ABSTRACT
We examine the design of the human–machine interface (HMI) for a Level 2 connected and autonomous vehicle in the context of the user-centred ecological interface design (UCEID) process, developed to integrate the relationship between ecological interface design (EID) and inclusive human-centred design. In this chapter, we describe the formative process for the formulation, execution, and results of trials of a Low-fidelity driving simulator, the methodological antecedents, and results in the form of tests of the task and condition stimuli. The target scenario investigates transfer of control from vehicle to driver in autonomous vehicles as a result of a planned takeover request (TOR) while on a highway, in an SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Level 3 vehicle under benign conditions. We chart the progress of the design of conditions and simulations from initial interviews and research through to storyboard prototypes, from qualitative to quantitative methods, to the experimental conditions used in two driving simulator experiments using Low-fidelity representations of the test alternatives. We show how the experimental results provided the input to further stages of the research and contributed to the understanding and development of the subsequent summative High-fidelity trials in an advanced simulator.
