Participatory Design of Emergency Response Systems for Highly Automated Vehicles: Insights from Older Adults

Abstract: Approximately 60 million older adults live in the United States, many of whom face increasing challenges with driving due to age-related declines in sensory, cognitive, and motor functions. As a result, many older adults are forced to modify their driving behavior or stop driving altogether. However, the ability to drive is closely tied to autonomy, independence, and quality of life for this population. Highly Automated Vehicles (HAVs) present a promising solution for maintaining safe mobility for older adults. Yet a persistent concern among potential older users is how HAVs will handle emergency situations. While much of the existing research has focused on preventing road-related incidents, there has been limited exploration into how HAVs should respond once an emergency, whether driving-related or health-related, actually occurs.To address this gap, we designed an emergency response system for HAVs that reflects the specific needs and expectations of older adults. We conducted a series of participatory design (PD) sessions with a diverse stakeholder group, including an older adult, an older adult with cognitive impairment and the care partner, a driver rehabilitation specialist, and members of our human factors research team. Over four remote design sessions conducted via Zoom, we aimed to answer two core questions, one related to our emergency system and the other related to the design of PD sessions. The questions were: (1) What features are essential in an HAV emergency response system to ensure older adults’ safety and comfort in using the technology? and (2) Can online PD sessions effectively support engagement and meaningful contributions from older adults in design?The findings provide promising answers to both. First, the sessions generated several key design recommendations for HAV emergency systems. These included defining a list of emergency events the HAV should respond to, outlining appropriate emergency actions, and establishing a logical sequence for those actions. Participants also emphasized the importance of timely communication with care partners, integration of non-emergency health-supportive features (e.g., hydration, medication, and restroom reminders), and the ability for users to personalize emergency responses through a mobile application with ongoing access to the configuration tool. Additionally, participants provided suggestions for the system’s information architecture and visual design components to enhance usability. Second, participants were able to actively engage in all four remote sessions. Surveys showed strong agreement that Zoom did not limit their ability to contribute, and that the sessions were understandable and meaningful. These results suggest that remote PD can be a viable and effective method for including older adults. Benefits included increased comfort and accessibility, reduced travel burden, and the ability to include diverse perspectives from different geographic areas.Overall, this work contributes to the design of inclusive and responsive HAV systems and demonstrates the potential of remote participatory design as a powerful design tool. Future research should expand this work by including larger and more diverse participant samples, and by evaluating these systems in real-world contexts.

Keywords: Older Adults, Highly Automated Vehicles, Participatory Design, Emergency Response System

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1006850

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