Pedestrian navigation systems: a showcase for deep personalization theory

ABSTRACT

There has been a rapid growth in navigation aids recently. However, no meaningful personalization exists in these devices. Theories and pilot studies show the importance of individual differences in designing pedestrian navigation assistants. I take a Requirements Engineering (RE) perspective to approach the personalization problem. Different from viewing users as a general consumer group, I propose a "deep personalization" method that pays attention to knowledge of an individual user's skills and limitations. In some cases, these skills and limitations might not be self- aware, i.e., a user cannot accurately self- reflect on his or her skills and weaknesses. In this paper, I will demonstrate the notion of deep personalization in the domain of personal navigation systems. I find this an interesting domain for several reasons: (1) There is a domain theory of navigation skills that draws from both Cartography and Psychology. (2) There are individual differences in navigation skills. (3) An individual user may not be self- aware of his or her skills. (4) If a system is delivered that does not match the skills of the user, it may be less than effective, and at worst, abandoned.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.3 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
      D.3.1 Formal Definitions and Theory

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.2 Design Tools and Techniques
          Subjects: User interfaces

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors

Keywords:
assessment, assistive technology, deep personalization, individual differences, navigation, requirements engineering, spatial abilities, virtual reality