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Accurate indoor navigation for people with vision loss (PVL) remains constrained by the limited availability of robust guidance technologies and the substantial effort required to develop and maintain detailed indoor maps. Consequently, PVL often experience reduced confidence and increased difficulty when navigating unfamiliar indoor environments. Despite ongoing advances in assistive technology, relatively few indoor navigation systems have achieved widespread community adoption, and independent, evidence-based evaluations of their real-world performance remain scarce. In this study, we conducted an objective, controlled evaluation of three commercially available, camera-based indoor wayfinding applications: GoodMaps, Clew, and NaviLens. Navigation performance. Results demonstrated that the use of navigation applications significantly improved route completion compared to unaided baseline performance. Among the systems evaluated, Clew exhibited superior performance across key metrics, including route completion, walking speed, and reduction in turn and localization errors. Notably, user-reported satisfaction and usability ratings were comparable across all three applications. These findings highlight the potential of camera-based navigation systems to enhance indoor mobility for PVL while underscoring the importance of continued independent evaluation to guide technology development and real-world implementation. |
