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Effect of button location on driver's visual behaviour and safety perception.
T Dukic1, L Hanson, K Holmqvist
1National Institute for Working Life, Gothenburg, Sweden. tania.dukic@arbetslivsinstitutet.se
Ergonomics
|April 5, 2005
Summary
Button placement in car interiors significantly impacts driver visual time off road. Locations further from the line of sight increase distraction, while a gear stick proximity button unexpectedly reduced it, suggesting complex perceptual and motor control factors.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Automotive Ergonomics
- Driver Behavior Analysis
Background:
- Buttons are common car interior controls, yet their impact on driver visual behavior is under-researched.
- Understanding how button design affects driver attention is crucial for road safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the effect of push button location and auditory feedback on drivers' visual time off road and safety perception.
- To investigate how different button placements influence driver distraction in real traffic.
Main Methods:
- Real-world traffic study on a motorway involving eight drivers.
- Eye tracking system to record visual behavior during 960 button-press trials.
- Analysis of visual time off road and safety perception based on button location.
Main Results:
- Auditory feedback did not significantly affect visual time off road.
- Increased visual time off road correlated with greater angular deviation from the normal line of sight for center stack buttons.
- A button near the gear stick, despite high eccentricity, resulted in shorter time off road.
Conclusions:
- Button location is a critical factor in driver visual distraction, with off-axis placement increasing time off road.
- The unexpected finding for the gear stick button suggests perceptual, risk, or motor control factors may mitigate distraction.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the nuanced relationship between button design and driver visual behavior.