A human factors evaluation of a novel display and control concept for in-vehicle audio systems: a case study

A real road evaluation of two in-car audio systems was conducted. One syste m employed a novel steering column mounted set of controls for the main fea tures of radio, cassette and compact disc player. The design was intended t o minimise 'eyes off road' and 'hands off steering wheel' time. A multi-lev el usability analysis methodology was adopted, and a wide range of data cap tured to investigate whether control and display design influenced mental w orkload, visual behaviour and vehicle control in real traffic. A comparison was made with results obtained with a 'traditional' audio system. The nove l design involved a disassociation of controls located on a pod behind the steering wheel, and a separate display mounted at a point high in the centr e of the dashboard. The now system was associated with the following safety -related indices: lower mental workload scores, reduced visual glance durat ion, and reduced driving conflicts.