10 inch today, 17 inch tomorrow. The enthusiasm around the size of multi-function, multi-touch screen displays in an automobile is comparable to the hype around horsepower during the glory days of American muscle cars. The manufacturer with most horsepower won bragging rights for best car on the market. Similarly, screen sizes in automobiles keep getting larger and larger. As the screen grows in size, so does the opportunity to communicate more information on that screen. Marketed as a ‘new’ innovation in automotive, these screens are doing more to interact and respond to the wants and demands of a driver.
Is Bigger Better?
The bigger-is-better approach may indeed improve the driving experience. These screens can display more information in larger formats that are easier to interact with. Large screens also offer a more flexible platform compared to conventional dials and hard buttons. Soft buttons in these multi-touch displays can change on demand. For example, the volume control for the media player can easily transform itself to temperature control. But there are drawbacks to adopting this new trend in automotive technology. First, the physical muscle memory associated with hard buttons help drivers to map locations of each button/control used while driving. In essence, the driver’s muscle memory of hard buttons enables quicker and safer access to controls. Soft buttons on a digital display do not provide the tactile feel necessary to develop the muscle memory. More buttons displayed on screen means a driver needs to spend more time staring at it to find information, otherwise it is like trying to find a moving object in dark. In a driving situation, any additional moment you spend gazing at the screen and not at the road could tremendously increase the chance of accident.
In my last post, I described what mobility means today and offered a glimpse into the automotive industry’s focus on mobility related challenges. With the intent of proposing a new experience of ‘mobility’ of the future, here are technologies that could help improve the mobile experience in cars.
HUD (Head Up Display)
A head-up display, or HUD, is any transparent display that presents data without requiring the user to look away from his or her usual viewpoint. The origin of the name stems from the user being able to view information with his head “up” and looking forward, instead of angled down looking at lower instruments. The first HUDs were essentially advancements of static gun sight technology for military fighter aircraft aimed to offer advantages in in-air dogfights. And the core merit from this technology in automotive applications is that it offers a more ergonomic solution and keeps the drivers’ eyes focused on the road. Key information required in most common driving situations like speed and navigational direction is displayed on the windshield as a clear and easy-to-read image. BMW claims that
Head-Up Display halves the time it takes for eyes to shift focus from road to the instruments and back, dramatically reducing the risk of not seeing the sudden illumination of brake lights of the car ahead, or an unexpected obstacle
But today the display size of HUD units in automobiles is limited a portion of the windshield that measures 18 x 10 cm. The driver may also experience issues switching between the focal distance of a HUD and objects outside the automobile. (Automotive HDs: the overlooked safety issues by Daniel R. Tufano).
User interface toward natural UI
The increasing amount of information from sensors in cars and those carried onboard by the driver has led the automotive industry to offer solutions that make them more accessible and manageable. From the BMW’s original idrive to the latest “remote touch” solution from Lexus, the basic approach seems to be the same. These solutions may seem accessible and familiar to the driver because they resembles the mechanism we are used to from using a computer mouse and remote controls. But the core issue remains: it requires drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel.
Innovating with Behavioral Data
With advances in natural user interfaces, heads-up displays, and head and eye tracking, the interface can be made safer and ergonomically sound. For example, the combination of headtracking with a HUD can improve the display of information while keeping the drivers hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road. The onboard computer system can also track behavioral patterns that can help “tune” the user interface of the display. In case, information displayed via HUD can stay at a minimized state (creating less distraction) until driver’s focus is engaged with the display when it expands reveal more information. When the driver’s focus looks away, the displayed information would disappear. The driver’s natural movement dictates the interaction.
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