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Guided by music: pedestrian and cyclist navigation with route and beacon guidance

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Abstract

Music listening and navigation are both common tasks for mobile device users. In this study, we integrated music listening with a navigation service, allowing users to follow the perceived direction of the music to reach their destination. This navigation interface provided users with two different guidance methods: route guidance and beacon guidance. The user experience of the navigation service was evaluated with pedestrians in a city center and with cyclists in a suburban area. The results show that spatialized music can be used to guide pedestrians and cyclists toward a destination without any prior training, offering a pleasant navigation experience. Both route and beacon guidance were deemed good alternatives, but the preference between them varied from person to person and depended on the situation. Beacon guidance was generally considered to be suitable for familiar surroundings, while route guidance was seen as a better alternative for areas that are unfamiliar or more difficult to navigate.

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Notes

  1. http://intelligentheadset.com.

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Acknowledgments

The research leading to these results has received funding from Nokia Technologies. The authors would like to thank all participants in the user studies for their feedback and suggestions, as well as David McGookin for comments and discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland

    Robert Albrecht & Tapio Lokki

  2. Nokia Technologies, Espoo, Finland

    Riitta Väänänen

Authors
  1. Robert Albrecht
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  2. Riitta Väänänen
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  3. Tapio Lokki
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert Albrecht.

Appendix: Maps of the routes

Appendix: Maps of the routes

The routes taken by participants during route guidance in user study A are shown in Figs. 23 and 24. In this study, route guidance was tested during two tasks, with the second task starting where the first task ended, after the participants had answered the questionnaire and interview questions. The beacon guidance task started where the second route guidance task ended. The routes taken by the participants during beacon guidance are shown in Fig. 22. During this user study, the three tasks were always performed in the same order with the routes walked in the same direction.

The routes taken during route guidance in user study B are shown in Fig. 25 and the routes taken during beacon guidance are shown in Fig. 26. Two routes (starting points and destinations) where used in this study, with the second route starting where the first route ended. The order of the tasks (route and beacon guidance) and the order and direction of the two routes were counterbalanced between participants.

In user study C, two routes were again used, with the second route starting where the first route ended. The order of the tasks (route and beacon guidance) was counterbalanced between participants, as was the order and direction of the two routes. The routes that participants cycled using route guidance are shown in Figs. 27 and 29. The routes that participants cycled using beacon guidance are shown in Figs. 28 and 30.

Fig. 22
figure 22

The routes taken by the participants during beacon guidance in user study A. If no indication is given as to how long the remaining distance to the destination is, participants might make suboptimal route choices especially toward the end of the route, as one participant did at point a

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Fig. 23
figure 23

The routes taken by the participants during the first route guidance task in user study A. Turns that were not at right angles proved difficult, as was the case at point a. There, three participants continued on straight, when they were supposed to make a 60° turn to the left

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Fig. 24
figure 24

The routes taken by the participants during the second route guidance task in user study A. At point a, there was a possibility to make a right turn into a schoolyard just before the right turn that the participants were supposed to make. Four of the participants walked into the schoolyard and back, while some other participants said that they guessed that they were not supposed to go into the schoolyard

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Fig. 25
figure 25

The routes taken by the participants during route guidance in user study B. Turns that were smaller than 90° caused confusion, for example at point a, where one participant had difficulties realizing that she was supposed to make a 45° turn at the intersection

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Fig. 26
figure 26

The routes taken by the participants during beacon guidance in user study B. The odd route taken by one participant at point a is due to the left earpiece coming loose, so that the participant heard sound mostly from the right earpiece. At point b, the long straight without any possibility to turn toward the destination caused some uncertainty among participants

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Fig. 27
figure 27

The northern routes taken by the participants during route guidance in user study C

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Fig. 28
figure 28

The northern routes taken by the participants during beacon guidance in user study C

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Fig. 29
figure 29

The southern routes taken by the participants during route guidance in user study C. One problem with the implemented route guidance is illustrated at point a. There, participants arriving from the east naturally ended up on the cycle track on the south side of the road, instead of the north side. However, the track on the south side did not continue along the road that the participants were supposed to follow, but took another direction. After some confusion, the participants found their way back to the route that they were supposed to take

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Fig. 30
figure 30

The southern routes taken by the participants during beacon guidance in user study C

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Albrecht, R., Väänänen, R. & Lokki, T. Guided by music: pedestrian and cyclist navigation with route and beacon guidance. Pers Ubiquit Comput 20, 121–145 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-016-0906-z

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