Navigation and orientation in smartphone interfaces A user-centered study

摘要

This study aims to understand how users orient themselves while navigating smartphone interfaces (native or web-based). To achieve this, we conducted interaction sessions with 80 participants (31 male, 49 female) from different professional backgrounds and levels of familiarity with smartphone usage. Users navigated freely through their own smartphones and explained to the researchers which interface elements they used for orientation and how important each orientation aspect was. Icons were the most flexible interface element, serving for three different orientation aspects. Tabs, breadcrumbs, and the go-to key were also used for more than one orientation aspect.