Identification of metaphors for virtual environment training systems

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality Training
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Virtual environments (VEs) offer advantages over traditional simulators but lack specific design guidance for navigation.
• Current VE training systems primarily use metaphors for basic orientation and guided navigation.
• There is a need for advanced metaphor design to improve wayfinding in complex VEs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel metaphors for enhancing wayfinding and navigation in virtual environment (VE) training systems.
• To identify advanced metaphor design concepts that improve orientation, visual access, and environmental differentiation.
• To establish a foundation for empirical validation of new VE navigation metaphors.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of metaphors in human-computer interaction systems.
• Analysis of existing metaphor applications in VE training.
• Conceptualization of advanced metaphor design principles for VE navigation.

Main Results:

• Existing metaphors in VEs are mainly limited to orientation and guided navigation.
• Advanced metaphor concepts were identified to offer enhanced orienting frameworks.
• These concepts aim to improve visual access and environmental differentiation within VEs.

Conclusions:

• Novel metaphors are needed to overcome limitations in current VE navigation aids.
• Advanced metaphor design holds potential for significantly improving trainee experience and effectiveness in VEs.
• Empirical validation is crucial to confirm the effectiveness of these proposed navigation concepts.