Navigational tools for desktop virtual environment interfaces

Desktop systems typically rely on a two-dimensional (2D) software interface and general purpose hardware (mouse, keyboard) for interaction with a three-dimensional (3D) virtual environment. These interfaces must provide all the functionality required to navigate through and interact with the virtual environment, yet research into the usability aspects of the tools presented on these software interfaces indicates that the majority of users experience some degree of frustration when using them to perform even relatively simple tasks. This paper begins with a study of usability issues for interfaces to virtual environments on desktop systems, and details a series of experiments performed to evaluate the usability of a number of navigational tools. Participants were tested on the time taken to complete a number of navigational tasks with a series of interfaces presenting different navigational tools. The tools presented were a speed control function, a you-are-here (YAH) map, a function enabling the user to mark and teleport to any location within the presented environment, and an undo function. Results indicate that the visual presentation of navigational aids improves navigation performance, in terms of the time taken to complete tasks, and also improves user satisfaction with the desktop system.