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Driving with navigational instructions: investigating user behaviour and performance

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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>01/2013
<mark>Journal</mark>Accident Analysis and Prevention
Volume50
Number of pages6
Pages (from-to)298-303
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date1/06/12
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

This paper reports the results of an inter-disciplinary study investigating user preferences and performance in relation to spoken in-car route guidance. In-car navigation systems are becoming increasingly popular. However, despite large amounts of research assessing the presentation of spatial information, and the usability and interaction issues surrounding the interfaces, there has been much less investigation of the impacts of auditory presentation of route information. We addressed this issue using a multi-disciplinary approach to collect both qualitative and quantitative data through questionnaires and user experiments. Our research identified a user preference for auditory presentation of route information, as well as a memory advantage for auditory over visual presentation. We also found that simple auditory route instructions could be followed without significant interference to a simulated driving task, whereas more complex auditory instructions did cause interference. Taken together, this research highlights the importance of the design of spoken route guidance instructions in minimising the cognitive demands that they impose.

Bibliographic note

This publication received wide media attention. From LU Text and LU Press Office: Dr Pragya Agarwal (FASS) was interviewed on BBC Breakfast News, 7 June, about research which analyses the effects that sat navs have on people's driving abilities. Dr Agarwal was also interviewed on various local and regional radio stations including, BBC Radio Lancashire (1hr, 6mins into the programme), BBC Radio Cumbria (1hr, 43mins into the programme) Real radio NorthWest, BBC Scotland, BBC Leeds, BBC World Service, BBC York, BBC West Midlands Birmingham today, BBC Radio Kent and Russian Voice (Russian World Service). The story was also featured on the BBC Online website and covered extensively in national and international online media, a selection of which include the Telegraph, Sky News Australia, Toronto Telegraph, Yahoo India News, The Huffington Post, Mail on Sunday, World News and on the Phys.Org websites.]