Point Me In the Right Direction: Understanding User Behaviour with As-The-Crow-Flies Navigation

Visual as-the-crow-flies (ATCF) navigation methods are an increasingly popular alternative to existing turn-by-turn (TBT) navigation for cyclists. To better understand how people use them in everyday navigation and how they cope with the novel navigation method in challenging situations, we studied two main issues posed by ATCF navigation: knowing whether one is on the right route to their destination and knowing whether a turn leads into a dead end or detour. To investigate these two problems, we compared visual ATCF navigation against (1) TBT navigation and (2) an improved ATCF+ navigation system in two successive studies. We found that users encountered problems riding in the opposite direction to the destination and were often turning around as a result using the ATCF method. Using colour cues in the ATCF user interface we were able to reinforce correct route choices. Additionally, we found that unsuccessful route progression negatively correlates with user confidence.