During the study, we highlighted three types of non-wayfinding factors that affected our participants’ perceptions and choice of the paper tourist map and Google Maps during their travel. These factors are: environmental factors, situational factors, and personal factors.
Environmental factors. The participants were observed to change the tool when environmental factors played a role. The factors that were obvious in our study included light, rain, and wind. During the study, several participants said they could not see the information on the phone because the sun was too bright. They therefore turned to the paper tourist map or found a place in shadow to use Google Maps. For example, U16 said when he
was walking on the street, “The sun is too bright now. I can’t see what’s showing on Google Maps.” In addition to light, participants in a post hoc interview reflected that they would change the tool because of rain or wind. For example, U13 said, “It’s really inconvenient to use a tourist map to find your way when it’s raining, because it’s made of paper. It might get easily wet.” On the other hand, U8 also commented, “I would avoid using a tourist map when the wind blows hard on the street.” Despite the fact that neither rain nor wind were encountered by our participants on the study day, we think both the mentioned influences are legitimate.
Situational factors. We found six situational factors that would affect participants’
perceptions and use of a map, namely: Activity involved in the travel, transportation type, safety concern, phone status, Internet connectivity, and time pressure.
During the travel in the study, many participants reported that using two maps was troublesome but unavoidable. It was unavoidable because they thought they simply had to switch between Google Maps and the tourist map to get specific information from each respectively. Sometimes they had to use both at the same time. The fact that they had to switch between two maps was not favored by the participants, many of whom expressed annoyance. For instance, U14 said, “It is very annoying that you have so many things to carry on the way.” Some participants thought carrying a map was especially inconvenient when the activity involved in the travel needed at least one hand. For example, U5 commented on her way to the destination, “I wanted to buy an ice cream and enjoy it on my way. But I have to give up because my hands are full now.” They mentioned that it was more convenient if they only needed to carry one map that could do everything.
Some participants expressed concerns about their safety when using Google Maps on the street. For instance, U4 intermittently used Google Maps on the way to a destination, and said, “When using Google Maps, I need to concentrate on this small screen with much little text. I feel it’s a little bit unsafe. I feel that I was disconnected from the environment.
This would put me in danger especially when I am walking on a busy street.” In post-study interviews, many participants said that they prefer Google Maps when they need to take
transportation or drive to a distant destination. However, U14, who was an experienced rider of a scooter—a common form of transportation in Taiwan—made an interesting point, “There’s no route planning for motorcycle riders on Google Maps. It would be a bit confusing when using the route planning service by Google Maps because no matter whether you choose the mode for pedestrians or for car drivers, the plan is likely to suggest a route that does not allow motorcycle riding.”
The influence of the status of the phone was also mentioned, including battery drainage and the connectivity of the phone. Specifically, some participants complained that Google Maps consumes too much phone battery life. They stopped using it if they needed to use the phone for other purposes later. For instance, U1 said in the post-study interview, “I might have to use my phone for other things, but Google Maps drains my battery quickly.” Some others complained that the reliability of Google Maps was easily influenced by the Internet connectivity. For example, U15 said, “Google Maps is not that useful when the connectivity is unstable,” U6 also said, “Sometimes the direction triangle of Google Maps is wrong. I remember there was once when it was totally pointing in the opposite direction.”
The influence of the status of the phone was also mentioned, including battery drainage and the connectivity of the phone. Specifically, some participants complained that Google Maps consumes too much phone battery life. They stopped using it if they needed to use the phone for other purposes later. For instance, U1 said in the post-study interview, “I might have to use my phone for other things, but Google Maps drains my battery quickly.” Some others complained that the reliability of Google Maps was easily influenced by the Internet connectivity. For example, U15 said, “Google Maps is not that useful when the connectivity is unstable,” U6 also said, “Sometimes the direction triangle of Google Maps is wrong. I remember there was once when it was totally pointing in the opposite direction.”
Finally, many participants stated that they would especially prefer Google Maps when they were traveling under time pressure. For example, U12 said, “Using the navigation service of Google Maps saves me a lot of time when finding my way. I don’t want to delay my tour.” However, when traveling without time pressure, some participants said that they
would not necessarily prefer Google Maps because they do not need to be fast. For example, U7 said, “If there’s no time pressure, I don’t care whether I am taking a shortcut. Even if I am led in the wrong destination, it’s ok. I might just explore that place.”
Personal. There were also personal factors that would affect participants’ perceptions and use of the map. They are sense of achievement, perceived additional utility, and preplanning habit.
For sense of achievement, some participants who preferred tourist maps enjoyed the process of finding their way. According to them, the process was like an adventure. For example, U5 said, “Finding your way is like playing a game. Finding your way is a challenge but it is also fun.” Some other participants said that the tourist map was not merely a map to them. They mentioned that they treated it as a travel diary that preserved their memory of the tour and allowed them to reminisce. For example, U1 said, “You can draw or write anywhere on the tourist map, […] and you can remember what happened during the trip in the future.”
On the other hand, several participants preferred a paper tourist map for traveling because it already, and only, highlights popular and must visit POIs. They thought they could save effort in pre-planning a trip. On Google Maps, however, they thought they had to filter information to prepare a trip plan because the presented information contained not only tourism-related information but also other types. For instance, U9 stated, “Google Maps is not for those who do not plan in advance at home. It’s not easy to filter what you need from so much information.”