Personalizable Vehicle User Interfaces for Better User Experience

Abstract

In earlier research it has been shown that a personalizable product, one that is flexible and can be tailored to suit the users’ needs, can offer a closer, more emotional and personal attachment to the product that affects the way the product is used and experienced. The possibility to personalize a product can increase both user experience of the product and usability, since unwanted functions and appearance related features can be removed and other features more usable and relevant to the user can be chosen. The objective of this paper is to show that the possibility to personalize a product is beneficial for users emotional responses towards the product. In this paper data from a study that used experience prototyping to study what happens if computerized interface personalization features are brought into the vehicle context. Twenty participants participated in a study, where a personalizable vehicle driver interface prototype was evaluated with a number of methods, for example interviews and Microsoft product reaction cards. The interface prototype was integrated in a high fidelity driving simulator and the participants interacted with the system both while driving the simulator and while standing still in order to be in the right context for increased ecological validity. All of the participants would, to some extent, like to use a system like this in their own cars. The possibility to make a product ones’ own with a personal touch was important for many participants. This makes the users feel better and the product funnier and more entertaining to use. The usefulness and flexibility of the system was the most salient features and about 22% of the words best describing the users experience with the interface were related to their emotional experiences. It can be concluded that personalizable vehicle interfaces can increase both the usefulness and the user experience with the product.

Keywords: Personalization, User Experience, User interfaces, Automobile, HMI

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100563