comments.
