Shift Magazine - July 22, 2019 - 28

INSIDE
INFORMATION
Building trust in AVs can start with the user interface
BY SEBASTIAN BLANCO

hen it comes to the design of autonomous vehicles, experts say one area that remains wide open
for exploration is the shape and form of the interior.
A central focus of current research is the user
experience, specifically the type and amount of information an
autonomous vehicle should provide to the rider.
"It's become very clear through student work that occupants
of an AV feel much safer and will maintain trust over time if
there is some visibility into what the machine is thinking," said
Todd Masilko, an instructor at the ArtCenter College of Design
in Pasadena, Calif.
"There's a whole new set of interface conventions that we
have not figured out yet."
That's why Volvo Trucks, which is working on autonomous
platooning of semi trucks, involves customers and drivers as it
develops and validates its user interface, said Johan Larsson,
director of autonomous solutions for Volvo Trucks North America.
Bringing drivers and fleet managers into the development of
advanced driver assistance systems has been critical in making
it easy to understand what the system can automate as well as
its limitations, he said.
"The system should aid the driver with clear information
on the surroundings," he said. "We learn what messages are
important to drivers by listening to their input and experiences
during testing."
Currently, Volvo's communications to drivers focus on big
events, such as changes to speed and distance between vehicles.

shift * july 2019

"We've added a specific display in the trucks' dashboards to
deliver information to the drivers on when to engage platooning,
the health status of the platooning and when to disengage platooning," Larsson said.

'LOOK-UP MOMENTS'

In Phoenix, Waymo has been gathering real-world information
on its AVs since April 2017. Riders give feedback after every trip,
and for the most part, they say riding in an AV is like riding in a
car with a human driver.
But there are times where something feels different, said
Ryan Powell, Waymo's head of design and user experience. It's
these "look-up moments" that tell Waymo when something
needs more work.
"If someone is down in their phone and they look up and have
a question about what the car is doing, we try to be there for the
rider in terms of providing that level of information," he said. "We
have a passenger screen in the car and we're trying to be very
transparent about what the car can see and what its intent is."

EXPLORATION, INTERACTION

It's also the job of autonomous vehicle designers and engineers
to prepare for situations the automotive industry hasn't yet fully
explored.
Masilko and his students at the ArtCenter College of Design
are exploring the field of interaction design.
"We get asked over and over again what interaction design is.

Shift Magazine - July 22, 2019

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