Individual differences in navigational strategy: implications for display design

Three investigations that demonstrate the importance of considering individual differences when designing in-vehicle navigation systems are described. Drivers were categorised in terms of their spatial awareness and wayfinding strategies, based on brief self-report questionnaires. Experiment 1 revealed individual differences in route learning performance as a function of these categories and display modality (visual, auditory or both). Experiment 2 demonstrated that individuals within these categories use different route learning strategies that place differential demands on verbal vs. visuospatial working memory. Experiment 3 examined the navigational strategies and capabilities of older drivers and offers evidence-based design suggestions. These findings show that individual driver characteristics must be considered in order to reduce the attentional cost of extracting information from in-vehicle navigation systems. Effective displays are not a one size fits all configuration.