NAVIGATION SYSTEM
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Context
…you want to build a tool that helps people to find their way from one place to another.
Problem statement
How can people be guided best from one location to another? What functions must a navigation tool provide in order to fulfill the user's wishes and tasks?
Problem description with forces
People are always on the move.
For their job they have to travel to different places to meet colleagues, visit customers, go to congresses or fairs, etc. In their free time they want to visit friends, go on holidays and do sports in different places etc.
For this purpose they use different means of getting to all these places. They walk, bicycle, take the bus or train, motorbike, drive or even take a ferry or plane.
But most of the time people do not really know where exactly they have to go and how they can get there.
For this reason there are maps of all kinds available for almost every place on earth, but these (paper) maps have one big disadvantage - they are static:
- They are not extensible. Every time people change the location they need to get a different map
- They provide no means of automatic navigation
- On most maps it is hard to find special locations easily
- People either have to remember where to go or they need to look at the map every few minutes
Examples
Probably the first project addressing user interface designs for navigation systems was UI+IV (user interface and information visualization) carried out by Motorola from 1989 - 1992. The project dealt with constructing an in-car-navigation system that was especially designed for usability and without distracting the user too much from traffic [1].
Today there are many navigation systems for different application areas and devices available. They include built-in products for in-car-navigation that are almost always included in new cars today, or in-car-systems for PDAs such as Navman SmartST [2].
For slow travelers such as hikers there are standalone GPS navigation systems available or products for PDAs such as Navman GPS 3300 Terrain.
Even for cellular phones some systems such as Wayfinder [3] exist.
Solution
Therefore:
Build an interactive navigation system with which people can browse maps easily, plan a route or navigate along planned routes.
Support them in entering their information, display only the information they need and make it easy for them to follow a calculated route from their actual position (or whatever position they want) to their wanted destination.
Diagram
References
At first you should decide what kind of navigation system you want to build - IN-CAR-NAVIGATION, SLOW-TRAVELER-NAVIGATION.
After that you should have a look at the main function a user could want to perform with a navigation system. This may be to browse available maps to get an overview of the system and its functionalities - INTERACTIVE MAPS.
To really help a user navigating from one place to another, she should be able to plan her route - PLANNING A ROUTE.
Afterwards the navigation should be started which guides the user along the planned route - ROUTE GUIDANCE.
Literature and Links
- Aaron, M. (2000): Designing the User Interface for a Vehicle Navigation System: A Case Study. In Bergman, E., editor, Information Appliances and Beyond: Interaction Design for Consumer Products, Morgan Kaufmann, San Francisco, pp. 205-255.
- NAVMAN Mobile Limited; http://www.navman-mobile.com
- Wayfinder Systems; http://www.wayfinder.biz/
