Navigating Large Virtual Spaces. The results showed that navigational performance was superior under both map treatments as compared to the control and grid conditions. The grid, however, was shown to provide superior directional information as compared to the other conditions. The control condition provided the worst performance, with subjects often becoming disoriented and experiencing extreme difficulty completing the tasks. This work shows that real-world design principles, when extended to virtual worlds, support improved performance on navigation tasks.
Organizational elements serve to divide a large space into a number of smaller, connected parts.
Additionally, directional information is added providing the navigator with an absolute frame of reference. Maps are used to show a geocentric perspective of the environment and the navigator's position in it. The analysis of this experiment clearly shows a significant difference between the control treatment and the others. It is evident that the inclusion of something as simple as an absolute reference point will improve navigation performance. A further investigation of the actual behaviors and strategies associated with the stimuli will strengthen our understanding of how environmental information is used for navigation.