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Updated: Jan 9, 2026
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Development of an Audio-based Virtual Gaming Environment to Assist with Navigation Skills in the Blind
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NavGraph: Enhancing Blind Travelers' Navigation Experience and Safety
Sergio Mascetti1, Dragan Ahmetovic1, Gabriele Galimberti1
1University of Milan, IT.
Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies
|December 9, 2025
Summary
NavGraph enhances navigation for blind individuals by minimizing instructions, improving safety and clarity. This assistive technology offers effective, non-intrusive navigation assistance.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Assistive Technology
- Mobility Aids
Background:
- Independent navigation is difficult for visually impaired individuals, particularly in new surroundings.
- Current navigation aids often provide excessive instructions, potentially compromising safety and user experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce the Parsimonious Instructions design principle for navigation systems.
- To present NavGraph, an application applying this principle to improve navigation for the blind and low vision population.
Main Methods:
- Developed NavGraph with a modular architecture: localization, routing, guidance, and user interface.
- Implemented the Parsimonious Instructions principle to optimize route computation and instruction delivery.
- Conducted a user study with 10 blind participants comparing NavGraph to a baseline navigation solution.
Main Results:
- NavGraph significantly reduced the number of navigation instructions delivered to users.
- The application improved the clarity and perceived safety of navigation assistance.
- Navigation time was not compromised compared to the baseline solution.
Conclusions:
- The Parsimonious Instructions design principle is effective in enhancing assistive navigation technologies.
- NavGraph demonstrates a viable approach for safe and non-intrusive navigation for individuals with visual impairments.
- Further development of this principle holds promise for improving independent mobility for the visually impaired.
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