Navigation and Wayfinding

Navigation and wayfinding are crucial tasks of everyday life and the increasing prevalence of and reliance upon digital maps have changed much about how people move about in the world. VEMI’s work examining cognitive map development based on different sensory inputs aligns closely with our work in Multisensory Information Access. We have evaluated the learning and mental representation of digital maps among both blind and sighted users to explore whether visual and haptic map learning yield functionally equivalent spatial images in working memory. Our research supports a growing interest in the efficacy of multisensory map interfaces and our ongoing work focuses on the development of such interfaces as a primary interaction style for people both with and without vision.

Our research emphasizes indoor navigation and mapping, as there is far less technology and tools to support these tasks, although we spend almost 90% of our time indoors.

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Selected Research

Trinh, V., Manduchi, R., & Giudice, N.A. (2023). Experimental Evaluation of Multi-Scale Tactile Maps Created with SIM, a Web App for Indoor Map Authoring. ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing, 16(2), 1-26. DOI: 10.1145/3590775.

Ruginski, I.T., Giudice, N.A., Creem-Regehr, S.H., & Ishikawa, T. (2022). Designing mobile spatial navigation systems from an interdisciplinary perspective: An interdisciplinary review. Spatial Cognition & Computation, 22(1-2), 1-29. DOI: 10.1080/13875868.2022.2053382

Palani, H.P., Fink, P.D.S., & Giudice, N.A. (2022). Comparing Map Learning between Touchscreen-Based Visual and Haptic Displays: A Behavioral Evaluation with Blind and Sighted Users. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 6(1):1. DOI: 10.3390/mti6010001 (corresponding author).

Giudice, N.A., Guenther, B.A., Kaplan, T.M., Anderson, S.M., Knuesel, R.J., & Cioffi, J.F. (2020). Use of an Indoor navigation system by sighted and blind travelers: Performance Similarities across visual status and age. ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS), 13(3), Article 11 (27 pages). DOI: 10.1145/3407191 (corresponding author)

Giudice, N.A., Guenther, B.A., Jensen, N.A., & Haase, K.N. (2020). Cognitive mapping without vision: Comparing wayfinding performance after learning from digital touchscreen-based multimodal maps vs. embossed tactile overlays. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 14:87. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00087 (corresponding author).

Giudice, N. A., Whalen, W. E., Riehle, T. H., Anderson, S.M., and Doore, S.A. (2019). Evaluation of an accessible, real-time, and infrastructure-free indoor navigation system by blind users in the Mall of America. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 113(2), 140-155. DOI: 10.1177/0145482X19840918. (corresponding author).

Kelly, J.W., Avraamides, M.N., & Giudice, N.A. (2011). Haptic experiences influence visual memories: Reference frames during multimodal spatial learning. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 18(6), 1119-1125. DOI: 10.3758/s13423-011-0162-1

Giudice, N.A., Bakdash, J.Z., Legge, G.E., & Roy, R. (2010). Spatial learning and navigation using a virtual verbal display. ACM Transactions on Applied Perception, 7(1), 3:1-3:22 (Article 3). DOI: 10.1145/1658349.1658352 (corresponding author).

Giudice, N.A., Klatzky, R.L., & Loomis, J.M. (2009). Evidence for amodal representations after bimodal learning: Integration of haptic-visual layouts into a common spatial image. Spatial Cognition & Computation, 9(4), 287-304. DOI: 10.1080/13875860903305664 (corresponding author).