Age-related differences in Driver-INFO2000 interaction

These pages summarize the user-based evaluation of INFO2000, the prototype of a multifunctional in-car information system. The aim of the study was to investigate the very first impact of INFO2000 on both young and elderly potential users. It emerged that INFO2000 was initially less usable for elderly. Nevertheless, this difference tended to diminish with the practice and the elderly attitude towards the system was positive. The last years had seen something of a shift in the interest of the automotive industry: an increasing effort is devoted to the production of innovative systems allowing drivers to communicate with the external world. Following this trend, the Fiat Research Centre has developed INFO2000. It is intended to be a telematic, integrated and multifunctional system. It provides several functions concerning communication (i.e. telephone, SMS, e-mail), entertainment (i.e. radio, CD player), travelling (i.e. navigation system, traffic information), and vehicle monitoring (i.e. car check). One of the primary objectives of the INFO2000 project was the design of an interface that could fit needs and behaviour of potentially all drivers. Because of the natural decreasing of the cognitive abilities normally associated with ageing (Imbeau 93; NHTSA 99), elderly drivers were considered a critical target. Hence, the development of the user-interface was based on an iterative approach. The system life cycle started with the specification of the user requirements. A team of Human Factors experts developed a list of guidelines that according to a literature review and to their own experience should have helped the design of a universal interface. Following them, the designer team developed an extended version of the interface, which was further evaluated and improved. The result of this expert-based approach was a vertical prototype running on a PC: some functions were totally implemented; others were inactive. The prototype was installed in a vehicle and tested with real users. The study was planned to optimize the ecological validity of the results. The main goal was to investigate the learning phase, when a driver has just bought INFO2000 and started using it. The first part was performed on a stationary car. The experimenter illustrated the basic functions and input modalities of INFO2000. Then, the driver was required to perform some tasks under her supervision. The last part was performed on a circuit: participants were invited to use INFO2000 while driving. The tasks that were proposed in this phase had to guarantee the driver's safety. Hence, they were easier than those proposed during the stationary phase. All the experimental sessions were video-recorded and the prototype produced a log-file. Questionnaires were administered before and after the evaluation, to assess both expectancies and opinions. Thirty male drivers took part in the experiment. They were divided in 3 groups: young driver (24-35 years old) expert in new technologies, young driver non- expert, elderly driver (60-65 years old) non-expert. Three usability dimensions were considered: effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction (ISO 98).