Driver interaction with touchscreen in vehicle
Touchscreens in vehicles are becoming more common. In recent years, more manufacturers have removed standard physical controls in favour of large in-vehicle touchscreens. However, operating a touchscreen requires the drivers’ visual attention, as touchscreens do not afford the tactile information of standard controls (e.g., buttons, knobs), which could allow the driver to use the controls without needing to look directly at them. The increased demand on drivers’ visual attention may have a negative impact on driving safety. Although there are existing guidelines put forward by federal agencies on limiting distraction from in-vehicle devices (NHTSA, 2012) and visual displays (Hickman et al., 2017), they are not specific to touchscreens. Given the increasing use of touchscreens in vehicles, the objective of this project is to conduct research to inform recommendations/guidance for the design of touchscreens in vehicles and identify directions for future research. The project has three components: (1) a literature review to identify key findings that can inform touchscreen design, (2) a technology scan to explore current touchscreen implementations in vehicles, and (3) a simulator study to compare driver behaviour and visual attention when interacting with a touchscreen and physical controls while driving.
Sponsor(s): Transport Canada
Student PI(s): Chelsea A. DeGuzman
Publications:
DeGuzman, C. A., Donmez, B., Harbluk, J., Lau, C., Burns, P. C. (2024). A technology scan of touchscreen trends in passenger vehicles. AutomotiveUI ’24: Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications, 149-159.