We are researchers collecting information about how people help one another navigate using language. In this HIT, you will be paired with a partner. You will collaborate to reach a goal room within a house. One person will be the navigator: walking around the house trying to find the room. The other will be the oracle: answering questions about where to go next.
The goal room won’t be specified exactly, for example, "Find the room with a plant." There can be lots of plants in a house! Figuring out which room in the house is the challenge, and will require both players to solve. The oracle can view the next few steps the navigator should take, enabling them to give guidance.
The navigator will be dropped into a house and given an hint of which room they must find (e.g., "Find the room with the plant."). The navigator can move through the house with the following mouse controls:
Please practice navigation below, and return this HIT if you are unable to move the camera [left click and drag] and move around [right click on blue cylinders].
The target room can be far away from the starting pint, so the hint alone will not be enough. The navigator should communicate with their oracle partner using the chat interface. The oracle is provided with a preview of the next best steps towards the room so they can answer questions to guide the navigator.
When the navigator sends a question to the oracle, navigation will pause until the oracle sends a response! The navigator should ask the oracle specific questions, for example:
GOOD Question: "Should I go through the door to my left or towards the sofa to my right?" (specific + detailed)
BAD Question: "Where now?" (unspecific + unhelpful)
After asking a question, the scene will pause until the oracle responds. Then, the navigator can continue moving throughout the scene.
When the navigator thinks they have located the room, they will click the "Guess This Room" button. If correct, the task will end. Otherwise, the navigator will have to ask the oracle for help.
The oracle observes as the navigator moves through the house. When the navigator asks a question, the oracle is provided with a preview of the best next steps to take toward the goal room. It is the oracle's job to describe these steps to the navigator by sending a response in the chat. Before responding, they can replay the next best steps as many times as they want by clicking the "Show Best Route" button.
When the oracle sends a response to the navigator, they will again observe the navigator moving through the house! When describing the best path, the oracle should be as helpful as possible, for example:
GOOD Response: "Move through the door, then turn left and go down the hall towards the staircase." (specific + detailed)
BAD Response: "Go left." (short + lacks details)