The Influence of Immersion on Navigating Performance under Different Display Clutter Conditions:The Role of Spatial Reference Frame
With the increasing complexity of the road traffic system,GPS has become indispensable for many people,especially car drivers.However,using a GPS device while driving can be distracting and increase the cognitive load on the driver,leading to decreased navigation performance and potential safety hazards.To improve navigation performance and reduce the cognitive load caused by using GPS navigation,it is important to design a user-friendly interface.Numerous studies have examined the effects of physical factors,such as visual clutter,on drivers'navigation performance,but less attention has been paid to mental factors such as drivers'sense of immersion.According to the Embodied Cognitive Theory,immersion in the environment provides people with a spatial reference representation of the world,thus affecting their performance on tasks.As a result,it is important to consider both physical and mental factors when designing a user-friendly GPS interface.In this study,we used static images of driving scenes to simulate real-world driving scenarios and recruited 30 and 28 participants for Experiments 1 and 2,respectively.In Experiment 1,we aimed to examine the effects of visual clutter and immersion on participants'navigation performance.We manipulated visual clutter by varying the amount of detail in the picture and manipulated immersion by adjusting the angle of view with the horizon.In Experiment 2,we further examined the effect of participants'spatial reference frames(egocentric or allocentric)on navigation performance,while manipulating the level of immersion under the condition of low clutter.In both experiments,navigation performance was assessed using several indices,including reaction time(RT),number of fixations,time spent on areas of interest(AOIs),heart rate(HR),skin conductivity(SC),and subjective rating scores.In Experiment 1,we observed that regardless of the level of immersion,participants performed better when the interface had low clutter,as indicated by faster response times,fewer fixation points,and lower cognitive load.This suggests that participants were more focused on extracting effective navigation information.However,when the interface had high clutter,performance improved with higher levels of immersion,as shown by faster response times,shorter duration of Areas of Interest(AOIs),and a higher preference level.Building upon these findings,Experiment 2 further demonstrated the beneficial effects of high immersion levels.Participants performed better when using an egocentric reference frame,as evidenced by faster response times,lower cognitive load,and higher preference.These results are consistent with the theory of embodied cognition.In conclusion,our study demonstrated the impact of visual clutter,level of immersion,and spatial reference frame on navigation performance.The results suggest that designers could consider developing GPS interfaces with low display clutter and high levels of immersion to improve navigation performance.These findings contribute to our understanding of the cognitive mechanisms and human-computer interaction processes involved in navigation interfaces,and they may have practical implications for improving navigation performance.Future studies can be conducted in tasks that more closely replicate real-world driving scenarios,such as driving simulations or on-road experiments,to increase ecological validity and explore the influence of immersion on navigation performance in more detail.
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