Way-Finding in Virtual Environment

Group - 8
Group Members :

Aditya Prakash IIT2019009

Utkarsh Gangwar IIT2019023
Utkarsh Garg IIT2019026
Vaibhav IIT2019079
 Introduction
Virtual Reality : Virtual reality is a simulated 3D environment that enables users to explore and
interact with a virtual surrounding in a way that approximates reality, as it is perceived through the
users' senses. The environment is created with computer hardware and software, although users
might also need to wear devices such as helmets or goggles to interact with the environment. The
more deeply users can immerse themselves in a VR environment -- and block out their physical
surroundings -- the more they are able to suspend their belief and accept it as real, even if it is
fantastical in nature.
Wayfinding : Wayfinding is the cognitive process of determining and following a route between an
origin and a destination. It is the cognitive component of navigation—high-level thinking, planning,
and decision-making related to user movement.
Spatial Knowledge

● Spatial knowledge includes the knowledge of the spatial relationships between

objects of an environment in the individual’s wayfinding process (declarative spatial
knowledge) and the knowledge about how to move in this environment (procedural
spatial knowledge).
● Spatial knowledge contains environmental characteristics, the relative position
between objects, and properties of spatial relationships
Egocentric and Exocentric Reference Frames
Egocentric cues determine the perceived distance of a point or object from the observer, providing
perceived egocentric distances. Exocentric cues indicate the perceived depth or distance between
points or objects, providing perceived exocentric distances.

Ref
User-Centered Wayfinding Support

● Field of View
● Motion Cues
● Multisensory Output
● Presence
● Search Strategies
Field of View

● A small field of view (FOV) may inhibit

wayfinding.
● The user requires repetitive head movements
to comprehend the spatial information
obtained from the viewpoint.
● Using a larger FOV reduces the amount of
head movement and allows the user to
understand spatial relationships more easily.

Ref
Motion Cues

● Supplying motion cues enables the user to judge

both the depth and direction of movement.
● It provides the information necessary for dead
reckoning.
● Motion cues can be obtained from peripheral
vision, but motion cues are not purely visual
Ref
Multisensory Output

● Multisensory output is adding auditory,

tactile, or other multimodal stimuli to
deliver wayfinding cues.
● Audio can provide the user with useful
directional and distance information.
● For example, the sound of trains can
indicate the direction to the station,
whereas the volume allows the user to
estimate the distance to the station.
Ref
Presence
● The sense of presence (the feeling of
“being there”) is a much explored but
still not well-understood phenomenon
that is assumed to have an impact on
spatial knowledge.
● The idea is that if the user feels more
present in a virtual world, then
real-world wayfinding cues will be
more effective.
Ref
Search Strategies
● A final user-centered wayfinding technique is to teach the user to employ an effective
search strategy.
● search patterns such as those used during aviation search-and-rescue missions may aid a
user during wayfinding.
● Types of searches :

1. Pattern Search

2. Contour Search

3. Fan Search
Search Strategies
● Pattern Search : The pattern search starts at a specific central point and moves further
away from it, using quadratic or radial patterns.
● Contour Search : The contour search is designed to follow contours in a landscape, like a
river or a mountain.
● Fan Search : the fan search starts from a center point and fans out in all directions until
the target is found.
● Another important search strategy is to obtain a bird’s-eye view of the environment rather
than performing all navigation on the ground.
Environment-Centered Wayfinding Support
● Environment-centered wayfinding cues refer to the conscious design of the virtual world to
support wayfinding.
● Most wayfinding aids for virtual worlds can be directly related to aids from the real world.
● These range from natural environmental cues, like a high mountain, to artificial cues, such
as a map.
● Several environment-centered wayfinding cues include:
○ Environment legibility landmarks
○ Maps
○ compasses signs
○ Trails
○ Reference objects
Environment Legibility
● Just as urban planners design cities in the real world to be navigable, virtual worlds can be
designed to support wayfinding. In his book, Lynch (1960) describes several legibility techniques
that serve as principles for urban design.
● These techniques allow the user to quickly obtain an understanding of an environment by
understanding its basic structural elements.
● There are five basic building blocks that can be applied to design a legible environment:
○ Paths
○ Edges
○ Districts
○ Nodes
○ Landmarks.
Landmarks
● Landmarks are easily distinguishable objects that can be used to maintain spatial
orientation, develop landmark and route knowledge, and serve as foundations for
distance and direction estimation.
● These are naturally part of a legible environment design, artificial landmarks may be
added to any environment to support wayfinding.
Maps
● Maps are one of the most common wayfinding aids is the map.
● The design of maps for wayfinding in 3D UIs is surprisingly complex.
● First, the designer should realize that the map can be dynamic because it is virtual.
This means that you-are-here markers can be continuously displayed.
● The map can be updated if the environment changes. Paths to the next destination
can be overlaid on the map (or the world itself). The map can even be rotated to face
the direction the user is facing or zoomed to show only the local area
Compasses
● A compass primarily serves to provide directional cues. For a trained navigator, a
compass in combination with a map is an invaluable wayfinding tool.
● However, most users of 3D UIs will not be familiar with effective methods for using
compass information. As a VE wayfinding aid, compasses are typically found in
navigation training tools, such as those used in the military.
Signs
● Signs are used extensively in real-world environments to provide spatial knowledge
and directions (Figure 8.22), but surprisingly there is little research on the use of
signs as a wayfinding cue in VEs.
● Signs can be extremely effective because of their directness, but signs can also
become confusing in complex environments (think about badly designed airports).
Trails
● In order to help the user “retrace his steps” in an environment or to show which
parts of the world have been visited, trails can be included as an artificial wayfinding
aid.
● A trail can be made up of a simple line or by using markers that include directional
information, just like footprints in the real world. A trail can be placed directly into
the environment but can also be shown on a map.
Reference Objects
● Reference objects are objects that have a well-known size, such as a chair or a
human figure, and aid in size and distance estimation.
● Users often have difficulty judging distances in large, mostly empty environments,
and VR systems have well-known deficiencies in distance perception (Renner et al.
2013).
● Distances are highly under or overestimated. When reference objects are placed in
such a space, estimation of sizes and distances becomes easier.
Combining Travel and Wayfinding Techniques
Since travel and wayfinding are intimately linked, techniques for these two tasks should be
integrated if possible. In some cases, hardware can provide this directly. For example, a
treadmill couples a method of travel with a vestibular feedback component. Other techniques
have inherent proprioceptive cues. Gaze-directed steering, for example, supplies directional
information via head-centric cues.

Wayfinding aids may actually be part of the travel technique. For example, the
World-in-Miniature technique combines a 3D map with a route-planning travel metaphor
(section 8.7.1). Finally, wayfinding aids can be placed in the environment near the focus of the
user’s attention during travel. For example, a small compass can be attached to the (real or
virtual) tip of a stylus when the pointing technique (section 8.5.1) is used.
Conclusion

Wayfinding is the cognitive process of determining and following a route between an origin and a
destination (Golledge 1999). It is the cognitive component of navigation—high-level thinking, planning,
and decision-making related to user movement. Real-world wayfinding has been researched extensively,
with studies of aids like maps, directional signs, landmarks, and so on.

In virtual worlds, wayfinding can also be crucial. In a large, complex environment, an efficient travel
technique is of no use if one has no idea where to go. When we speak of “wayfinding techniques,” we
refer to designed wayfinding aids included as part of the interface or in the environment.
 Universities and their Project on AR/VR
Stanford University, Stanford, California

The Virtual Reality & Immersive Technology program at Stanford is the “first clinically focused academic endeavor dedicated to studying immersive
technologies” such as AR/VR “in mental and behavioral health settings in a broad range of disciplines.” The program also manages the Virtual Reality &
Immersive Technology (VR-IT) Clinic, which “incorporates the most current and emerging methods of virtual and augmented reality treatments into
traditional cognitive behavior and mindfulness-based therapies, taking a holistic, customized, and personal approach to each patient.”

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York

Current projects and experiences include Digital Docents: Historical NY Stories in Virtual and Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality Theatre (funded by Epic
Games), the VR Cary Collection, Color and Material Appearance in AR, and Development and Assessment of Virtual Reality Paradigms for Gaze Contingent
Visual Rehabilitation,treatments.

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Recent AR/VR projects include Projection-Based Mixed Reality Platform-Spatial Mixed Reality, Gaze-Based Multimodal Interactions in AR, and Human
Perception and Cognition in AR.
Other Universities and their Projects
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THANK YOU !