Research on Basic Design Factors and Usability of Maps for Large Spaces

- Analysis of Design Elements of Prototype Maps which is Easy to Navigate for Direction-Challenged Users (1) -

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find effective design elements to make maps easy to use for people with poor directional ability. In the previous studies we conducted comparative moving experiments using existing 12 maps and found that difference in map design affects ease of navigation. In this study, we tried to clarify effects of basic design elements of maps such as amount of information, search method and direction of the maps. We designed 8 prototype maps and conducted moving experiments with total of 25 subjects. As a result, we found that; (1) pictures of buildings or intersections are not very effective, (2) both excessive and too little information of landmarks and roads are ineffective, (3) the list type search method is ineffective to subjects with poor directional ability, (4) direction of maps does not affect ease of reading maps for users with poor directional ability.