Inventory of In-Vehicle Technology Human Factors Design Characteristics
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DOT HS 809 457 February 2002 Inventory of In-Vehicle Technology Human Factors Design Characteristics This document is available to the public from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161 The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Department of Transportation or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. If trade or manufacturers’ name or products are mentioned, it is because they are considered essential to the object of the publication and should not be construed as an endorsement. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. ii Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. DOT HS 809 457 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipients's Catalog No. 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Inventory of In-Vehicle Technology Human February 2002 Factors Design Characteristics 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Robert E. Llaneras and Jeremiah P. Singer 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)n code Westat 1650 Research Blvd. Rockville, MD 20850 11. Contract of Grant No. DTNH22-99-D-07005 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Final Report, 2/15/02 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 400 Seventh Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20590 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplementary Notes Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR); Michael Perel. 16. Abstract The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) A review and inventory of in-vehicle Telematics devices was conducted in order to better understand the current state of practice and trends relating to their design and implementation. The review focused on human factors characteristics and interface features using accepted human factors practices, principles, and guidelines as a basis for the assessing likely impacts on driver distraction. The inventory examined market-ready in-vehicle products (both Original Equipment Manufacturer and aftermarket products), and identified a range of interface design features (e.g., control and displays characteristics, safety features, etc.) noting aspects and dimensions that have implications for potential driver distraction. The review was not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provide a diverse and representative range of system designs and configurations. The review canvassed nearly 80 in-vehicle devices/systems, and provided in-depth inventories of over 20 devices using a standardized data collection form to inventory basic interface design characteristics and features; much of the data collected addressed navigation systems. The inventory form is available as an Access database. Results indicated that devices tend to incorporate a large number of features and options, making it a potential challenge for drivers to learn all of the capabilities of a system and resulting in lengthy manuals. Although devices also tended to provide large amounts of information, some designs may allow for increased information presentation without necessarily sacrificing performance. Warnings or cautions against interacting with systems while driving were common; however, relatively few systems disable equipment when vehicles are in operation. A number of other observations and “industry trends” are presented and discussed. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Driver Distraction Document is available to the public through the National In-Vehicle Technologies Technical Information Service, Telematics Devices Springfield, VA 22161 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified Form DOT F1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized Acknowledgments The authors would like to extend our sincere appreciation to those individuals who so graciously provided access to their vehicles, systems, and devices for purposes of our review. Many also provided product documentation and user manuals, as well as contributed to the accuracy of our data by reviewing completed inventory forms and supplying needed information. Each of these individuals is listed below. We also would like to acknowledge the significant contributions of Mike Goodman and Mike Perel with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for their oversight, inputs and feedback throughout the project. Special thanks to Neil Lerner with Westat for contributing to the initial development effort of the study, and for reviewing the draft project report. John Angerman, Visteon Dave Benedict, Toyota Technical Center, U.S.A., Inc. Charles Groeller, Mack Trucks, Inc. Christian Ianculescu, Qualcomm Jim Keller, Honda R&D Americas, Inc. Chris Kirn, Daimler-Chrysler Vehicle Systems Technology Center Kambiz Nabily, ESI Fleet Solutions Dan Selke, Mercedes-Benz Alice Tornquist, Qualcomm Eric Tsibertzopoulos, Qualcomm Hiroshi Tsuda, Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc. Winnie Wong, Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 3 STUDY OBJECTIVE & SCOPE ....................................................................................................... 4 OVERVIEW OF APPROACH, METHOD AND DEVICES.................................................................... 5 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 7 IDENTIFICATION OF SYSTEM INTERFACE DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS ........................................ 7 TAXONOMY DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................ 8 INVENTORY FORM & METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................ 9 Basic Assessment Areas, Dimensions, and Criteria................................................................ 9 INVENTORYING IN-VEHICLE SYSTEMS...................................................................................... 14 RESULTS..................................................................................................................................... 15 OVERVIEW OF INVENTORIED DEVICES...................................................................................... 15 NAVIGATION SYSTEMS....................................................................................................... 16 INTERFACE CHARACTERISTICS: CONTROLS .............................................................................. 19 Number of Hard Controls...................................................................................................... 19 Control Characteristics: Types, Spacing, Labeling ............................................................... 20 INTERFACE CHARACTERISTICS: VISUAL DISPLAYS .................................................................. 21 Mounting Position ................................................................................................................. 21 Size and Quality of Visual Displays...................................................................................... 22 Type and Amount of Information.......................................................................................... 22 INTERFACE CHARACTERISTICS: AUDITORY DISPLAYS ............................................................. 26 SAFETY FEATURES .................................................................................................................... 28 Warnings ............................................................................................................................. 28 GENERAL INTERACTION DIMENSIONS....................................................................................... 30 Data Entry Screens ................................................................................................................ 30 NAVIGATION SYSTEM TASK INTERACTIONS ............................................................................. 31 Destination Entry: Methods, Steps and Key Presses............................................................. 31 ICONS/SYMBOLS ........................................................................................................................ 35 SUMMARY OF NAVIGATION SYSTEM FINDINGS ........................................................................ 38 COMMUNICATION, PRODUCTIVITY AND MOBILE PC SYSTEMS.............................. 40 INTERFACE CHARACTERISTICS.................................................................................................. 45 Hard Controls ........................................................................................................................ 45 Visual Display ....................................................................................................................... 47 Hands-Free Functionality ...................................................................................................... 47 ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEMS .............................................................................................. 48 MULTIFUNCTION SYSTEMS ..............................................................................................