Smart solutions in car dashboard interfaces as a response to needs of drivers and their assessment

Abstract

Current trends in the production of passenger cars focus on the development of the so-called intelligent cars, richly equipped with multimedia systems with uninterrupted access to the Internet, connected to digital road infrastructure leading to autonomous driving in the future. Such changes lead to the development of new solutions and testing them, first in laboratory conditions, and then in practical use with the participation of consumers, and especially drivers. Vehicle designers are guided by the idea of simplifying vehicle interfaces’ operation and making them more comfortable and easier to use, while maintaining safety standards for traveling people and other road users. However, the question arises whether they actually achieve the expected results. The authors of the work focused on selected solutions and on assessing the validity of using such solutions in terms of convenience and safety. Various factors influencing drivers' driving behavior were discussed, mainly related to media handling. The research was based on a survey questionnaire containing a number of questions addressed to people using particular systems. Vehicle users expressed their opinions on three solutions available on the market used in car cockpits (ASD – analogue switch dashboards, GSD – gesture/speech controlled dashboards, and TSD – touch screen dashboards). The analysis of the collected data made it possible to clarify the extent to which the use of the car cockpit is adapted to the actual needs of the users. In order to qualitatively evaluate the research results, correspondence and decision tree analyzes were used. The obtained results indicate significant differences in the assessment of communication interface solutions in groups of respondents due to different grouping variables.