Controlling 3D Geovisualizations on Touch Screen – The Role of Users Age and Gestures Intuitiveness

The use of touch displays and 3D visualization are both increasing. Devices with touch displays are used daily, especially by the younger generation, who are also known as digital natives. This paper examines a comparison between digital natives and adults (so-called digital immigrants). We created a pilot user experiment (within-subject design, two tasks, Acer LCD touch monitor and digital terrain models textured with satellite images as stimuli) testing the ability of participants to solve simple spatial tasks by manipulating a 3D environment on a touch screen. The tasks required a hidden object to be found in the terrain. Our own testing tool, called 3DtouchR, was used for this purpose. Response time, gestures used, and virtual movements were recorded and analysed. Results revealed that digital natives were quicker with interaction (shorter response times and average speed of virtual movements). The success of solving each task was evaluated by determining the distance between the searched object and the virtual camera’s final position. An analysis of gestures used revealed a higher frequency of pan gesture usage in all test participants.