(Don't) Mind the Step: Investigating the Effect of Digital Social Cues on Navigation Decisions

It is well established that the presence of other people and the physical traces of their activities impact our navigation decisions, e.g. following a path in a park where trails are worn by frequent passage. Here we investigate such effect within a digital setup where social cues are displayed on the floor. We contribute the first lab study (n=24) investigating how social cues, presented as footprints on an interactive floor display, can impact navigation decisions. We particularly explore two task-based scenarios: exploration and search. A direct comparison of path choices did not reveal significant effects in both tasks but a further qualitative analysis showed that social cues affected path choices depending on how participants interpreted them. Additionally, results revealed a pattern of direct decision-making behaviours when social cues were present. We discuss how these insights can contribute to designing engaging floor interfaces that guide navigation decisions using social cues.