GPS usage patterns
An Ethnographic Study of In-Car GPS Navigation Usage.
Role: Student researcher.
Done at: Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences, University of California Irvine, CA.
Duration: 8 Week.
Tasks: Literature Review, Contextual Inquiry, Ethnographic Study.
Abstract
This study observed the practices of driving when assisted with GPS technology. The aim of the paper is to understand how GPS alters the ways people interpret their environment and navigate through it. This paper presents an ethnographic study of end-user behavior based on existing navigation systems. The study is grounded in observations of participants (both new as well as experienced users of GPS systems) driving with the help of GPS navigation and their common practices and experiences. By observing
participant’s usage of the GPS systems, the emphasis of safety, efficiency and enjoyment have been proposed in future design for automobile navigation systems to support richer experience of driving.
Keywords
Geographical Positioning System (GPS), social dynamics, cognitive maps, landmarks, ethnography, qualitative field study, embodied interaction.
Methodology
The study consisted observations of the GPS users while driving and conducting interviews that were primarily focused on gathering the personal experiences and emotional attachment with the GPS device. The nine participants were all graduate students between the ages of 24 and 30, eight males and one female. The selection was done keeping an equal number of experienced and infrequent/new users with the criteria of experience was six months of regular usage of GPS. The sample consisted of 4 regular users and 5 infrequent/ new users. The driving experiences of the users ranged from eight months to more
than 10 years with most of the users having also driven in countries other than the United States.