Title:	THE DESIGN OF WAYFINDING AFFORDANCE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON USERS’ TASK PERFORMANCE AND PERCEPTUAL EXPERIENCE IN DESKTOP VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS
Author(s):	Gilok Choi
ISBN:	978-972-8939-22-9
Editors:	Yingcai Xiao, Tomaz Amon and Piet Kommers
Year:	2010
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Virtual Environments, Usability, Wayfinding, Presence, Playfulness
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	327
Last Page:	334
Language:	English
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Paper Abstract:	For the past few years, virtual environments (VEs) have gained broad attention from both scholarly and practitioner communities. However, the theoretical framework to evaluate interfaces and design has not yet been fully developed. This research, as a response to such challenges, investigates usability issues of VE interface and design. More specifically, this study examines the effects of wayfinding affordance design on users’ task performance and perceptual experience in 3D desktop VEs. For this purpose, four different experimental conditions were set up: Fixed Detached Affordance Cues (FDAC), Switchable Detached Affordance Cues (SDAC), Portable Embedded Affordance Cues (PEAC) and Fixed Embedded Affordance Cues (FEAC). Maps and directional signs were employed to implement wayfinding affordance. The results show that the design of wayfinding affordance has significant effects on users’ perceptual experience as well as their task performance. Task performance was significantly better where affordance cues were provided independently from the VE interfaces (FDAC, SDAC). With regard to perceptual experience, the fixed and, therefore, stable interfaces (FEAC, FDAC) provided a better sense of presence whereas the manipulative interfaces (PEAC, SDAC) offered a greater playfulness.
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