Interior automobile seats: A syntactical and perceptual study

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Architectural Psychology
• Automotive Design

Background:

• Automobile interiors are complex 'miniature' passenger spaces.
• Understanding spatial perception is crucial for user experience.
• Previous research has not fully explored the relationship between seat layout and spatial perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how different automobile seat layouts affect the perceived fluidity and privacy of the interior space.
• To validate the effectiveness of spatial syntax as a tool for analyzing automobile interior space perception.

Main Methods:

• Conducted perception experiments with seven automobile models featuring diverse seat configurations.
• Utilized space syntax analysis to calculate topological properties like depth, connection, and integration.
• Performed correlation analysis between experimental perception data and spatial syntax metrics.

Main Results:

• Spatial syntax analysis results closely aligned with human perception experiment findings.
• Demonstrated that varying seat layouts significantly influence perceived fluidity and privacy.
• Confirmed the utility of spatial syntax in quantitatively assessing interior spatial qualities.

Conclusions:

• Automobile seat layout is a key determinant of perceived spatial fluidity and privacy.
• Spatial syntax offers a robust and effective method for the design and analysis of automobile interior spaces.
• Findings can inform future automotive interior design to enhance user experience.