As a cartographer, a lot of Amy Lee Walton’s work revolves around maps and their design. In 2016, Mapbox launched redesigned maps, some of which were created by Amy. Mapbox’s goal was to “add meaningful context of vector data to vibrant Mapbox Satellite imagery without sacrificing legibility to create a navigation-friendly map,” (Walton). Different terrains require different map design, and Walton recognized this and used different colors and design in general to make the maps as user-friendly as possible.

When zoomed out, colors on top of photographed roads emphasize major connections and when a use zooms in, the colors disappear to make navigation more cohesive and precise with less distractions on the map. The colors change across different terrains (like dessert versus fields) to help them stand out on the map to the user. She used icons for points of interest, transit options, and other features to keep the look consistent and help users find significant landmarks. When the user views a map from street view, walking, biking, and hiking paths are highlighted. A significant difference from Mapbox’s previous design is the increase in contrast which allows place and road names/labels to be read quicker and with ease.

Walton completed this project as a senior product designer (before she moved up to a principal product designer). This project was one of Walton’s most significant projects at Mapbox and gained the most recognition. Other projects included creation of maps for small areas, and this was a complete redesign of the Mapbox interface.

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