Dynamic Visualization of VR Map Navigation Systems Supporting Gesture Interaction

With the rapid development of information technology, virtual reality and gesture interaction have been gradually applied in the research and development of map navigation systems. Traditional visualization methods are no longer suitable for this novel interactive map. This research offers a dynamic visualization plan for a virtual reality (VR) navigation map focusing on natural gesture interaction to give examples for creating similar systems. The principal work is composed of two experiments. The first experiment focuses on designing map navigation gestures (moving, rotating, and zooming). Heuristic experiments are used to collect users’ subjective preferences and design suggestions about gestures. The second experiment is designed as a behavioral study to investigate which types of gestures and visualizations, among those obtained from the heuristic experiment in the first part, yield higher performance in our specific scenario. This result offers a practical VR map dynamic display approach through experimental validation. It also provides the basis for a human factor and technology support for future investigations.