Pedestrian navigation with augmented reality, voice and digital map: Results from a field study assessing performance and user experience

Abstract

This paper reports on a field study comparing the interface technologies voice, digital map, and augmented reality in the context of pedestrian navigation. The in situ study was conducted in the city of Salzburg using a self-implemented smartphone application running on Apple’s iPhone 4. The study involved 24 participants between 22 and 66 years with different experiences in using smartphones and navigation systems. Results show that in the context of GPS-enhanced pedestrian navigation digital map and voice-only interfaces lead to significantly better navigation performance and user experience in comparison to an augmented reality interface. The study also reveals similar results for digital map and voice-only interfaces given that voice instructions are carefully composed.