'Turn right at the King's Head': drivers' requirements for route guidance information

This thesis addresses a fundamental Human Factors question associated with the design of the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) for in-vehicle electronic route guidance systems: what navigation information should such systems provide to drivers? To avoid the development of systems which demand excessive amounts of drivers' attention and processing resources or which are not satisfactory to the intended user population, it is critical that appropriate information is provided when and where needed. However, a review of the relevant literature revealed a paucity of research concerning this issue. [Continues.

The inclusion of landmarks within navigation systems: industry requirements

Research has shown that the usability, safety and acceptability of navigation systems can be enhanced by the use of landmarks within guidance instructions. ‘Landmarks’, refer to buildings, street furniture and built aspects of the environment. The REGIONAL project aims to enable the inclusion of landmarks within future navigation systems by gaining a thorough understanding of the driver requirements for this information and the commercial enablers and barriers to their inclusion within databases, navigation software and end products. This deliverable tackles the latter issue of the requirements of industry

Human machine interface integration for driver systems

The INTEGRATE project tackled the problems that are likely to arise from the introduction of multiple driver systems each generating their own separate driver inputs and system outputs (i.e. high driver workload, impaired usability of systems and subsequent implications for safety and customer acceptance). This paper reports the results of the project: a structured human factors design approach for integrated system design. No other such design process has been documented in the publicly available literature, nor within automotive R&D departments in the UK. The content of the process is a response to the industry requirements identified within the project. Each stage of the process contributes to the main activities of: system definition, identification of potential conflicts and their likely impact, and resolution of these conflicts through good human-machine interface (HMI) design

Using landmarks to enhance navigation systems: driver requirements and industrial constraints

The task of navigating in unfamiliar road environments is a common and demanding cognitive activity for drivers. Research has long demonstrated the problems that drivers have in planning and following efficient routes to destinations. If efficient routes cannot be planned and followed, the consequences are stress, frustration and delays for the driver, potentially unsafe road behaviour (e.g. late lane changes) and inappropriate traffic management (e.g. traffic diversions through small villages)

Assessment of the occlusion technique as a means for evaluating the distraction potential of driver support systems

Driver distraction is a safety-critical issue that has been bought to greater public attention with the recent developments of more advanced driver support systems (DSS), such as navigation and collision warning. Tasks performed with such systems have the potential to distract drivers significantly from the primary task of controlling their vehicle, and this may result in an accident. Designers of DSS need to be able to assess this distraction potential in the early stages of design. In this respect, the occlusion technique and its associated measures are claimed to be reliable indicators of potential visual distraction. In particular, it has been argued that the technique provides more information concerning the likely visual demand of a system than other economical methods based on static task time, such as the 15-second rule. To investigate these assertions, a study compared results from an occlusion assessment and a road-based assessment. Sixteen experienced drivers carried out a range of tasks using two alternative user-interfaces under three conditions: statically, with full vision, statically, with restricted vision (occlusion), and whilst driving on a dual carriageway road within the UK. It was found that occlusion measures provided more information regarding the prospective visual demand of a DSS than did static task times. In particular, the resumability ratio assessed how far a task can be progressed whilst in periods with vision and without vision. It is concluded that the technique offers advantages over other methods, but requires a robust prototype for use as part of a driver-centred design process

Draft guidelines concerning E&D issues: The TELSCAN handbook of design guidelines for usability of systems by elderly and disabled drivers and travellers. Version 2

Draft guidelines concerning E&D issues: The TELSCAN handbook of design guidelines for usability of systems by elderly and disabled drivers and travellers. Version

Inventory of ATT system requirements for elderly and disabled drivers and travellers

This Inventory of ATT System Requirements for Elderly and Disabled Drivers and Travellers is the product of the TELSCAN project’s Workpackage 3: Identification and Updating of User Requirements of Elderly and Disabled Travellers. It describes the methods and tools used to identify the needs of elderly and disabled (E&D) travellers. The result of this investigation is a summary of the requirements of elderly and disabled travellers using different modes of transport, including private cars, buses/trams, metros/trains, ships and airplanes. It provides a generic user requirements specification which can guide the design of all transport telematics systems. However, it is important to stress that projects should also capture a more detailed definition of user requirements for their specific application area or system

Accessible systems for transport

Maintaining mobility is a primary objective of people who are older or disabled. Travelling by car or public transport enables them to partake in work or leisure activities outside the home, without a reliance on others to do so, thus sustaining independent living and quality of life. However, transport vehicles, systems and services are not always designed with their needs and abilities taken into account and so older and disabled people are often less likely to travel than other citizens. This may be because the transport has not been designed for all, or because the traveller does not have enough clear information to know whether or not the transport meets specific needs...

Evaluating the human-machine interface to vehicle navigation systems as an example of ubiquitous computing

In-vehicle navigation systems are an example of ubiquitous computing, where the computing facility is embedded in an everyday object (car) for an everyday task (driving). The maturing navigation systems market of the last 10 years has prompted academic and commercial research into the human}machine interface (HMI) for these systems. A signi "cant body of research now exists in this specialized area and a contribution has been made towards guidelines for interface design. This paper presents an overview of evaluation methods used to date (in terms of context of use, techniques, measures and evaluators) and the pros and cons of the di!erent approaches. It ends with a discussion of how the resulting knowledge can assist in the evaluation of other ubiquitous technologies

Overview of validated recommendations for evaluation of ATT system with respect to E & D: A methodology for travellers who are elderly and disabled.

The specific objective in WP04 activity 4.1 is to provide help to Telematic Application designers to define and to complete assessment of the usability of systems with integration of potential users with disabilities or who are elderly. The first level of the assessment methodology framework is related to the definition of the users to be involved in the usability assessment. To this end TELSCAN proposed three indicators : • The mobility indicator • The problem indicator • The extent indicator These indicators have to be analysed and tailored according to different considerations best accomplished by way of a brainstorming session. The second level of the framework is related to the choice of the testing environment and context, as some of them could be more suitable or unsuitable to persons with disability or who are elderly. In the third level, the framework provided guidelines in order to choose the methods/tools which will be the more suitable for use with the persons with disability or who are elderly as well as protocols or ethical issues which need to be considered. Some information are also provided on the analysis of the results procedure and two cases studies are given in order to illustrate the framework