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Highlights: [•] This study integrated gender with the interface of car navigation systems (CNSs) to analyze the usability of CNS interfaces. [•] A combination of gender and the interface dimension design affects CNS objective usability. [•] Gender differences affect CNS objective and subjective usability. [•] Differences in operational performance between the two gender groups were less using 2D interface than using 3D interface. [•] Different interface designs of CNS brands affect CNS objective usability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigates whether gender differences have an impact on the definition of good interface design and whether manufacturers should develop interfaces that fit small-display portable car navigation systems (CNSs) based on gender. This work adopted an experimental design for collecting data from three tasks – locating points, planning routes, and searching polygons – each emphasizing a different aspect of way-finding. Study results show that gender, the CNS interface the participant used, and a combination of the two predict a person’s operational performance and satisfaction with a CNS. This study’s results provide a better understanding of whether manufacturers should develop interfaces that fit a CNS’s small display based on gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates relationships among gender, spatial anxiety, and operational performance of car navigation systems (CNSs) with a traditional Chinese interface. 600 study participants performed a route-locating task on a CNS and reported their competence to cope with spatial anxiety using the Spatial Anxiety Scale. The study found that gender predicted operational performance: female participants needed more time to perform the designated navigation task than male participants; gender predicted participants' competence to cope with spatial anxiety: female participants reported lower competence to cope with spatial anxiety than male participants, and CNS interface design predicted CNS operational performance. These findings play an important role in determining CNS adoption for drivers. Findings also provide manufacturers and marketers with reliable information regarding at whom they should target their CNS products to demonstrate that manufacturers should develop interfaces that fit small-display CNSs based on gender or create a gender-neutral user experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]