Sponsor
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Dates
September 2024 to August 2027
Researchers
Kathleen D. Klinich, Shan Bao, Huizhong Guo, Monica Jones, Miriam Manary, Renée St. Louis, Colleen Peterson
Abstract
This project will conduct research to develop guidelines for making vehicle interfaces easier to use for everyone, with a focus on the needs of disabled drivers and passengers. Vehicle types will include currently available L0, L1, and L2 vehicles but will inform design of automated driving systems (ADS)-equipped vehicles. The project will include people with physical, mobility, sensory, and cognitive disabilities as participants and advisors to the project team. Tasks will include review of existing resources (literature, existing guidelines, ongoing NHTSA-funded work), participant survey, user needs analysis, development of research plan, static testing, and dynamic testing. The final report will document the work performed during the whole project. It will include a stand-alone appendix titled “Usable Vehicle Interface Design” that provides good, better, and best options for implementing easy-to-use and understand vehicle controls, displays, and warnings. We will also identify remaining gaps to address in that could improve usability and safety of human-machine interfaces in vehicles.