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PLOS ONE

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Additional Editor Comments:

I thank authors for submitting the paper. But unfortunately, the paper is not yet ready. I encourage authors to make substantial improvements to the manuscript and address all concerns of the reviewers.

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

Reviewer #3: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->?>

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

Reviewer #3: Yes

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

Reviewer #3: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

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Reviewer #1: This research evaluates route preview (RP) as a potential alternative to turn-by-turn (TBT) navigation for pedestrians. The findings indicate that while route preview may lack advanced features, it performs comparably to traditional navigation methods and is often preferred by users, especially in familiar environments. This suggests promising cognitive engagement benefits and positions route preview as a viable alternative. The research contributes valuable insights for data collection and fieldwork. However, careful attention to the article's structure, categorization of results, and presentation of graphs will enhance the clarity and impact of this work. Here are my detailed comments:

1. The references cited in this article on navigation technology are largely outdated. It is essential to incorporate recent studies to ensure that the text reflects current findings and developments in the field.

2. It seems that the text is not yet ready for submission for review. The numbering of subfigures has been forgotten. In the text, some figures are referred to with question marks instead of figure numbers.

3. A number of claims are made in the text without proof or evidence:

a. In the third paragraph of page 2, it is claimed that previous research has concluded that TBT instructions are not the best navigation option. This sentence requires several references.

b. In the second paragraph of page 3, it is claimed that RP has the potential to outperform TBT, which also requires rewriting the sentence and providing supporting evidence.

c. In the summary section on page 8, it is claimed that participants preferred RP more than the results indicate. The first sentence of Section 3.2.1 also states that only 43.7% of participants chose the RP method, which contradicts the previous claim. In this regard, the introduction to Section 4 should also be revised.

4. The structure of the article is not given in the introduction.

5. The title of Section 2 is the related works, but the features of pedestrian navigation are discussed in the preface and text.

6. It is better to also mention the survey number in the caption of the related tables.

7. Regarding Survey 3, the participation of only five individuals may be insufficient to draw generalizable conclusions. Consider discussing the implications of this small sample size for the findings.

Reviewer #2: The paper experimentally tested the relative benefit of TBT and RP navigation aid for pedestrian use. It reported three studies that elicits pedestrian preferences, compares human performance of using two alternatives, and suggests improvement on RP interface design. The study is interesting in adding to the debates between survey and route knowledge in navigation and relevant design of navigation aid. However, the paper has some critical flaws in framing research and experimental design.

(1) The paper lacks a clear articulation of research questions that address literature gaps. The pros and cons of survey and route knowledge in navigation were well established and I found little new in the framing of the problem. Without research questions, the three studies reported and their design could not be justified

(2) It is unclear why you need three studies to support your argument about RP vs TBT.

(3) The design if study #1 is flawed. The preferences of using TBT or RP are highly contextualized and dynamic, which makes it unsuitable to be discovered by online survey. There is no guarantee that people will report their real preferences that reflect what they actually do.

(4) The design of study #2 was also flawed. The TBT navigation instructions were not designed for learning and it is unfair to test their survey knowledge by asking them to sketch. The metrics for comparing the two modes were biased towards exploration and environment learning. There was also no explicit control of the level of familiarity of participants to the environment (University campus).

(5) The argument for doing Study #3 was not convincing. The work is best reported in a separate paper.

In conclusion, I found that the results of those studies were not sufficient to support their conclusion.

Reviewer #3: I have no major concerns or suggestions. I think this article is well-researched, well-written, and fascinating. In section 5.1, you might consider spelling out the date so no day/month vs. month/day confusion can take place. In a few places, there are figure links that have question marks instead of the figure numbers (I believe these are all related to figure 3). The formatting of the final three citations differs from that of the previous entries.

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what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes: Guoray Cai

Reviewer #3: No

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[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/ . PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org . Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step.

Evaluating Route Preview as an Alternative to Turn-By-Turn Navigation in Pedestrian Mobility

PONE-D-25-10260R1

Dear Dr. Schöning,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

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Kind regards,

Sukhjit Singh Sehra

Academic Editor

PLOS One

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Congratulations, you have addressed all the comments of the reviewers, the manuscript is ready for the next steps.

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #3: All comments have been addressed

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

**********

3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->?>

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

**********

5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #3: Yes

**********

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #3: I think these edits address mine and the other the reviewers' concerns well, and make the paper much stronger and more clear to read.

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what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #3: No

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