Robot-assisted wayfinding for the visually impaired in structured indoor environments

We present a robot-assisted wayfinding system for the visually impaired in structured indoor environments. The system consists of a mobile robotic guide and small passive RFID sensors embedded in the environment. The system is intended for use in indoor environments, such as office buildings, supermarkets and airports. We describe how the system was deployed in two indoor environments and evaluated by visually impaired participants in a series of pilot experiments. We analyze the system’s successes and failures and outline our plans for future research and development.     

3-D route-planning support for navigation in a complex indoor environment

Three-dimensional (3-D) route-planning support offers a promising solution to overcome problems with wayfinding in complex indoor environments. An experiment was conducted to test the effect of 3-D route-planning support in a realistic setting, a large hospital building, during normal operation. Forty participants performed navigation tasks either with (n?=?20) or without (n?=?20) 3-D route-planning support. Support resulted in faster navigation, more use of artwork specifically installed to aid wayfinding, fewer navigation errors, less disorientation and less anxiety. In addition, participants used different strategies for wayfinding: without navigation support they used signs and route colour, but with navigation support they used not only the artwork, but also the existing furniture and other landmarks. The acceptance of 3-D route-planning support was high. Overall, the results support the value of 3-D route-planning support.     

Signage Versus Environmental Affordances: Is the Explicit Information Strong Enough to Guide Human Behavior During a Wayfinding Task?

This study aims to explore how people behave when they have to find a location within a complex building and are confronted with situations where directional signage (i.e., explicit information) is in opposition to environmental affordances that naturally direct users towards a specific path, creating a situation with conflicting information (e.g., a brighter corridor vs. a darker corridor but with a directional sign indicating to follow the darker one). A virtual reality–based methodology was used and a between‐subject design was considered. Thus, participants were given the tasks of finding three publicly accessible central points in a virtual hotel and confronted with a two forced‐choice task of local scenes in which environmental variables (i.e., corridor width and brightness) and signage varied systematically, in two experimental conditions (i.e., neutral and signage). For the signage condition, signs were inserted to explicitly point in the opposite direction than that implicitly suggested by the environmental affordances, creating situations with conflicting information. Results indicate that environmental variables were able to direct people indoors acting as environmental affordances. Users preferred to follow the wider and brighter paths. However, when directional signage pointed in the opposite direction of the paths preferred by the participants, most of them complied with signage.     

Editorial

Mobile pedestrian navigation systems are one of the most popular Location-Based Services. In the era of Web 2.0, current mobile navigation systems often suffer from the following problems: the lack of social navigation support (utilising other people's experiences) and the challenge of making user-generated content (UGC) useful. In this article, some collective intelligence-based route recommendation methods are designed to address these problems. The proposed methods can make use of UGC (reflecting other users’ navigation experiences), and provide users with the least complex and the length-complexity-optimised (LCO) routes. Some simulations using the street network of the first district of Vienna (Austria) are designed to evaluate the proposed methods. The results show that compared to the shortest route, the collective intelligence-based routes (i.e. the least complex and the LCO routes) have a significant improvement of the route quality (with lower complexity ratings), thereby more effectively supporting users’ navigation tasks (more chances of reaching the destination, fewer mistakes made and shorter distance travelled).     

Effects of competing environmental variables and signage on route-choices in simulated everyday and emergency wayfinding situations

This study examined the relative influence of environmental variables (corridor width and brightness) and signage (directional and exit signs), when presented in competition, on participants' route-choices in two situational variables (everyday vs. emergency), during indoor wayfinding in virtual environments. A virtual reality-based methodology was used. Thus, participants attempted to find a room (everyday situation) in a virtual hotel, followed by a fire-related emergency egress (emergency situation). Different behaviours were observed. In the everyday situation, for no-signs condition, participants choose mostly the wider and brighter corridors, suggesting a heavy reliance on the environmental affordances. Conversely, for signs condition, participants mostly complied with signage, suggesting a greater reliance on the signs rather than on the environmental cues. During emergency, without signage, reliance on environmental affordances seems to be affected by the intersection type. In the sign condition, the reliance on environmental affordances that started strong decreases along the egress route.     

地铁站中标识布置特征对寻路效率影响的虚拟研究

以上海3个典型的轨道交通枢纽站为原型,构建了一个仿真的虚拟轨道交通空间。在这个虚拟空间中针对标识布置对寻路效率的影响问题,展开虚拟研究。首先对标识系统进行不同的参数设置,选择一定数量的被试在此虚拟空间中寻路,采集被试者的实验数据并分析得出结论。     

指向标识设置间距及设置位置对路效率影响的虚拟研究

为研究在有岔道口的通道上标识设置对行人寻路效率的影响,本文利用Quest3D软件构建虚拟空间,在虚拟空间中对上述问题展开实验研究.通过分组实验的方式,让不同组的实验者在不同标识设置参数的虚拟空间中行走,并采集实验者的实验数据,实验数据显示当标识间距大于50m时或者标识缺失而不远处有类似标识影响时寻路效率会明显下降.因此在有岔道口的通道上标识的设置距离应当小于50m,同时合理设置标识位置,防止与寻路无关的类似标识进入行人视线.     

基于色彩地理学的颐和园导视系统色彩设计研究

目的 通过对颐和园色彩的调研与采集,探讨适用于地域环境色彩的导视系统色彩设计方法。 方法 采用色彩地理学的研究方法,对颐和园的天空、土壤、植被、水系等自然地理环境色彩与建筑、桥梁、石舫、器物装饰等人文地理环境色彩展开实地调查,通过选址调查、测色记录、取证、转译等方式形成颐和园地理环境色谱,并探讨颐和园地理环境色彩与导视系统色彩之间的关系。结论 颐和园自然地理环境色彩和人文地理环境色彩是不可变的客观色彩,导视系统色彩是可变的主观色彩,导视系统设计过程中应该遵循颐和园的地理环境色谱,尽力与颐和园的地理环境色彩风貌相互协调,同时又能在环境中突显出色彩的差异性。     

基于东京地铁空间体验的导视系统

目的通过分析以用户为中心的东京地铁导视系统设计案例,探讨地铁导视设计中关注用户体验的必要性,并推导地铁导视系统的设计规律。方法对东京地铁的历史背景及其导视系统的发展现状进行调查。根据研究方向,选择个别地铁站的导视系统开展重点分析,梳理设计脉络并研究其设计方法。将东京地铁导视设计的现状、演变进程和设计手法与用户体验相关理论结合,进行交叉研究。结论以用户体验的理论与方法进行地铁导视系统设计能够改善设计的质量。在设计过程中,设计师需要关注用户行为、认知规律及心理需求,通过基于行为逻辑的信息架构为用户提供连续不断的信息流,并依据人机工程学理论和认知心理学理论对呈现信息的方式进行设计,营造地铁站的独特魅力,建立用户与城市及空间的情感联结。     

环境空间中导示系统的感官设计表象

以香港导示系统设计为例,从视觉、听觉、触觉等感官信息的传达方式探讨导示系统设计的表现方法.结合香港一些相对完善的环境导示实例,对内地环境导示系统在表现方法及功能拓展上提出建议,即导示系统与环境的有机融合,材料表现手法的多样性及对无障碍设计的积极倡导等。