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Publication details
The Possibilities of Using Immersive Virtual Environments in Research on Wayfinding
Authors | |
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Year of publication | 2025 |
Type | Article in Periodical |
Magazine / Source | International Journal of Human-Computer Studies |
MU Faculty or unit | |
Citation | |
web | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071581924002258?via%3Dihub |
Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103442 |
Keywords | Immersive virtual environment; Navigation; Evacuation; Eye tracking; Empirical comparison; Wayfinding; Realistic virtual model |
Description | The study evaluated the degree of comparability of various aspects of human wayfinding behaviour exhibited during an evacuation scenario conducted in two environments, one real and the other virtual. While differences were expected in the locomotion speed parameter, with the goal being to determine the magnitude of the deviation, a more notable similarity was expected between environments in other types of parameters, e.g., evacuation trajectories, visual attention to points of interest, or choices at decision points. To improve the potential use of these findings in practice, we selected easily accessible hardware and excluded expensive devices simulating walking in place locomotion such as treadmills. For this purpose, we created a very precise 3D model of a real campus building. In both the experimental (immersive virtual environment, iVE) and control (real environment, RE) groups, the participants were all first-time visitors to the building. The groups were instructed to locate a target room where they would subsequently be required to complete a simple task, at which point an evacuation alarm would be set off. We evaluated three types of data collected during their quest to find a way out of the building: an eye-tracker-logged gaze hits on various objects (e.g., navigation signs), recordings of the locomotion and trajectory of the participants, and a combination of these parameters (e.g., points along the path where participants sighted certain objects). The sample was composed of 73 participants (35 for the real environment, 38 for the iVE). Human behaviour was compared using several types of metrics. Similarities were found in decision-making (e.g., choice of exit route) or most eye-tracking metrics, among others. On the other hand, the difference in evacuation duration was found due to the user interface used for locomotion. |
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