The effects of maps on navigation and search strategies in very-large-scale virtual environments

Participants used maps and other navigational aids to search desktop (nonimmersive) virtual environments (VEs) for objects that were small and not visible on a global map that showed the whole of a VE and its major topological features. Overall, participants searched most efficiently when they simultaneously used both the global map and a local map that showed their immediate surroundings and the objects' positions. However, after repeated searching, the global map on its own became equally effective. When participants used the local map on its own, their spatial knowledge developed in a manner that was previously associated with learning from a within-environment perspective rather than a survey perspective. Implications for the use of maps as aids for VE navigation are discussed.