Pure Automotive Innovation: Infotainment, Driver Assistance, Driving Simulation

During my 4 years as a Human Factors & User Research Consultant, I have been involved in the creation and optimization of numerous innovations in the automotive sector. I was leading in 20 different research and consulting projects surrounding exciting topics such as infotainment, driver assistance, driving simulation, and many others.

Below are exemplary selected projects. Due to confidentiality reasons, no details or specific UI illustrations are provided.

Behavior Observation, Video Recording, and Analysis

The behavior observation included systematic capture and analysis of user behaviors during the interaction with vehicle systems. Through video recording and subsequent analysis, I gained detailed insights into user interactions and their reactions to various vehicle systems. This method helped me identify issues in user guidance and develop solutions for improvement.

Interview Techniques: Thinking Aloud, Questionnaires, Moderator Rating

Thinking Aloud: This method encourages users to verbalize their thoughts during the interaction with a system. This provides insights into cognitive processes and helps identify comprehension difficulties and usability issues.

Questionnaires: Standardized questionnaires are used to systematically collect user feedback. They provide quantitative data on user satisfaction, perceived usability, and other important aspects of the user experience.

Through moderator rating, as a trained moderator, I evaluated the performance and behavior of participants in various test scenarios. These subjective evaluations complement the objective data and provide valuable qualitative information about the usability and effectiveness of vehicle systems.

Eye-Tracking

Eye-tracking technologies captured the eye movements of users and analyzed where and for how long they looked. In the automotive field, I used eye-tracking to understand how drivers perceived information displays and controls. This helped me optimize the design of user interfaces so that important information could be quickly and intuitively grasped.

Driving Performance: Lane-Keeping, Distance Keeping, and Reaction Speed

Driving performance analysis includes the evaluation of key indicators such as lane-keeping, distance keeping, and reaction speed. These objective measures help us assess the effectiveness of driver assistance systems and ensure that they enhance driving safety.

Controllability

Controllability refers to the driver's ability to safely control a vehicle and respond appropriately to system errors or unexpected situations. I tested the controllability of vehicle systems by deliberately creating system errors in simulated environments and analyzing drivers' reactions. This achieved designing systems to remain safely controllable even in critical situations.

Mental Model

The mental model describes users' internal perceptions and expectations regarding the operation of a system. By examining drivers' mental models, a better understanding of how they perceive and use vehicle systems can be obtained. This helps to design user guidance that aligns with users' expectations and mental models, increasing the usability and acceptance of the systems.

Data Evaluation and Statistics

Data evaluation and statistics involve systematically analyzing large amounts of data to identify patterns and relationships. In the automotive field, I used these methods to gain insights from driving tests and usage data. For example, I analyzed data from usability tests and simulated driving situations to evaluate and optimize the performance and safety of vehicle systems.