Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an assessment tool capable of quantifying subjective occupant discomfort in automotive seating. To date, the majority of questionnaires present in the automotive seating industry have been designed using questionable developmental methods with suspect statistical rigor. The Automotive Seating Discomfort Questionnaire (ASDQ) was developed with statistically significant levels of readability, scale reliability, and face validity, using proven methods for questionnaire development. Methods included key informant interviews, several pilot tests, and an experimental assessment that involved the subjective evaluation of 3 identical front driver-side seats in 5 different seat positions over 3 sessions. The ASDQ was administered along side an established automotive seating questionnaire to showcase increases in performance through differences in methodologies, scale usage, and variable content. The ASDQ was shown to possess significant levels of reliability ( p < 0.05 ) and internal consistency. A between questionnaire comparison revealed significantly correlated subject responses ( R 2 = 0.715 ), as well as significant differences between similar questionnaire variables. The choice of measurement scale, increased variable content, establishment of face validity, and thorough experimental methods resulted in the ASDQ measuring the construct of automotive seating discomfort in a more comprehensive manner then previously developed industry questionnaires. It was concluded that the ASDQ reliably and repeatedly measures the construct of automotive seating discomfort, contains face validity, has established a foundation for construct and content validity development, and provides a comprehensive objective measure of occupant discomfort in automotive seating. Relevance to industry This study provides a rigorous questionnaire development process for the automotive seating industry. The resultant questionnaire can be used in the evaluation of automotive seat designs.
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