Map Design and Usability of a Simplified Topographic 2D Map on the Smartphone in Landscape and Portrait Orientations
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Aim and Questions
- How to design a simplified 2D topographic map for gameplay with the opportunity to move on the roads/paths for smartphones?
- How can one obtain data on the player’s movement on the smartphone display with landscape and portrait orientations?
- What statistical analyses and mapping techniques can be applied to present the properties of moving around on the 2D map in landscape and portrait orientation?
3. Materials and Methods
- to establish the basic conceptual assumptions (Section 3.1);
- to create a 2D map for smartphones with landscape and portrait orientations (Section 3.2, Figure 2);
- to create a map application with gameplay elements (Section 3.3, Figure 3);
- to prepare and carry out surveys among map users on smartphones in landscape and portrait orientations (Section 3.4; Figure 4, Figure 5 and Figure 6);
3.1. Concept
- Map design: the whole map area is closed in the square, centralization of the two 16:9 ratio viewing with landscape and portrait orientation, simplified content of the topographic map, eight stone numbered monuments (see Figure 2);
- App programming: moving around the roads, a user-symbol in the center of the display, minimalistic interface (no buttons, no joysticks), scrolling around the map by touch, eight consecutively seized stone monuments, summarizing data after each walk in the form of an image with a path and sometimes for each segment of the path;
- Respondents: 60 users, aged 19–24, from a homogenous group of Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan students, participating in the game voluntarily, without any financial gratification;
- Survey: each participant receives the same task instructions, which are to move on the map using roads only to reach each of the eight stone monuments as quickly as possible; 30 participants do the task on the smartphone in the landscape orientation, and 30 participants in the portrait orientation;
- Software and equipment: graphic and cartographic software (Inkscape, Photoshop, QGIS); game engine (Unity), programming language (C#); survey (smartphone 16 × 9; eye-tracker Gazepoint GP3 HD, Gazepoint Control, laptop MSI);
- Statistical analysis: total time of gameplay, median, statistical significance;
- Cartographic visualization: visual strategy: heat map and proportional point symbol map; road load intensity: flow map (band cartodiagram);
- Expected research results: List of general and particular similarities and differences for landscape and portrait orientation.
3.2. Creating a 2D Map for Smartphone
3.3. Creating an Application for Smartphone
3.4. Surveys among Map Users
4. Results
4.1. Statistical Analysis
4.2. Cartographic Visualization
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
- regardless of the orientation of the smartphone, participants completed the whole task at a similar time (this is the recommendation that both device orientations are adequate for presenting topographical space on a mobile phone);
- both orientations implied different path selections (the recommendation is that the orientation of the smartphone has great importance to the better orientation on the north–south and the west–east axis);
- both orientations implied different participants’ visual strategies (the recommendation is that the smartphone orientation should support the visibility of crucial information on the map).
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
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Medyńska-Gulij, B.; Gulij, J.; Cybulski, P.; Zagata, K.; Zawadzki, J.; Horbiński, T. Map Design and Usability of a Simplified Topographic 2D Map on the Smartphone in Landscape and Portrait Orientations. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2022, 11, 577. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11110577
Medyńska-Gulij B, Gulij J, Cybulski P, Zagata K, Zawadzki J, Horbiński T. Map Design and Usability of a Simplified Topographic 2D Map on the Smartphone in Landscape and Portrait Orientations. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 2022; 11(11):577. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11110577
Chicago/Turabian StyleMedyńska-Gulij, Beata, Jacek Gulij, Paweł Cybulski, Krzysztof Zagata, Jakub Zawadzki, and Tymoteusz Horbiński. 2022. "Map Design and Usability of a Simplified Topographic 2D Map on the Smartphone in Landscape and Portrait Orientations" ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 11, no. 11: 577. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11110577