How Context and User Behavior Affect Indoor Navigation Assistance for Blind People - Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University

How Context and User Behavior Affect Indoor Navigation Assistance for Blind People

Joao Guerreiro, Eshed Ohn-Bar, Dragan Ahmetovic, Kris M. Kitani, and Chieko Asakawa
Conference Paper, Proceedings of 15th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility, April, 2018

Abstract

Recent techniques for indoor localization are now able to support practical, accurate turn-by-turn navigation for people with visual impairments (PVI). Understanding user behavior as it relates to situational contexts can be used to improve the ability of the interface to adapt to problematic scenarios, and consequently reduce navigation errors. This work performs a fine-grained analysis of user behavior during indoor assisted navigation, outlining different scenarios where user behavior (either with a white-cane or a guide-dog) is likely to cause navigation errors. The scenarios include certain instructions (e.g., slight turns, approaching turns), cases of error recovery, and the surrounding environment (e.g., open spaces and landmarks). We discuss the findings and lessons learned from a real-world user study to guide future directions for the development of assistive navigation interfaces that consider the users' behavior and coping mechanisms.

BibTeX

@conference{Guerreiro-2018-106451,
author = {Joao Guerreiro and Eshed Ohn-Bar and Dragan Ahmetovic and Kris M. Kitani and Chieko Asakawa},
title = {How Context and User Behavior Affect Indoor Navigation Assistance for Blind People},
booktitle = {Proceedings of 15th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility},
year = {2018},
month = {April},
keywords = {Blind navigation; people with visual impairments; navigation strategies; assistive technologies, user behavior},
}