The effect of information availability in a user interface (UI) on in-vehicle task performance: A pilot study

- The amount of information available on UI significantly affects the operator's in-vehicle task performance.
- Additional relevant information does not always enhance the operator's in-vehicle task performance.
- Different types of information showed either positive or negative effect on operator's behavior during the completion of in-vehicle task.
- The availability of process and vigilance information promote operational accuracy and safety by providing a better awareness of task situation.

When performing an in-vehicle operation, the information display is a crucial element that decides the operator's control behaviors. The interaction between information presentation and operator's in-vehicle task performance is critical for vehicle safety. The question arises: What is the optimum availability of information? The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between different information availabilities and operation performances as operators interact with an in-vehicle user interface (UI) to complete a simulated train driving task. The results show that some types of information significantly affect the operator's task performance. Information that improved the task performances were closely associated with specific task requirements. The participants' task performance indicated that they had a better awareness of a task situation and were better at controlling their virtual vehicle when completing time and process-restricted tasks with limited, relevant information. These results support the conclusion that more information does not always promote accuracy and safety during the task completion.Relevance to industryThis study presents a unique insight into the information display of in-vehicle UI design for vehicle control. The information available within an in-vehicle interface should be optimized by performance assessments to provide more useful information; this has significant positive effect on operator performance from an accuracy and safety perspective. Thus, this study provides advice for designing an in-vehicle UI.