A human factors evaluation of a novel display and control concept for in-vehicle audio systems: A case study

A real road evaluation of two in-car audio systems was conducted. One system employed a novel steering column mounted set of controls for the main features of radio, cassette and compact disc player. The design was intended to minimise 'eyes off road' and 'hands off steering wheel' time. A multi-level usability analysis methodology was adopted, and a wide range of data captured to investigate whether control and display design influenced mental workload, visual behaviour and vehicle control in real traffic. A comparison was made with results obtained with a 'traditional' audio system. The novel design involved a disassociation of controls located on a pod behind the steering wheel, and a separate display mounted at a point high in the centre of the dashboard. The new system was associated with the following safety-related indices: lower mental workload scores, reduced visual glance duration, and reduced driving conflicts.