Factors Influencing Spatial Awareness and Orientation in Desktop Virtual Environments

This study investigated influences on human spatial orientation and representation resulting from manipulations in the geometric field of view (GFOV) of a perspective display. Also examined was the impact of incorporating symbolic virtual environment enhancements in the interface based on visual momentum (VM) techniques. Sixty participants, pretested for spatial ability, were required to navigate through a virtual office building while performing a variety of spatial orientation tasks. A 3 × 2 × 2 mixed-subjects design compared three levels of GFOV, two levels of VM, and two levels of Difficulty. The findings indicate that decreases in GFOV produce spatial orientation and representation errors, and as task difficulty increases, errors are more pronounced. Furthermore, VM was shown to alleviate errors in spatial orientation and representation, especially when task difficulty was increased. Design recommendations are discussed based on the implications of the results.