The navigation of mazes in a virtual environment

Advances in computer graphics technologies have led to the development of interactive systems which require a user to navigate through a complex virtual world. Many users report becoming easily confused and disoriented in these systems and thus it is important to determine if the interfaces provided with these systems allow a user to navigate effectively and efficiently. To date, little research has been conducted in this area. This thesis examines the effects providing an immersive interface has on a users' performance as compared to a desktop interface typically found in many first-person games. The immersive interface comprised of a head-mounted display and a motion tracker for detecting orientation changes while forward motion was accomplished through the use of a handheld mouse. A system was developed which allowed users to navigate a series of virtual mazes using each of the two conditions. In the first experiment, subjects were guided towards a target in the maze and then asked to navigate back to their starting position. In the second and third experiments, subjects were given the opportunity to explore the maze searching for the target. After a number of exploration attempts, subjects were required to navigate from the target back to their starting position. Finally, a fourth experiment was conducted to test the effect landmarks have on a subject's performance in a task identical to that used in the second and third experiments. Performance was measured by examining the number of mistakes made on the navigation attempt from the target to the subjects' starting position. It was expected that since the immersive interface provided a more natural way of navigating, performance using this interface would be better than performance using the desktop interface.