ABSTRACT
From the very early days of the motor car it has been essential for drivers to be able to quickly and easily operate all of the vehicle controls, as well as know the state of the vehicle, which in its most basic form consists of information about speed and fuel level (Damiani et al., 2009). Ergonomics has played a major role in the development of the driver-vehicle interface and evidence for consideration of ease of use can be found as early as 1907, in A Busy Man’s Textbook on Automobiles (Faurote, 1907):
Factors such as accessibility, which are now recognised as central to the Ergonomics purview, were initially considered in relation to the mechanics of the car; however, the need for feedback and information in the vehicle and the vast developments in display technologies over the last century have resulted in dramatic changes to the vehicle’s interior. These changes are notable in the design of the dashboard and instrument cluster, and the focus of Ergonomics has shifted accordingly. The introduction of dashboard controls prompted concerns about the driver’s physical comfort, particularly as the motor car became more accessible to a wider range of users. An example is given in Figure 1.1, which shows an advertisement from 1969 by the automotive manufacturer General Motors, promoting their appointment of a female ‘stylist’ to consider the physical reach of women vehicle occupants. Although the approach to vehicle Ergonomics may have evolved somewhat since the early days of the motor vehicle, it is clear that issues such as accessibility and usability have been pertinent for almost as long as people have been driving cars. There is more information available in contemporary vehicles than ever before, which places significant importance on the role of not just physical but also cognitive Ergonomics in vehicle design. In fact, technical evolution has occurred at such a pace that there is potential for it to exceed the capabilities of the driver (Rumar, 1993; Walker et al., 2001; Peacock and Karwowski, 1993) if the in-vehicle interface and the needs of the driver are given insufficient focus during the product development process.
