In-Car GPS Navigation: Engagement with and Disengagement from the Environment Gilly Leshed 1 , Theresa Velden 1 , Oya Rieger 2 , Blazej Kot 1 , Phoebe Sengers 1 1 Information Science, 2 Communication Cornell University

December 26, 2007 Garmin GPS -- one of the top-selling holiday items in 2007 at Amazon.com Driving and navigating with in-car GPS change engagement with the environment

Outline Theoretical framework Losses vs. opportunities Space and place Field study Navigation Orientation The experience of driving Implications and Conclusions The broader context Design implications

Theoretical framework

Losses vs. opportunities

Space and place

Field study

Navigation

Orientation

The experience of driving

Implications and Conclusions

The broader context

Design implications

Outline Theoretical framework Losses vs. opportunities Space and place Field study Navigation Orientation The experience of driving Implications and Conclusions The broader context Design implications

Theoretical framework

Losses vs. opportunities

Space and place

Field study

Navigation

Orientation

The experience of driving

Implications and Conclusions

The broader context

Design implications

GPS relieves the need to observe the environment while driving and navigating (Aporta & Higgs, 2005)  Loss of engagement GPS provides new forms of interacting with the environment (Dourish, 2006)  Opportunity for engagement Losses vs. opportunities photo: www.alaska-in-pictures.com

GPS relieves the need to observe the environment while driving and navigating (Aporta & Higgs, 2005)  Loss of engagement

GPS provides new forms of interacting with the environment (Dourish, 2006)  Opportunity for engagement

Space and Place Space – abstract, open, allows movement Place – concrete, stable, represents pause, has value (Tuan, 1977; Harrison & Dourish, 1996) Participating in the environment creates a sense of place in a blurred space Interacting with technological spaces and places in GPS affects interaction with physical spaces and places

Space – abstract, open, allows movement

Place – concrete, stable, represents pause, has value

(Tuan, 1977; Harrison & Dourish, 1996)

Participating in the environment creates a sense of place in a blurred space

Interacting with technological spaces and places in GPS affects interaction with physical spaces and places

Space and Place Space – abstract, open, allows movement Place – concrete, stable, represents pause, has value (Tuan, 1977; Harrison & Dourish, 1996) Participating in the environment creates a sense of place in a blurred space Interacting with technological spaces and places in GPS affects interaction with physical spaces and places

Space – abstract, open, allows movement

Place – concrete, stable, represents pause, has value

(Tuan, 1977; Harrison & Dourish, 1996)

Participating in the environment creates a sense of place in a blurred space

Interacting with technological spaces and places in GPS affects interaction with physical spaces and places

Outline Theoretical framework Losses vs. opportunities Space and place Field study Navigation Orientation The experience of driving Implications and Conclusions The broader context Design implications

Theoretical framework

Losses vs. opportunities

Space and place

Field study

Navigation

Orientation

The experience of driving

Implications and Conclusions

The broader context

Design implications

Field study of in-car GPS users Participants 10 users of in-car GPS systems Method Used own devices or friends’/family’s 5 pre-planned rides 5 artificial trips 1-3 hours observation & interview Data Field notes Audio-recordings

Participants

10 users of in-car GPS systems

Method

Used own devices or friends’/family’s

5 pre-planned rides 5 artificial trips

1-3 hours observation & interview

Data

Field notes

Audio-recordings

Results: 1. Navigation Pre-navigation/route choice Key in destination, no need to know where it is GPS calculates route based on settings – not necessarily matching driving experiences “ it gave us some bizarre routes to get back to Ithaca… turns out that the toll road setting was on [laughs]. I ignored it… and we figured it out later.”

Pre-navigation/route choice

Key in destination, no need to know where it is

GPS calculates route based on settings – not necessarily matching driving experiences

Route following No need to attend to objects along the way: blindly following vocal directions GPS automatically calculates new route when instructions not followed But – Glance at the GPS map or bring other navigation aids Results: 1. Navigation “ The only thing you have to do with the nav system is you have to learn what a quarter of a mile feels like, you know, otherwise it says a quarter of a mile and you think ‘Oh, I need to turn!’ and you turn too soon.”

Route following

No need to attend to objects along the way: blindly following vocal directions

GPS automatically calculates new route when instructions not followed

But – Glance at the GPS map or bring other navigation aids

Getting lost and feeling lost Free to explore Results: 2. Orientation “ it makes me much more confident to know that if I get lost I can find my way home again. I don’t have to stress about getting lost anymore.”

Getting lost and feeling lost

Free to explore

Social interactions around the GPS GPS designed for driver-unit interaction But many drive with others in the car Driver/navigator roles But passenger can interact with GPS unit Results: 3. The experience of driving “ it used to be that whoever wasn’t driving was the navigator... And so if there was a mistake made, the navigator would say ‘Turn! Turn!’ and it would be drama. But now, if you miss a turn… it’s just automatic.”

Social interactions around the GPS

GPS designed for driver-unit interaction But many drive with others in the car

Driver/navigator roles

But passenger can interact with GPS unit

Treating the GPS unit as a social agent Naming the GPS unit: “Heather”, “Mrs. Prius” Talking to unit in a social way Results: 3. The experience of driving Go home! Oh, I thought you were talking to me

Treating the GPS unit as a social agent

Naming the GPS unit: “Heather”, “Mrs. Prius”

Talking to unit in a social way

Interactions with the external environment Interaction with virtual world drives interaction with physical world (e.g. POI, road curvature on map) Physical space remains indistinct – places are in GPS Vs. Enriched interactions with physical spaces and places Results: 3. The experience of driving “ Remember when we all went white water rafting? We were in this really strange town and the GPS found us a place to eat.”

Interactions with the external environment

Interaction with virtual world drives interaction with physical world (e.g. POI, road curvature on map)

Physical space remains indistinct – places are in GPS

Vs. Enriched interactions with physical spaces and places

Discussion Loss of environmental engagement But also new opportunities for engagement Blurred boundaries between physical and virtual worlds

Loss of environmental engagement

But also new opportunities for engagement

Blurred boundaries between physical and virtual worlds

Outline Theoretical framework Losses vs. opportunities Space and place Field study Navigation Orientation The experience of driving Implications and Conclusions The broader context Design implications

Theoretical framework

Losses vs. opportunities

Space and place

Field study

Navigation

Orientation

The experience of driving

Implications and Conclusions

The broader context

Design implications

The Broader Context (1) Commodification and de-skilling (Borgmann, 1984) Navigation and orientation as commodity – no skilled interaction with environment is necessary Satisfaction from practicing skill replaced by comfort of effortless consumption

Commodification and de-skilling

(Borgmann, 1984)

Navigation and orientation as commodity – no skilled interaction with environment is necessary

Satisfaction from practicing skill replaced by comfort of effortless consumption

The Broader Context (2) Automobilization (Urry, 2004; Thrift, 2004) The role of the car in detaching its passengers from their surroundings

Automobilization

(Urry, 2004; Thrift, 2004)

The role of the car in detaching its passengers from their surroundings

Design implications for environment awareness and interaction Navigate by landmarks Support the car as a social place Highlight ambiguity of GPS data Extend context-aware capabilities

Navigate by landmarks

Support the car as a social place

Highlight ambiguity of GPS data

Extend context-aware capabilities

Design implications for environment awareness and interaction Navigate by landmarks Support the car as a social place Highlight ambiguity of GPS data Extend context-aware capabilities

Navigate by landmarks

Support the car as a social place

Highlight ambiguity of GPS data

Extend context-aware capabilities

Design implications for environment awareness and interaction (1) Navigate by landmarks

(1) Navigate by landmarks

Design implications for environment awareness and interaction (2) Support the car as a social place

(2) Support the car as a social place

Conclusions In-car GPS navigation alters how people interpret, navigate through, experience, and interact with spaces and places Immersion in technological environment and disengagement from physical environment New tools and information resources enrich travel experiences Design implications for engaged environmental interactions In light of larger socio-technical context of GPS as a paradigm for technological devices and the automobile age

In-car GPS navigation alters how people interpret, navigate through, experience, and interact with spaces and places

Immersion in technological environment and disengagement from physical environment

New tools and information resources enrich travel experiences

Design implications for engaged environmental interactions

In light of larger socio-technical context of GPS as a paradigm for technological devices and the automobile age

Thank you [email_address] [email_address] field research Hrönn Brynjarsdóttir Ellie Buckley Lucian Leahu Heather Marciniec Meena Natarajan Claudia Pederson Sadat Shami Howyee Au Yong advice Jeremy Birnholtz Barry Brown Kirsten Boehner Paul Dourish $$$ NSF IIS-0238132 NSF IIS-0534445