A comparison of two contemporary types of in-car multifunctional interfaces

A driving simulator study was conducted to investigate the effects of carrying out a variety of tasks using two different types of contemporary in-car multifunctional interfaces: a touch screen interface and an interface manoeuvred by a rotary control. Participants drove on a curved rural road while performing tasks such as list scrolling, radio tuning, alphanumeric input and continuous adjustments. The results indicate that, in terms of task completion time and the number of glances made to the display, the optimal interface is dependent on the task being performed. The touch screen interface was better for alphanumeric input tasks and the interface manoeuvred by a rotary control was better for continuous adjustments and list scrolling. Alphanumeric input seems to be more demanding than other tasks, independent of the interface used. It was apparent in this simulator study that both interfaces affected the lateral control performance, but lateral control performance deteriorated to a greater extent when the touch screen interface was used, probably partially as a result of the lower display position.

► We compared to types of in-car interfaces – touch screen and rotary control.
► Participants carried out tasks with the interfaces while driving a car simulator.
► Touch screen is more efficient for alphanumeric input tasks.
► Rotary control is more efficient for continuous adjustments and list scrolling.
► Touch screen affected lateral control performance to a greater extent.