Usability Evaluation for In-Vehicle Systems

Ergonomics often seems to be involved too late in commercial project development processes to have substantive impact on design and usability. However, in the automotive industry, and specifically in relation to In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVIS), a lack of attention to usability can not only lead to poor customer satisfaction, it can also present a significant risk to safe and efficient driving.Usability Evaluation for In-Vehicle Systems describes how to apply a range of usability evaluation methods for IVIS. The authors explore the driving context and the range of driver-IVIS interactions, using case studies that show how Ergonomics methods can add considerable value throughout the product development process. They emphasize practical approaches that can be used to predict and analyze driver behavior with IVIS. The authors also present validation evidence for the methods covered.The book has three key objectives: Define and understand usability in the context of IVIS. This guides the specification of criteria against which usability can be successfully evaluated. Develop a multi-method framework to support designers in the evaluation of IVIS usability. The underlying motivations for the framework are a need for early-stage evaluation to support proactive redesign and a practical and realistic approach which can be used successfully by automotive manufacturers.Develop an analytic usability evaluation method which enables useful predictions of task interaction, whilst accounting for the specific context-of-use of IVIS. The major challenge of this particular context-of-use is the dual-task environment created by interacting with secondary tasks via an IVIS at the same time as driving. Written for students, researchers, designers, and engineers, the book is not only a guide to the practical application of evaluation methods, it also presents important th

" 'Ergonomics now more than ever has the potential to exert significant positive influence on the safety, efficiency, and enjoyment of driving.' This observation in Harvey and Stanton's conclusion succinctly sums up the perceptive material presented in this book which uses IVIS as a case study to describe how ergonomics methods can be put to good use. The book is a must read for students, practitioners and most importantly designers who bombard vulnerable users with what technology can offer rather than what it should offer in the context of use and human variability." -Professor Brian Peacock, PhD, National University of Singapore and SIM University " 'A surprise ending.' 'A real thriller.' None of these statements about Harvey and Stanton's Usability Evaluation for In-Vehicle Systems are true. This is, however, a very interesting, informative and useful book. Those involved in automotive user interface research and practice really should read and use it. The book nicely complements the existing literature, considering driver interfaces from a non-traditional human-computer interaction perspective. It gives due attention to activities in Europe of which non-Europeans may be unaware. It also provides balanced coverage of both evaluation and computational methods. I give it 10 thumbs up (for those that are all thumbs)." -Professor Paul Green, PhD, University of Michigan, USA " ... embeds the underlying science in a real-world context, giving readers an understanding of how this technology got into cars in the first place, why intended consequences don't always emerge in practice, and why. ... twists and pokes everything from BMW's iDrive system through to future technologies such as pre-collision avoidance and head-up displays. For engineers and designers, at last, here we have a book that goes further by providing actual methods that can be applied straight away, enabling you to link this rich state-of-the-art evidence-base to real-world practice. -Dr Guy Walker, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

Harvey, Catherine; Stanton, Neville A.