Combined Navigation Aids In Single User Virtual Environments: A Performance Study

Abstract

Single User Virtual Environments (SUVEs) employ a range of interaction techniques tailored to specific tasks and applications. The variability in user needs and system requirements has prevented the emergence of a universally effective solution. Effective work in SUVEs often relies on communication channels that enable users to share task goals, manage task decomposition, and monitor progress. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of six combinations of navigation aids: 3DML + Arrows-Casting, 3DML + Audio, Audio + Arrows-Casting, Textual + Arrows-Casting, Audio + textual and 3DML + Textual. The assembly task in SUVE is guided by combined navigation aids and using the shortest path selection algorithm (Dijkstra's). Experiments were carried out on university students to evaluate their effectiveness on task performance in assembly activities of using six navigational aids. Our experiment involved 20 individuals. Findings show that the combination of audio + arrows-casting resulted in the most efficient task completion, while 3DML and textual aids support led to slower navigation performance. This study contributes to understanding the effectiveness of different navigation aids for enhanced user performance in SUVE in assembly tasks accomplishment.

Keywords: 3D virtual environments (VEs), combined navigational aids, Virtual reality (VR), Single User virtual environments (SUVEs), Navigational aids, Three dimensional map with liner (3DML) ·