Who needs automotive on-board navigation systems? Predicting operational performance from spatial anxiety and gender differences

摘要

This paper investigates relationships among gender, spatial anxiety, and operational performance of car navigation systems (CNSs) with a traditional Chinese interface. 600 study participants performed a route-locating task on a CNS and reported their competence to cope with spatial anxiety using the Spatial Anxiety Scale. The study found that gender predicted operational performance: female participants needed more time to perform the designated navigation task than male participants; gender predicted participants' competence to cope with spatial anxiety: female participants reported lower competence to cope with spatial anxiety than male participants, and CNS interface design predicted CNS operational performance. These findings play an important role in determining CNS adoption for drivers. Findings also provide manufacturers and marketers with reliable information regarding at whom they should target their CNS products to demonstrate that manufacturers should develop interfaces that fit small-display CNSs based on gender or create a gender-neutral user experience.