Older Drivers' Attitudes and Preferences about Instrument Cluster Designs in Vehicles Revealed by the Dashboard...

Area of Science:

• Human Factors
• Gerontology
• Automotive Engineering

Background:

• Growing population of older drivers worldwide.
• Many older drivers experience visual processing impairments.
• Limited understanding of older drivers' preferences for vehicle instrument cluster design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of a questionnaire assessing older drivers' preferences for vehicle dashboard design.
• To identify key design elements relevant to older drivers' visual and cognitive needs.
• To inform the optimization of instrument cluster displays for this demographic.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire on dashboard design was administered to 1000 older drivers.
• Items covered gauges, knobs/switches, and interior lighting using a Likert scale.
• Factor and Rasch analyses were employed to identify underlying subscales and assess psychometric properties.

Main Results:

• Four thematic subscales emerged: cognitive processing, lighting, pattern recognition, and obstructions.
• Subscales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (0.70-0.87) and unidimensionality.
• Areas for questionnaire improvement were identified, including item scope and category ordering.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive processing, lighting, pattern recognition, and obstructions are critical design considerations for older drivers.
• The Dashboard Questionnaire effectively captures relevant design preferences.
• Future research will link visual function to design preferences to optimize instrument clusters for older drivers.