My Followup Thoughts on the Navigation User Interface Study
Written with the school equivalent of a gun to my head BUT I'M NOT BITTER
So about five days ago, I had the pleasure of participating in a study that tested a new interface for navigation. This navigation system was supposed to be a background process that allowed the user to operate any app on their phone while still receiving directions. In this study, I played some game while following the navigation to get to a certain place. The test was run by Manoj Prasad and Ayo (I forgot Ayo's last name). There were three different styles of navigation to test, though two of them were very similar.
The first test involved purely phone based guidance, where the phone's motors would vibrate in certain patterns to tell the user which direction to turn. This one is personally my favorite because it's an effective navigation method that is very easy to implement. I think if it were calibrated for high speeds, this would be ideal for vehicle navigation for people who would rather listen to something besides the navigation software. Of course, throughout the study, my main concern was doing well in the game, since it saved local high scores.
The second trial is basically the same as the third, so i'll just describe the third. For those trials, I had to wear a vest that looked more like a harness. This vest had some motors in various places that would tell me where to go through vibrations in key areas. The third trial vest was a newer prototype of the second, and it included some sonic proximity detectors. It's an interesting idea, but people have to go through a lot of trouble to put it on. I was told that they could be put into clothing, but that raises the cost of manufacture by a lot. Additionally, the proximity detector took a while to work, and I almost ran into Manoj on several occasions. This isn't pedestrian navigation, but it might be easier to put those motors into car seats. Of course, if Google cars become a big deal, the entire vehicle navigation aspect of this could be obsolete.
Also, 2nd place in the local high scores on whatever game I was playing! And I apparently walked faster than everyone else. Sounds like a win to me.
Also, 2nd place in the local high scores on whatever game I was playing! And I apparently walked faster than everyone else. Sounds like a win to me.