Matthew J. Pitts

Assessing subjective response to haptic feedback in automotive touchscreens

The increasing use of touchscreen interfaces in vehicles poses challenges to designers in terms of optimizing safety, usability and affective response. It is thought that the application of haptic feedback to the touchscreen interface will help to improve the user experience in all of these areas. This paper describes the initial outcomes of a study to investigate user responses to haptic touchscreens using a simulated driving scenario based on the Lane Change Test, along with representative use case tasks. Results indicate preference for multi-modal feedback and user acceptance of the haptic feedback technology. Effects relating to multi-modal interaction and attentional demand are also observed.

Evaluating user response to in-car haptic feedback touchscreens using the lane change test

Touchscreen interfaces are widely used in modern technology, from mobile devices to in-car infotainment systems. However, touchscreens impose significant visual workload demands on the user which have safety implications for use in cars. Previous studies indicate that the application of haptic feedback can improve both performance of and affective response to user interfaces. This paper reports on and extends the findings of a 2009 study conducted to evaluate the effects of different combinations of touchscreen visual, audible, and haptic feedback on driving and task performance, affective response, and subjective workload; the initial findings of which were originally published in (M. J. Pitts et al., 2009). A total of 48 non-expert users completed the study. A dual-task approach was applied, using the Lane Change Test as the driving task and realistic automotive use case touchscreen tasks. Results indicated that, while feedback type had no effect on driving or task performance, preference was expressed for multimodal feedback over visual alone. Issues relating to workload and cross-modal interaction were also identified.

Does haptic feedback change the way we view touchscreens in cars

Touchscreens are increasingly being used in mobile devices and in-vehicle systems. While the usability benefits of touchscreens are acknowledged, their use places significant visual demand on the user due to the lack of tactile and kinaesthetic feedback. Haptic feedback is shown to improve performance in mobile devices, but little objective data is available regarding touchscreen feedback in an automotive scenario. A study was conducted to investigate the effects of visual and haptic touchscreen feedback on driver visual behaviour and driving performance using a simulated driving environment. Results showed a significant interaction between visual and haptic feedback, with the presence of haptic feedback compensating for changes in visual feedback. Driving performance was unaffected by feedback condition but degraded from a baseline measure when touchscreen tasks were introduced. Subjective responses indicated an improved user experience and increased confidence when haptic feedback was enabled.

Adding Depth: Establishing 3D Display Fundamentals for Automotive Applications

The advent of 3D displays offers Human-Machine Interface (HMI) designers and engineers new opportunities to shape the users experience of information within the vehicle. However, the application of 3D displays to the in-vehicle environment introduces a number of new parameters that must be carefully considered in order to optimise the user experience. In addition, there is potential for 3D displays to increase driver inattention, either through diverting the drivers attention away from the road or by increasing the time taken to assimilate information. Manufacturers must therefore take great care in establishing the ‘do’s and ‘don’ts of 3D interface design for the automotive context, providing a sound basis upon which HMI designers can innovate. This paper describes the approach and findings of a three-part investigation into the use of 3D displays in the instrument cluster of a road car, the overall aim of which was to define the boundaries of the 3D HMI design space. A total of 73 participants were engaged over three studies. Findings indicate that users can identify depth more quickly and accurately when rendered in 3D, indicating potential for future applications using the depth dimension to relay information. Image quality was found to degrade with increasing parallax and indications of a fatigue effect with continued exposure were found. Finally, a relationship between minimum 3D offset, parallax position and object type was identified.

Characterising the experience of interaction : an evaluation of automotive rotary dials

Optimising sensory product qualities is a priority for automotive manufacturers when developing human–machine interfaces, as user experience frameworks consider sensory aesthetics to be a main influencing factor of the overall judgement of product appeal. This empirical study examines whether users’ overall judgements of product appeal can be predicted from measures of non-visual aesthetic qualities. Ninety-one UK owners of Supermini segment cars assessed five examples of rotary temperature dials. Factor analysis gave four clear factors common across all samples, of which ‘unrefined loudness’ and ‘positivity/precision’ predicted up to 26% variance in the hedonic score; both factors were similarly important in the regression models. Significant differences in appeal were observed between the samples; however, there were no effects due to age or gender. Practitioner Summary: The research shows that the overall appeal of automotive rotary dials is partially predicted by their non-visual aesthetics. These findings are applicable to the design of any products where improving the user experience is a goal, as it demonstrates that user experience models are applicable to product domains other than computing and information technology.

Comparing the User Experience of Touchscreen Technologies in an Automotive Application

Touchscreen interfaces are increasingly used on a daily basis in both mobile devices and in cars. The majority of vehicles use resistive touchscreens which, while reliable and inexpensive, may not perform as well as alternative touchscreen technologies. A simulator-based user-centred study was conducted to compare the User Experience of resistive touchscreens against capacitive and infra-red variants in a range of automotive use cases. This paper details an initial treatment of the data focusing on touchscreen task performance and subjective usability measures. Findings identified that the resistive display was clearly least preferred, with capacitive offering the best overall performance.

User-centred design and evaluation of automotive seat adjustment controls

This paper considers the design of seat adjustment controls, as part of an EPSRC-funded research project investigating the future of Human?Machine Interfaces (HMIs) in the premium automotive industry. The study takes a user-centred approach to collecting customer data relating to controls on existing vehicles, and applies sensory science techniques in an automotive engineering arena to address the affective elements of seat adjustment control design. A 101-participant customer clinic event was therefore held, with additional data sourced from a commercial survey. The data sets are analysed to make recommendations relating to functional and emotional aspects of seat adjustment control design.