Denna studie undersöker hur wayfinding i offentliga inomhusmiljöer kan förenklas med hjälp av Augmented Reality (AR) i kombination med rumsliga och visuella vägledningselement. Detta genom rumsanalys, notationer, litteraturstudier, test av två användbarhetsprototyper samt kvalitativa intervjuer. Platsen för studien är Munktellarenan i Eskilstuna, och målgruppen är förstagångsbesökare. Syftet är att förenkla orienterbarheten i Munktellarenan, samt att undersöka vilka möjligheter AR-teknik kan erbjuda kommuner, när det gäller kombinationen av digital och fysisk wayshowing i liknande offentliga miljöer. Ett gestaltningsförslag presenteras genom skisser och bilder från en 3D-modell. Resultatet av studien och ett förslag till riktlinjer vid wayfinding med AR diskuteras.

Este estudio se centra en la tipografía utilizada en los sistemas de señalización de Portugal. A través de un análisis histórico de la tipografía aplicada a los sistemas de señalización de países que utilizan el alfabeto romano, y más específicamente de los ejemplos portugueses, se cons- tata que los sistemas de señalización en su mayoría utilizan una fuente sans serif. También se detecta que en Portugal, las tipografías utilizadas pertenecen a dos tipologías de diseño. Desde los años 60 hasta mediados de los 90 del siglo XX, los sistemas de señalización portugueses utilizaron una tipografía lineal neogrotesca, como por ejemplo Helvetica, que refleja el pen- samiento de los diseñadores y arquitectos modernistas de la época. A mediados de los 90 los diseñadores comenzaron a optar por otro tipo de tipografía en los sistemas de señalización, las lineal humanísticas. Este estudio pretende evaluar si este cambio en la tipografía utilizada en los sistemas de seña- lización en Portugal incide en la eficacia de la lectura de los sistemas de señalización. Para ello llevó a cabo una encuesta entre los usuarios de los sistemas de señalización en Portugal, donde las señales se presentaron con dos fuentes: Helvetica, como lineal neogrotesca y Gill Sans como lineal Humanística. Además, se diseñaron con tres grados de dificultad de lectura y con dos diferentes tipos de contraste: texto en negro sobre fondo blanco y texto en blanco sobre fondo negro. Este estudio concluye que en cuanto a los tiempos de lectura mas rápidos, los dos tipos de le- tra obtienen un resultado muy similar, con mejores resultados para la Helvetica, excepto en el grado más elevado. Helvetica también obtiene los peores resultados en los tiempos de lectura y aquí la diferencia es significativa. El estudio concluye que las diferencias entre los dos tipos de letra no son relevantes respecto a la efectividad de lectura para cualquier persona con hábitos de lectura pero sí para aquellos que no los tienen. Además, / Pires Barreto, LM. (2012). Estudio tipográfico para señalética: Verificación de la mejor legibilidad de la tipografía lineal Humanística frente a la tipografía lineal Neogrotesca en los sistemas de señalización portugueses [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/18126 / Palancia

Denna studie utforskar fotgängares möjligheter att orientera sig och ta sig fram i stadsmiljöer. Orienterbarhet kan förväntas få en allt större betydelse i samband med att gångtrafiken får en viktigare roll i städers transportsystem. Samtidigt vistas allt fler människor i omgivningar de är sämre förtrogna med, till följd av den ökade mobiliteten som globaliseringen har medfört. Uppgiften för denna studie är därför att utforska orienterbarhetens betydelse för staden och dess invånare, att kartlägga orienteringssituationen i Stockholm och att undersöka hur den kan förbättras. Studien inleds med en genomgång av teorier och resonemang gällande orienterbarhet, vil- ken fungerar som en teoretisk bakgrund till de efterföljande delarna. Orienterbarhet definieras här som en egenskap som beskriver svårighetsgraden att bestämma sin position och planera sin rörelse i en stadsmiljö. Hur själva orienteringen går till beskrivs som en process där hjärnan strukturerar sinnesintrycken i en kognitiv representation av verkligheten; en mental karta eller bild. Om denna process underlättas av god orienterbarhet kan staden gynnas inom fyra identifierade huvudområden; stadens gångvänlighet, individens välbefinnande, tillgänglighet till stadens funktioner samt besökarvänlighet. Förbättrad orienterbarhet kan inom dessa områden väntas ge ekonomiska, sociala och ekologiska vinster. Stockholms orienteringssituation kartläggs sedan med ett brett tillvägagångssätt. Orienterbarhetens betydelse i planeringen undersöks, liksom viktiga aktörers arbetssätt och synsätt. Grundförutsättningarna för orientering bedöms med hjälp av rumsliga analyser, och en undersökning av hur fotgängare upplever stadens orienterbarhet görs. Av undersökningarna framgår det att grundförutsättningarna för orientering är relativt goda i Stockholm som helhet, men att Cityområdet innehåller ett flertal brister. Det finns med andra ord ett behov av åtgärder för förbättrad orienterbarhet. Det tredje kapitlet presenterar tre informationssystem för fotgängare, hämtade från tre andra europeiska städer av varierande storlek och karaktär. De tre projekten illustrerar hur orienterbarheten kan förbättras med hjälp av orienteringsinformation. Även om grundförutsättningarna för orientering är förhållandevis goda, visar projekten att det kan finnas starka incitament för att stödja fotgängares orientering. Informationssystem för fotgängare krävs när stadsmiljön i sig inte räcker till, men är också av nytta när grundförutsättningarna är tillräckliga. Studien avslutas med en diskussion kring de slutsatser som gjorts, och vilken innebörd de kan tänkas ha för Stockholm som ”promenadstad”. Det konstateras att de utländska projektens tillvägagångssätt i viss mån även skulle kunna tillämpas i Stockholm. Slutligen ges ett antal rekommendationer av åtgärder som kan förbättra orienteringssituationen. Dessa innefattar utveckling och planering av ett informationssystem för fotgängare, som till en början omfattar Cityområdet. / This master thesis explores the conditions under which pedestrians navigate in urban environments. The importance of urban navigability is likely to increase, as walking becomes a more prioritised transport mode. There is also a tendency of more pedestrians moving beyond their accustomed bounds, as a result of the increased mobility of a more globalised world. The task of this thesis is to explore the effects of urban navigability on the city and its inhabitants, as well as to examine the wayfinding situation in Stockholm and possible ways to improve it. The thesis begins with a review of theories and reasonings concerning urban navigability, which forms the theoretical framework for the following parts. Urban navigability is defined as a property determining the ease, at which orientation and movement is possible in an urban environment. The pedestrian capability of reading the environment is described as a process where sensory impressions form a cognitive representation; a mental map or image. If this process is facilitated by the urban navigability, gains can be made in four main fields; urban walkability, individual wellbeing, accessibility and visitor friendliness. This is expected to bring economical, social and environmental benefits. The wayfinding situation is subsequently examined with a wide approach. The presence of wayfinding issues is examined in planning documents and among organisations engaged with city development. The physical conditions for pedestrian wayfinding are assessed with different methods of spatial analysis. In addition, a pedestrian survey is carried out to examine how people in general experience wayfinding in Stockholm. The studies reveal that the physical conditions for wayfinding are fairly good in Stockholm as a whole, while some weaknesses still can be found in the ‘City’ district. This implies a need of improvement; at least in the innermost part of the city. The third chapter presents three pedestrian wayfinding systems, selected from three other european cities. The three projects show how urban navigability can be improved by means of spatial information. Even in cases where physical conditions for wayfinding are acceptable, there may be strong incentives to facilitate pedestrian wayfinding. Wayfinding systems are needed when the environment lacks legibility in itself, but they are also profitable in cases where the physical conditions are ‘sufficient’. The thesis ends with a discussion about the findings and their possible meanings for Stockholm as a walkable city. It is suggested that some of the previously presented approaches are applicable in Stockholm as well. Finally some recommendations are given regarding improvements of the current wayfinding situation. These include the development of a pedestrian wayfinding system, which initially would cover the ‘City’ district of Stockholm.

Det attraktiva Strömsstråket is a bachelor thesis in Information Design with a focus on spatial design. The purpose of this work is to investigate the possibility to clarify the connections between Mälardalen University via Strömsholmen to Munktellstaden in Eskilstuna, and at the same time, how the city of Eskilstuna can benefit from these connections. That is, how a street can create opportunities to connect different parts of the city and contribute to more people taking part in the area and choosing to stay there. The aim of this work is to develop a design proposal that visualizes a path connecting all these different parts of the city. A designproposal that can raise the movement pattern of the area by formulating places for social interaction for the primary target group wisch is the students, teachers and other active members ofMälardalen University. The methods used in this work are spatial analysis, experience bubbles, observation, notation analysis, interview and photo / video documentation. These methods, together with theoretical starting points, have laid the foundation for the final design proposal for a map that visualizes part of a new route between Mälardalen University and Munktellstaden in Eskilstuna. / Det attraktiva Strömsstråket är ett examensarbete i Informationsdesign med inriktning rumslig gestaltning. Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka hur det går att tydliggöra förbindelserna mellan Mälardalens högskola via Strömsholmen till Munktellstaden i Eskilstuna, samt även undersöka vad förbindelserna skulle kunna åstadkomma för staden. Det vill säga hur ett stråk kan bilda möjligheter att knyta ihop olika delar av staden och bidra till att fler tar del av området och väljer att vistas där. Målet med detta arbete är att ta fram ett gestaltningsförslag som visualiserar ett stråk som knyter samman olika delar av staden Eskilstuna och på så sätt även bidra till ett ökat rörelsemönster och skapa sociala mötesplatser där studenter, lärareforskare och andra verksamma på Mälardalens högskola är den primära målgruppen. De metoder som används i detta arbete är rumslig analys, upplevesebubblor,observation, notationsanalys, intervju och foto-/videodokumendation. Dessa metoder har tillsammans med teoretiska utgångspunkter lagt grunden till det slutliga gestaltningsförslaget om en karta som visualiserar en del av ett nytt stråk mellan Mälardalens högskola och Munktellstaden i Eskilstuna.

Imagine that you are in the new city and want to explore it. Trying to navigate with maps leads to the unnecessary confusion about street names and prevents you from a enjoying a wonderful walk. The dialogue system that could navigate you from by means of a simple conversation using salient landmarks in your immediate vicinity would be much more helpful! Developing such dialogue system is non-trivial and requires solving a lot of complicated tasks. One of such tasks, tackled in the present thesis, is called reference resolution (RR), i.e. resolving utterances to the underlying geographical entities, referents (if any). The utterances that have referent(s) are called referring expressions (REs). The RR task is decomposed into two tasks: RE identification and resolution itself. Neural network models for both tasks have been designed and extensively evaluated. The model for RE identification, called RefNet, utilizes recurrent neural networks (RNNs) for handling sequential input, i.e. phrases. For each word in an utterance, RefNet outputs a label indicating whether this word is in the beginning of the RE, inside or outside it. The reference resolution model, called SpaceRefNet, uses the RefNet's RNN layer to encode REs and the designed feature extractor to represent geographical objects. Both encodings are fed to a simple feed-forward network with a softmax prediction layer, yielding the probability of match between the RE and the geographical object. Both introduced models have beaten the respective baselines and show promising results in general. / Tänk dig att du är i en ny stad och vill känna staden bättre. Du försöker att använda kartor, men blir förvirrad av gatunamn och kan inte njuta av din promenad. Ett dialogsystem, som kan hjälpa dig att navigera med hjälp av talade instruktioner, och som använder sig av framträdande landmärken i din närhet skulle vara mer användbart! Att utveckla ett sådant system är mycket komplicerat och man behöver att lösa ett antal mycket svåra uppgifter. En av dessa uppgifter kallas referenslösning (RR), vilket innebär att associera refererande fraser (RE) i yttranden till de geografiska objekt som avses. RR har brutits ner i två deluppgifter: identifiering av RE i yttranden, och referenslösning av dessa RE. Neurala-nätverksmodeller har utformats och utvärderats för båda uppgifterna. Modellen för identifiering av RE kallas RefNet och använder återkopplande neuronnät (RNN) för att behandla sekventiellindata, d.v.s. fraser. Varje ord i ett yttrande klassificeras av RefNet som en av tre följande kategorier: “i början av RE”, “i mitten av RE” samt “utanför RE”. Modellen för RR kallas SpaceRefNet och använder RefNets RNN-lager för att representera RE, samt en designad särdragsextraktor för att koda geografiska objekt. Båda kodningarna används som indata för ett enkelt framåtmatande neuronnät med ett avslutande softmax-lager. Det avslutande lagret producerar en sannolikhet att en viss RE motsvarar det geografiska objektet i fråga. Båda modellerna fungerade bättre än respektive baslinjemodeller, och visar lovande resultat i allmänhet. / Уявiть, що Ви опинилися у мiстi, яке нiколи не вiдвiдували. Ви хочете побачити все, що мiсто може Вам запропонувати, але не знаєте нiкого, хто може з цим допомогти. Назви вулиць на електронних картах не тiльки не допомагають, а ще й заплутують Вас, заважаючи отримувати насолоду вiд чудової прогулянки. Було б набагато зручнiше, якщо Ви могли б говорити з дiалоговою системою, як Ви говорите з друзями. Така система допомагала б Вам орiєнтуватися, використовуючи помiтнi орiєнтири у Вашому оточеннi. Розробка такої системи включає в себе багато нетривiальних задач, одна з яких називається задача розв’язання географiчних посилань (РГП). Словосполучення, вживанi з метою вказати на специфiчний географiчний об’єкт, є досить розповсюдженими у повсякденнiй мовi. Такi словосполучення називаються географiчними посиланнями (ГП), а географiчнi об’єкти, на якi вони посилаються - референтами. Задача розв’язання географiчних посилань полягає у спiвставленнi їх з вiдповiдними референтами.У рамках даної дипломної роботи задача РГП була декомпозована на двi частини: iдентифiкацiя географiчних посилань (IГП) та власне розв’язання (ВРГП). Для вирiшення обох задач було розроблено, протестовано та оцiнено вiдповiднi нейроннi мережi. Модель для розв’язання задачi IГП називається RefNet та використовує рекурентнi нейроннi мережi, щоб мати змогу обробляти послiдовнi вхiднi данi, як-то фрази. RefNet аналiзує висловлене речення дослiвно та визначає для кожного слова чи воно знаходиться на початку, всерединi чи поза ГП. Модель для розв’язання задачi ВРГП називається SpaceRefNet та використовує рекурентний шар RefNet для представлення поданих на вхiд ГП. Географiчнi об’єкти представляються за допомогою розробленого алгоритму видiляння ознак. Обидва представлення подаються на вхiд простої нейронної мережi прямого поширення з кiнцевим шаром softmax, який обчислює ймовiрнiсть того, що подане ГП описує поданий географiчний об’єкт.Обидвi мережi показали гарний результат, кращий за вiдповiднi базовi моделi. Результати загалом показують, що використання нейронних мереж для вирiшення задачi розв’язання географiчних посилань – це перспективний напрям для майбутнiх дослiджень.

Augmented reality is a field of technology in which the real world is overlaid with additional information from a computer generated display. Enhancements to augmented reality technology presently support limited mobility which is expected to increase in the future to provide much greater real world functionality. This work reports on a set of experiments that investigate performance in search and rescue navigating tasks using augmented reality. Augmentation consisted of a spatially and temporally registered map of a maze that was overlaid onto a real world maze. Participants were required to traverse the maze, answer spatially oriented questions in the maze, acquire a target object, and exit. Pre and post hoc questionnaires were administered. Time and accuracy data from one hundred twenty participants were collected across six treatments. The between subject treatments, which had an equal number of male and female participants, were a control condition with only a compass, a control condition with a paper map available prior to maze traversal and four experimental conditions consisting of combinations of egocentric and exocentric maps, and a continuously on and on demand map display. Data collected from each participant consisted of time to traverse the maze, percent of the maze covered, estimations of euclidian distance and direction, estimations of cardinal direction, and spatial recall. Data was also collected via pre and post hoc questionnaires. Results indicate that best performance with respect to time was in the control condition with a map. The small size of the maze could have facilitated this result through route memorization. Augmented reality can offer enhancement to performance as navigational tasks become more complex and saturate working memory. Augmented reality showed best performance in accuracy by facilitating participants' coverage of the maze. Exocentric maps generally exhibited better performance than egocentric maps. On demand displays also generally resulted in better performance than continuously on displays. Gender differences also were evident with males exhibiting better performance than females. Participants reporting an initial tendency to not rotate maps exhibited better performance than those reporting a tendency to rotate maps. Enhancements being made to augmented reality and related technologies will result in more features, improved form factor for users, and improved performance in the future. Guidelines provided in this work seek to ensure augmented reality systems continue to progress in enhancing performance

This research examined the processes involved when one is acquiring spatial knowledge while traversing an environment, integrating that knowledge into mental representations, and subsequently relying on that knowledge to successfully perform wayfinding. Particularly, the conducted studies aimed to provide evidence reflecting on two ongoing debates: the distinctions between types of knowledge embedded in mental maps, and the unconfirmed sequential or simultaneous nature of the acquisition and integration of those types. The experiments reported in this manuscript addressed drawbacks in existing research by manipulating opportunities for the acquisition of point and route knowledge (two of the potentially distinct knowledge types), and by testing participants' capacity to integrate their acquired knowledge in the context of environmental affordances. Participants in the conducted studies underwent environmental training exposures targeted at providing a) primarily point knowledge or b) route knowledge acquisition, and they also completed a set of knowledge measures tapping point, route, and configuration knowledge. Finally, participants completed tests of wayfinding capacity to demonstrate their ability to rely on integrated mental maps for successful wayfinding. Results of the two conducted studies provided substantial evidence that there are distinct types of knowledge that may be acquired and quantifiably measured, and that spatial knowledge can be acquired in parallel, not necessarily in sequence, across knowledge types. Critically, some knowledge types may also develop in exclusion to others especially for individuals with particular spatial abilities and predispositions. Accordingly, it is likely that previous research indicating sequential spatial knowledge development may be reflecting differential acquisition as a combination of population capabilities and knowledge measurement research methodologies. Finally, the results demonstrate that individual differences, training modalities, and environment iv features have complex, interacting effects on spatial cognition and that no one factor predominantly determines individuals' ability to acquire, integrate, or employ spatial knowledge.

The studies reported in this thesis aim to provide insights on the process of navigation while driving. Driving requires processing and monitoring multiple tasks and sources of information. Navigation while driving increases the cognitive load of the driving task. Offloading the task of navigation to navigation aid systems such as GPS has potential disadvantages for our spatial memory skills. In this thesis, we introduce useful cues and skills to improve the performance of drivers in a variety of situations where they must navigate without the help of GPS. We used a motion simulator with six degrees of freedom to simulate various virtual reality driving scenarios that combine both visual and vestibular cues. In the following chapters, we report the effects of landmark cues, vestibular cues, self-reported mood disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, and stress), individual differences at the visual spatial level (e.g., working memory span and mental rotation skills), age, and self-reported navigation skills on drivers’ route learning. We showed that successful navigation in various navigational situations depends on the type of landmarks available in the environment and the specific visual-spatial skills of drivers. We showed that vestibular self-motion cues improve egocentric route learning. Depression, anxiety, and stress affected drivers' route learning ability and dependency on GPS. We observed no deficit in age-related navigation performance when older drivers were able to use an egocentric frame of reference, however there was less optimal navigation performance of older drivers when wayfinding required an allocentric frame of reference. Overall, the application of the findings of this thesis may lead to an increase in efficacy and success in navigation performance and wayfinding while driving. / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy / This thesis focuses on enhancing our understanding of wayfinding while driving in young and older adults. Using a driving simulator, we ran various virtual reality experiments to examine the underlying mechanisms of navigation while driving and ways to improve wayfinding of drivers. We identified useful cues for route learning in different environments where there were no navigation aid systems. We examined correlations between various spatial skills and performance that may improve drivers' wayfinding in unfamiliar environments. Furthermore, we assessed age-related effects on route learning and potential interventions to improve navigation in older drivers. The findings from the experiments reported in this thesis introduce the principle of route learning while driving in terms of how various internal and external factors can affect it. Drivers can incorporate these findings into their navigation tasks to overcome the wayfinding challenges that they encounter when driving in unfamiliar environments.

No description available.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 488 million people worldwide suffer from a visual impairment and of these about 327 million have severe visual impairments. Some individuals with severe visual impairments can navigate and orient independently in well-known surroundings, but even for these people independent navigation and orientation are likely to be a challenge in unfamiliar places. To overcome these challenges, assistive technologies have been developed to support independent wayfinding tasks; however, those with severe visual impairments often experience frustration when they try to use assistive technologies since these technologies lack address the environmental factors that influence their independent wayfinding. This research developed and evaluated the efficacy of a framework called an environmental user interface (EUI). In particular, this research explored whether or not the proposed EUI framework was effective when used with user-centered design (UCD) to design a wayfinding system to capture environmental requirements, thus aiding those with severe visual impairments. Two studies, the first of which consisted of a requirements elicitation and the second usability testing, were conducted. The studies revealed that the EUI framework was indeed more effective than the conventional UCD design method alone in identifying environmental factors, and participants with severe visual impairments preferred to use the prototype designed using UCD and the EUI framework. The proposed EUI framework was found to be an effective way to enhance the design process as it played an important role in eliciting a greater number of environmental factors, and hence produced a device that was preferred by the users with visual impairments. Both prototypes influenced how well the wayfinding tasks were performed by the five participants with severe visual impairments, but the prototype implemented based on the requirements elicited by UCD and the EUI framework was much preferred by the participants. / Ph. D.