automobiles

Learning to use a steering wheel with no vision or feedback

December 20, 2011
Thumbnail image for Learning to use a steering wheel with no vision or feedback

Here is a link to an enjoyable radioshow called “99% invisible,” about the “design, architecture & the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world.”* 99% Invisible-37- The Steering Wheel This episode covers the difficulty people have in correctly miming use of a steering wheel (spoiler: they can’t!) and how they can learn to do so correctly with no visual feedback. [...]

Read the full article →

Speedometer Design

November 2, 2011

This page contains an interesting inventory of past speedometer designs from Chevrolet.  Quite a variety!  Is usability getting better or worse? I like it when the design works such that the prevailing speed limit (e.g., 60 MPH) lets the needle be oriented in a cardinal direction (pointed up or left) like the one below: (via Kottke)

Read the full article →

Update on the BMW iDrive

September 8, 2011
Thumbnail image for Update on the BMW iDrive

Nice writeup by BimmerFile on the iDrive, a single-button input device for the non-driving functions of the BMW. I’ve excerpted my favorite portions below — specifically their connection of iDrive design to the proximity-compatibility principle and the principles of importance and frequency of use.  BimmerFile was recently invited to Munich and into the very secret BMW labs that birthed the [...]

Read the full article →

Driven to Distraction

April 19, 2011
Thumbnail image for Driven to Distraction

This editorial from MSN Autos nicely summarizes a topic we’ve covered many times:  in-car technology interfering with driving.  The central problem appears to be that in-car interfaces are designed in isolation–devoid of the context in which they will actually be used (while driving).  So the designs demand a high amount of attention and concentration. Expert on human-automation interaction Dr. John D. [...]

Read the full article →

Automakers: Don’t skimp on the interface!

February 27, 2011
Thumbnail image for Automakers: Don’t skimp on the interface!

A very angry but insightful comment about the vehicle electronic interface of the 2011 Buick Regal from an automotive journalist: Non touchscreen touchscreen: The GM navigation system and the graphics for it are designed with a touchscreen in mind — when entering in a destination, there is a recreation of a keyboard that allows you to punch in your letters and [...]

Read the full article →

Unintended Consequences of Design: Keyless Ignition Revisited

February 21, 2011
Thumbnail image for Unintended Consequences of Design: Keyless Ignition Revisited

Peter Hancock, writing in the January issue of The Ergonomist, writes about the hidden dangers imposed by rapidly advancing automotive technology (noise, vibration suppression, keyless ignition).  Noise, vibration, sound, and the mechanical key provides useful information that the car is still on.  Removing these cues could result in mode errors: In previous generations of vehicles, leaving the car ‘on’ as you [...]

Read the full article →

Blogging APA Division 21: “One Thing at a Time” (but over a really long time)

November 21, 2010

I held off for a while writing this post because I wanted to make sure I could include media Dr. John Senders included in his talk. I think you’ll agree it was worth the wait! At the 2010 APA convention, John W. Senders, Ph.D. presented “One Thing at a Time: From Eye Fixations (1951), to Sampling (1954), to Information Theory [...]

Read the full article →

The Ultimate Driving Simulator

October 25, 2010

Lexus has posted a video of their ‘Most Advanced Driving Simulator In The World.’ There is a bit of “commercial” in it, but also a good bit of human factors. Here is the link. There is also a video on virtual crash tests, although I’m more interested in how the humans react to the crash rather than the materials in [...]

Read the full article →

HF Potpourri

September 20, 2010

Social networking for your car? As if we need another distraction while driving.  A new system (Bump.com) connects drivers by license plate so you can text message that person that cut you off (Thanks Paul!). Harry Brignull (of the 90percentiseverything blog) collects egregious examples of evil interfaces in his Dark Patterns website. Dark Patterns: User Interfaces Designed to Trick People [...]

Read the full article →

The Zero-Fatality Car

August 6, 2010
Thumbnail image for The Zero-Fatality Car

I ran across this fascinating article from ComputerWorld on Volvo’s goal of creating a zero fatality car by 2020. As I read it, a number of human factors issues jumped out at me, but the focus is almost entirely on engineering issues. This does not mean Volvo will ignore the human factor. After all, I’ve previously posted on their well-done [...]

Read the full article →

BMW Radio: “WHAT CODE! Where do I find the CODE?!”

July 26, 2010
Thumbnail image for BMW Radio: “WHAT CODE! Where do I find the CODE?!”

Recently a friend posted this frustration with the system that supposedly keeps car stereo thieves from using a stereo. Unfortunately, it kept the owner from using it as well. Driving home last nite suddenly the dash lights up like an xmas tree. Lights turn off, alarms go off, etc. Climbing partner & I: “This is not good”. 1/2 second later everything’s [...]

Read the full article →

Driving, texting, and eating?

April 21, 2010
Thumbnail image for Driving, texting, and eating?

Multiple behavioral studies have demonstrated our difficulties with multi-tasking. A new study provides the neurological mechanisms for those findings (and more behavioral data, of course!). From the LiveScience article: For those who find it tough to juggle more than a couple things at once, don’t despair. The brain is set up to manage two tasks, but not more, a new [...]

Read the full article →

Redesigning Toyota’s Keyless Ignition System

February 10, 2010
Thumbnail image for Redesigning Toyota’s Keyless Ignition System

The LA Times reporters Ken Bensinger and Ralph Vartabedian recently wrote a story about keyless ignition systems and the associated HF issues (we blogged about it here).  In a follow-up story, they report that Toyota is considering redesigning the system so that instead of requiring a single 3-second press to shut off the engine, it now requires 3 consecutive presses.  [...]

Read the full article →

Keyless Ignition in Emergencies: Do you know what to do?

January 27, 2010
Thumbnail image for Keyless Ignition in Emergencies: Do you know what to do?

This story in the LA Times illustrates several important HF/usability issues.  First, the  importance of knowing what the user knows before introducing new, seemingly “simple” technology, or changing the way they currently do things (in this case, what people know about ignition systems and how they start their cars).  Second, like the story about the alarms, it also clearly illustrates [...]

Read the full article →

Environmental Controls: Spotlight on Volvo

January 20, 2010
Thumbnail image for Environmental Controls: Spotlight on Volvo

I rode in a colleague’s new Volvo the other day and I love the environmental controls. The button lights up when active, showing where the airflow is going. Notice how the fan speed control is integrated into air direction display so they each add information to the other. Compare to the older Volvo buttons, which had a similar theme but [...]

Read the full article →

Distracted Driving: The Experience

January 3, 2010
Thumbnail image for Distracted Driving: The Experience

We’ve posted quite a bit on driving before, but these new links are too good to be missed. This first video from the NYT goes over the dangers of multi-tasking while driving (including on-the-street interviews of what American’s might think) and ends with an interview with David Strayer of the University of Utah, including a video of his lab simulator [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries