[IxDA Discuss] Examples of Maps/Navigation for 3D interactive experiences

[Mike Bennett]

You might find the following AVI 2006 paper relevant to your design  
thinking about the overview:

"Usability of Overview-Supported Zooming on Small Screens with Regard  
to Individual Differences" by Thorsten Búring, Jens Gerken and Harald  
Reiterer
http://hci.uni-konstanz.de/~buering/pdfs/avi2006.pdf

The paper is about a study of a small screen interface with and  
without an overview/mini-map display. Subjects in the study were  
measured for their spatial abilities then had to interact with the  
contents of the display. Some subjects had an overview while other  
didn't. The results seem to show there is a strong correlation  
between the use of the overview and a person's spatial abilities. If  
a person has a high spatial ability the overview had a negative  
effect, while it could aid a person with less spatial ability. This  
seems to be the case even though most of their subjects had above  
average spatial ability.

Also (shameless plug - I did some work on hand held tools for  
wayfinding with different kinds of visual / haptic feedback and  
control) you can find some very relevant "spatial wayfinding in real  
and virtual spaces" papers listed in the references at end of:

"Here Or There Is Where? Haptic Egocentric Interaction With  
Topographic Torch" http://www.stressbunny.com/mike/pubs/ 
2006_CHI_TopographicTorch.pdf

Especially checkout Hunt's review (good for 3D) and Levine's (very  
very very nice) spatial cognition experiments.

- Mike

> Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2007 10:20:51 -0800
> From: "Adrian Chong" <chongadrian at gmail.com>
> Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Examples of Maps/Navigation for 3D interactive
> 	experiences
>
> We're trying to create an immersive interactive experience by allowing
> the user to explore different 3d environments to find content. I'm
> trying to make accessing that content more direct if the user decides
> they rather not explore. Just curious if anybody has some examples of
> navigation/mini map married to a 3D interactive experience.
>
> Think of halo3.com/believe but with navigation allowing you to go all
> the points of interest and maybe not so linear in terms of the explore
> path.
>
> any replies are much appreciated!
>
> -- 
> Adrian Chong
> www.adrianchong.com/blog

--
Mike Bennett
PhD Candidate

Imaging, Visualisation and Graphics Lab
Systems Research Group, University College Dublin, Ireland

- email: mike.bennett at ucd.ie
- blog: http://www.user-designer.com
- web: http://www.stressbunny.com/mike