Navigating Narratives: Way-finding Strategies for VR Storytelling
A typology that decodes how navigation shapes storytelling in virtual reality.
This study bridges spatial cognition and narrative design to understand how way-finding techniques influence story progression, spatial orientation, and user engagement in VR. Through a literature review and comparative analysis of The Key, Goliath, Maya, and Impulse, it identifies ten recurring way-finding strategies mapped across three design dimensions — cognitive load, adaptability, and spatial scale.
The typology offers a structured vocabulary for designing spatial guidance that enhances narrative coherence and emotional pacing in immersive experiences.
VR Storytelling
Spatial Guidance
Way-finding
Interaction Design
Cognitive Load
Project type
Academic Research Paper
Authors
Soumya Agarwal | Jayesh s. Pillai
Contributions
Conceptual Framework, Literature Review, Typology Design, Case Study Analysis
Research Question
How can way-finding strategies in narrative-driven VR balance cognitive load, adaptability, and spatial scale to enhance story progression, orientation, and presence?
Contribution
The study proposes a three-dimensional typology that organizes navigation strategies across these dimensions.
Applied to The Key, Goliath, Maya, and Impulse, the typology reveals how spatial cues, ranging from ambient light to adaptive environments, shape narrative rhythm, emotional engagement, and user agency.
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