Exploring cues and rhythm for designing multimodal tools to support mobile users in wayfinding

Abstract

In recent navigation HCI studies, the shift from investigating map-based mobile applications towards supporting mobile users' wayfinding tasks with multimodal navigation aids is apparent. While there have been many studies of navigation design guidelines for using maps or speech- or tactile-based guidance in mobile devices, in this paper we propose an initial study of multimodal navigation design utilising the theory of designing episodes of motion originating from urban planning. The implications of designing cues and providing rhythm, as the theory of episodes of motions suggests, are explored, with pedestrians as the subjects using wayfinding tasks in an urban area. The main contributions of this paper are in investigating the design principles, evaluating them in the context of mobile wayfinding tasks, and reflecting upon the results in terms of users' wayfinding behaviour. It is concluded that by designing predictive clues and rhythm into mobile multimodal navigation applications, we can improve navigation aids for users.