Personalizable Functions and Appearance : Development of Concept for Instrument Cluster Display in Cars
Anders Gustafsson · Epubl LTU · 2013
By segmentation of individuals into groups with similar needs and preferences it is possible to develop products that are designed to accommodate the needs of specific target groups. However, a problem with segmentation is that many individuals have preferences that are not provided in the best possible way even by the product specifically designed for his/hers target group. If users are allowed to change form, function and content of a system, the potential to satisfy users to a greater extent exists. By personalization, a unique relation between the user and system can be created and the personal relevance can be increased.The goal of this project is to develop a concept of a human-machine-interaction system used in the driver environment of cars that can alter aspects of its interface from implicit and/or explicit user input in order to accommodate the differing needs of individuals by personalization. The concept should be safe, provide good usability and a pleasing user experience aswell as being implementable in cars with digital interfaces.Functions presented in the instrument cluster were divided into three categories and placed into a familiar structure with five fields open for personalization by letting users select where and what information should be presented in addition to selecting a colour theme. A menu controlled with steering wheel buttons was constructed for performing the personalization. Using guidelines for visual communication, a graphical interface that lets users personalize functionality and appearance of the instrument cluster was designed. The concept was implemented with simulated functions in a driving simulator, creating a concept prototype. This prototype was evaluated with user studies on twelve participants.No significant negative effect for performing personalization while driving could be found compared to driving without performing personalization. A questionnaire yielded an overall satisfaction score 4,95 of 7. The most chosen word by participants for describing their experience with the product was flexible. All twelve participants stated that they would personalize functions and appearance of the instrument cluster at least once if they had this type of system in their own car.