Aesthetics and Usability of Automotive User Interfaces for Elder Drivers (CHI 2010, QoLT Center)

The purpose of this project was to design features for car dashboard displays that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. We evaluated six designs according to two clutter types and three design properties (Figure 3b). In the evaluation study, thirty-two participants (18 senior citizens, 14 adults younger than 65) were asked to use dashboard information (e.g., speed, fuel level, odometer reading) to verbally respond to voice commands while playing a coin-collecting driving game as a primary task. The apparatus in the user study included a java-based driving simulator, a Bluetooth-based Wii-wheel joystick, and an eye/gaze tracker (Figure 3a). We found that contrast in size and reduced clutter are instrumental in enhancing driving performance, particularly for the elder population. Surprisingly, our results showed that color elements have a negative effect on driving performance for elders, while color elements and fills slightly improve performance.

Figure 4. Simulated dual-task driving test-bed with an eye tracking system.