User‐perceived styling experience of smart vehicles: a method to combine eye tracking with semantic differences

Abstract

This study proposes a method to investigate the perceived experiences of the appearances of smart vehicles using a combination of eye-movement tracking and semantics. The experiences of 89 participants regarding smart vehicle design were explored, targeting users’ perceived experiences of smart vehicles. The semantic results demonstrate that users felt ‘dynamic’, ‘fashionable’ and ‘sophisticated’, while designers felt ‘dependable’, ‘sophisticated’ and ‘dynamic’. Additionally, the eye-movement data reveals that designers were more attracted to the grille, waistline, and hood, while users are more interested in the rear window. This indicates a clear inconsistency between designers and users in terms of the perceived styling semantics and interest areas for smart vehicles, which helps to provide the industry with valuable insight. This method can be used by smart vehicle researchers and development teams to identify the styling desires of target users in order to accurately convey findings to designers.