Pedestrian navigation and GPS deteriorations: user behavior and adaptation strategies

Abstract

Mobile pedestrian navigation apps depend largely on position information, usually provided by a Global Position System (GPS). However, GPS information quality can vary due to several factors. In this paper, we thus investigate how this affects users via a field study (N=21) that exposed pedestrians to no GPS coverage, low accuracy and delayed GPS information during navigation. We found that their navigation performance, their trust in the apps and their experience were all negatively affected. We also identified user strategies to deal with GPS-deteriorated situations and user needs. Based on our findings, we derive several design implications for pedestrian navigation app to better deal with GPS-deteriorated situations. In particular, we propose four adaptation strategies that an app can use to support users in GPS-deteriorated situations. Our findings can benefit designers and developers of pedestrian navigation apps.