Interfaces for accessing location‐based information on mobile devices: An empirical evaluation

Location‐based information can now be easily accessed anytime and anywhere using mobile devices. Common ways of presenting such information include lists, maps, and augmented reality (AR). Each of these interface types has its strengths and weaknesses, but few empirical evaluations have been conducted to compare them in terms of performance and perceptions of usability. In this paper, we investigate these issues using three interface types for searching and browsing location‐based information across two task types: open and closed ended. The experimental study involved 180 participants who were issued an Android mobile phone preloaded with a specific interface and asked to perform a set of open‐ and closed‐ended tasks using both searching and browsing approaches. The results suggest that the list interface performed best across all tasks in terms of completion times, whereas the AR interface ranked second and the map interface performed worst. Participants rated the list as best across most usability constructs but the map was rated better than the AR interface, even though the latter performed better. Implications of the work are discussed.