The use of landmarks in pedestrian navigation instructions and the effects of context

Abstract

The beneficial effects of using landmarks in vehicle navigation systems (improved user confidence and navigation performance) have been well-studied and proven. The study reported here aimed to investigate the effects of adding landmark information to basic pedestrian navigation instructions (i.e. those which included distance to turn and street name only). The study found that the results replicate that for vehicle navigation systems. User confidence was raised to a consistently high level as a result of landmark inclusion and errors were greatly reduced. The results also indicate the types of manoeuvre that should benefit most from the inclusion of landmarks. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004.