i3 - May/June 2017 - 21

INFORMATION
PRESENTED
DIFFERENTLY
"A lot of HMI development has
been focusing on the semi-autonomous use-case," via augmented
reality displays, eye tracking and
other driver monitoring systems,
says James Hodgson, industry
analyst for smart mobility and
automotive at ABI Research in
Wellingborough, U.K. "But it's
pretty clear that the tide of investment and strategic direction from
players outside the ecosystem and
[automakers] alike more recently
C TA . t e c h / i 3

Keep Calm
and RideOn
Would you
like to stop for
Starbucks?

has been towards fully autonomous," Hodgson says. In this
context, passenger cabins have
been dubbed "the third space,"
characterizing the vehicle as
a living space or a workspace.
But often overlooked is the
effect that fully driverless technology and changes to business
models has on HMIs and vehicle interiors. He suggests, when
shared driverless vehicles are
mass deployed (a la Uber),
HMIs should appeal to disparate tastes. Thus, he says,
possibilities include rich
multimedia displays (because
driver distraction is not
a concern), physical reconfigurability of the cabin, and
embedded keyboards.
Similar notions were shown
in various concept vehicles at
CES and the 2017 North
American International Auto
Show in Detroit, including the
Rinspeed Oasis, Volkswagen
I.D. Buzz and Chrysler Portal.
When asked what they would
like to do in a car that drives
itself, people typically say watch
a movie or work, says Tim
Smith, principal of design and
head of ustwo Auto, a London
(U.K.)-based digital production
agency that helps automakers
create in-vehicle user experiences, with specialties in contextual HMI, connectivity,
human factors for smart mobility, and humanizing autonomy.
"We found there are some nuanced human factors to consider with
self-driving cars over semi-autonomous modes of transport such
as trains and planes," Smith says. "Just because you can turn around
and watch The Lion King and eat your pizza [in a self-driving car]
doesn't mean people will want that." Creating an HMI for a driverless car is "about designing for fundamental human needs and not
what is technically possible," Smith adds.
"Where autonomous is interesting is in the service design, and
how it integrates in your life. There's nothing necessarily visual
or tangible about that design. It's just whatever is most appropriate for the user," he says. "It's interrupting or providing information to someone. It could be physical, it could be digital, it could
be audio, it could be haptics."
Ustwo Auto's research and development partners include the
University of Washington in Seattle and University College
London. The firm's clients include BMW, Ford, Jaguar Land
Rover and Nissan.
MAY/JUNE 2017

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i3 - May/June 2017

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