Inclusivity and diversity of navigation services

Basiri, A. (2021) Inclusivity and diversity of navigation services. Journal of Navigation, 74(2), pp. 269-272. (doi: 10.1017/S0373463321000072)

Abstract

Our car seats, watch straps, seatbelts, and gym equipment are all adjustable because of the ‘jaggedness principle’, which basically says that nobody is average. If you gather many people or things and collect data about different aspects and features of them, you will find that none of the very people or items can match perfectly with the ‘average’. That is why we have watch adjustment holes and adjustable car seats. But this also means, there will be no average individual with size of the average measurements. But if there is no average person to use the technologies, then how can we design devices and technologies that can be used by everybody? What would happen if, for example, we designed navigation devices, path-finding services and assistive technologies for an ‘average user’ and then expected everybody to use them? Would it be as dangerous as a car without an adjustable seatbelt, or is it just a minor difference that can be ignored by our forgiving end-user? This editorial looks at the importance of human factors, inclusivity and diversity-by-design in navigation services and will look at some examples where jaggedness principle has introduced challenges and problems to our navigation services.

• Item Type: Articles (Editorial)
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Basiri, Professor Ana
• Authors: Basiri, A.
• Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General); G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GA Mathematical geography. Cartography; Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Computer software
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Journal Name: Journal of Navigation
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• ISSN: 0373-4633
• ISSN (Online): 1469-7785
• Published Online: 30 March 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Royal Institute of Navigation
• First Published: First published in Journal of Navigation 74(2): 269-272
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy