Background: One element that makes navigating in a city difficult is the need to shift perspectives, recognizing both where you are locally, and where you’d like to go globally. This is especially important when using points of interest to guide and plan how to get from one place to another. Researchers at NYU’s Center for Urban Science + Progress developed a cylindrical map projection which allows people to see both a local street view, and a global view. UrbanRama is a VR experience that embodies this map projection, letting users simultaneously see a street view and a global view. 

Action: I developed a usability testing protocol, selected validated surveys, and conducted user interviews with architects and urban planners to use the VR and assess the benefits and shortcomings of this new way of navigating.

Result: Feedback from experts was used during the iterative design process to refine UrbanRama. The system reduced perspective changes effectively, without affecting users’ judgments of distance and orientation.