Enhancing in-car interface efficiency: The influence of menu configuration on cognitive load and visuospatial memory

The study examines the impacts of different menu types on touchscreen operations under varying visuospatial working memory (VSWM) loads through an in-vehicle information/infotainment system (IVIS). Using eye-tracking, EEG data, and the NASA-TLX questionnaire, it assesses the effects of menu types and VSWM loads on task performance, visual search efficiency, and mental workload. The 36 participants were divided into hierarchical and grouping menu groups, demonstrating that grouping menus exhibit better task performance and visual search efficiency. In contrast, hierarchical menus cause a higher subjective mental workload under greater VSWM loads. Theta waves in the occipital brain region indicate reduced mental workload for grouping menus, and alpha waves in the central region correlate with VSWM load. For goal-oriented search tasks, consider the number of fixations and VSWM interference in IVIS testing. Future studies should simulate real menu usage scenarios and multitasking to offer practical design guidance for in-vehicle and aviation systems.