Keyboard based navigation controls in Google Map without touching your mouse
Prabin Francis ✔
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Prabin Francis ✔
Independent Consultant - Lead Generation | Digital Marketing | Online Branding | eCommerce | SEO/SEM/SMM | Adwords |
Do you use your keyboard to navigate the web? Google is making it easier to search, explore, and find your way around the world in Google Maps.
In addition to being able to pan and zoom within Maps using your keyboard, you can now find and learn more about specific places like neighborhoods, transit stations and shops and restaurants. This feature, which is screen-reader compatible, makes Maps more accessible for visually impaired users.
Here’s how it works:
- On your keyboard, press Tab to focus the map. An area of the map will be highlighted with a square.
- Below the square, there will be a numbered list of places in that area.
- To move around the map, use the arrow keys. To move the map by one square, hold down Shift while using the arrow keys.
- To zoom in or out of the map, press + or -.
- To learn more about a place, press the number associated with the place.
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9yThis is interesting but I'm not sure whether or not a keyboard will ever replace the ease of use of a mouse on Google maps. For instance, I like that a mouse only uses one hand, and to zoom all you need to do is scroll forward or back with the scroll wheel.