Design Of Navigation Aids Research Articles

Comparaison entre les informations visuelles données par deux types de systeème de guidage

In recent years, researchers have been working on the design of navigational aids and route guidance systems. Existing systems provide information of different types and present it in a variety of ways. Information is sometimes given as text (either written or orally by speech synthesis). Exclusively visual systems may include symbols, or even better represent landmarks with simplified icons. As yet no systems provide a representation which is analogous to the road scene. In order to assist drivers on their journey we have developed pictural information which contains photographs of landmarks with arrows showing which direction to take (pictural system). From the literature on cognitive psychology and the disciplines that relate to spatial cognition, we already know the representational importance of landmarks for persons who are unfamiliar with a location. We therefore conducted experiments to compare the effects of two types of spatial information, pictural and symbolic (just with arrows), which is communicated to individuals in the real driving situation on an unfamiliar journey. This exploratory study has provided us with some insights into the limits and constraints that apply to the use of photographs as a source of route guidance information for drivers.

An empirical study of navigation aids in customer interfaces

Designing effective navigation aids for customer interfaces is critical for the success of cyber shopping malls. Navigation aids can be classified into either basic ones which are based on the structure of the malls or add-ons which are not. Add-on navigation aids provide various short-cuts to promote efficient traversal of the cyber shopping malls, but too many of them would increase the complexity of the customer interface. Metaphors have been used widely for the design of add-on navigation aids, but little research evaluates their impact on the processes and outcomes of customers' behavior in cyber shopping malls. This paper presents an empirical study that investigates the navigation process of customers and the subjective evaluation of their shopping experience. This research implemented two versions of a test-bed cyber shopping mall according to different metaphors used; one based on a spatial metaphor, and the other based on a non spatial metaphor. The results of the experiment indicate that navigation aids based on the spatial metaphor were used more frequently, which resulted in better understanding about the entire structure of the cyber shopping malls, which in turn led to an increased ease of finding target items and also a more pleasant shopping experience. The benefits of navigation aids based on the spatial metaphor became more evident when customers were looking for ad hoc category items rather than common items. This paper presents plausible explanations for the results and implications for the design of navigation aids for cyber shopping malls.