This chapter presents some results of a project to investigate information presentation in in-car navigation systems, including map displays and displays using simple arrows or voiced instructions. Some previous studies are reviewed, that compare conventional maps with various methods of presenting navigation information. Using their results and the author's previous research, some guidelines are developed on what navigation information to present to drivers: (1) maplike displays do not improve on conventional paper maps; (2) the amount of information presented should be kept as small as possible; (3) the best results were obtained from simple audible or visual left-right instructions; (4) street names should not be used. The results are presented of tests of three experimental navigation systems developed by the author, using these guidelines. The first field experiment tested strategy differences in map information use. The second field experiment made an experimental comparison between different types of in-car navigation information. The two main findings were: (1) multiple navigation instructions resulted in more navigation errors, compared with single instructions in the form of arrows; (2) use of existing road signs as navigation instructions did not result in fewer navigation errors than when only simple arrows were used. Some implications for in-car navigation systems are discussed briefly.
Abstract