Travelers’ information need in automated vehicles – a psychophysiological analysis

Abstract

With increasing technological progress in autonomous driving, careful design of passenger-autonomous vehicle interaction is necessary. The current study examined this during an on-demand drive with a real-world Wizard-of-Oz study. The vehicle collected each participant from a virtual stop, drove to a destination and returned to the starting location. On the way back, two unexpected events occurred – an abrupt braking event and an unexpected detour. During the events, 19 out of the 37 participants received an error notice followed by content information, while the remaining 18 only received an error notice. Psychophysiological data was gathered during and after the drive in the Wizard-of-Oz autonomous vehicle and served to determine a passenger’s information need during the drive. Analyses of the physiological data showed a cardiological reaction to the events, especially during the abrupt braking event. The subjective evaluations served as the primary source of insight into a passenger’s wish for information during events and the whole drive. The results indicate that information presentation positively impacted the passengers’ feeling of pleasure, safety and understandability of the vehicle.