Wayfinding by auditory cues in virtual environments

This paper describes the use of 3D sound as a wayfinding tool in virtual environments. We present the design of a study and a pilot evaluation of the use of spatial sound as a wayfinding cue on navigation in virtual environments. A pilot study with four participants offered insights suggesting that auditory cues may have the potential to help users perform wayfinding tasks in a virtual mall environment faster and more accurately than in an environment without auditory cues.