Designing Ride Access Points for Shared Automated Vehicles

Abstract

Future mobility solutions based on digital technologies, like automated mobility on-demand (AMoD) services, also emphasize the need for supporting digital ur-ban infrastructure. By aiming to reduce users’ uncertainty and increasing both user experience and acceptance the need for the new concept of virtual ride ac-cess points (VRAP) derives. By enhancing the user’s competence and infor-mation supply the physical meeting problem of user and shared automated vehi-cle could be overcome. The objective of this study is to evaluate a first human-centered VRAP design prototype regarding overall usability. Moderated remote user tests were conducted with a sample of early adopters of ride-sharing ser-vices. Participants were asked to imagine themselves into a situation of using an AMoD service and were introduced to the early stage prototype. After comple-tion of a standardized usability questionnaire (UEQ), the results show that the presented concept gives a positive initial impression to the participants. The de-sign concept already enhances the user’s competence in the given scenario and the prototypes’ potential is revealed by high pragmatic quality. Hence, the new concept of a VRAP has the capability to improve human-machine interaction of AMoD services and promotes overcoming the meeting problem. Prospectively, VRAPs could be put into practice with means of augmented reality. With this research the authors seek to conceive human-centered design guidelines for fu-ture digital AMoD infrastructure that reduces users’ subjective uncertainty and improves both user experience and user acceptance.