ABSTRACT
In the last decade, In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVISs) have become established as a standard technology in premium brand vehicles and more recently in many volume brands. Since the large-scale introduction of these multifunctional, menubased systems in vehicles around the beginning of the 21st Century (a famous example being BMW’s iDrive, first introduced in 2001), they have attracted much attention, and this has not always been positive. This attention has brought a new focus to the concept of usability. Ten years ago the spotlight was on technology and how much of it could be brought into vehicles. Today, the main problem we face is balancing this ever-increasing demand for technology with the users’ needs, not only for form and function, but also for a usable human-machine interface. Cars are now constructed to make the interaction with primary driving tasks safer than ever; however, the risks from interacting with IVISs remain a very real threat to driver safety. Improving usability, within this wider driving context, aims to significantly reduce these risks and enhance the overall driving experience.
