Usability of an opportunistic interface concept for ad hoc ride-sharing

Abstract

ABSTRACTInteracting with ride-sharing systems for ad hoc travel is a complex spatio-temporal task. The dynamics of service supply and demand challenge the rigidity of traditional human–computer interfaces, introducing service uncertainty and creating a knowledge gap which hinders a client's travel planning. Such interface constraints may mean that a client user is unable to find any ride matching their intentions. To overcome this, a novel visual interface concept, launch pads, has been suggested to replace the traditional interface within a two-step negotiation. To close the proposed approach's feedback loop, this paper investigates human understanding and use of the launch pad metaphor. Usability testing of launch pads is performed using a spatial cognitive engineering approach in directed wayfinding scenarios using various alternative representations. Results highlight that the variances of user interaction times depend on the representation used and reveal potential information overload issues. Using these findings, a minimum decision-making time is defined to tune the system's architecture.