Transportation: Autonomous Vehicles

As Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technology transitions from the realm of science fiction to reality, the benefits of this technology have become ever more broadly discussed. Our research aims to make substantial contributions centered around the design of AVs and supportive technologies for AVs and how they can benefit all future consumers, especially those who cannot operate […]

Transportation: In-Vehicle Experiences

While an autonomous vehicle can be compartmentalized down to its ability to transport a person from point A to point B safely, this is not the only important aspect of the vehicle. How should a user communicate with the autonomous vehicle? What is the best design for the vehicle’s interior and exterior? How do SAE […]

Accessibility: Older Adults

Older adults, people ages 65 and older, may face challenges in being active members of society due to potential physical and mental limitations as they age. Our research looks for ways to improve the agency and engagement of older adults. With an inclusive design approach, we investigate how existing and future technology can be improved […]

Lights, Camera, Autonomy! Exploring the Opinions of Older Adults Regarding Autonomous Vehicles Through Enactment

ABSTRACT Autonomous vehicles (AV), one of the transportation industry’s biggest innovations of the past few decades, bring the promise of safer roads and significantly lower vehicle-related fatalities. While many studies have found largely positive consumer opinions regarding operating and owning such a vehicle, older adults (55+) tend to express concerns about the safety and operational […]

UTT: A Conceptual Model to Guide Universal Design of Autonomous Vehicles

ABSTRACT Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are closer to becoming a reality in changing the landscape of commercial and personal transportation. The launch of these vehicles come with the promise of improved road safety, reduced traffic fatalities, and enhanced mobility. However, there are questions as to whether the design of AVs will meet the needs of everyone, […]

Autonomous Vehicle Design Anti-Patterns: Making Emerging Transportation Technologies Inaccessible by Design

ABSTRACT Fully autonomous or “self-driving” vehicles represent a potentially transformative shift in personal mobility. Given the emerging nature of self-driving vehicle technologies, however, guidance for accessible implementation is limited. It has been suggested that the result is that much of this emerging technology is being designed in a manner that will render it largely inaccessible […]

Enacting into Reality: Using User Enactment to Explore the Future of Autonomous Vehicle Design

ABSTRACT Self-driving vehicles have been heralded as a dramatic new advancement in personal mobility. This emerging technology, beyond potentially improving driving safety, also represents a redefined relationship between the human driver and the vehicle. As this artificial intelligence-based vehicular technology becomes more intelligent, conventional interaction design methodologies may be challenged in their ability to fully […]

Putting Older Adults in the Driver Seat: Using User Enactment to Explore the Design of a Shared Autonomous Vehicle

ABSTRACT Self-driving vehicles have been described as one of the most significant advances in personal mobility of the past century. By minimizing the role of arguably error-prone human drivers, self-driving vehicles are heralded for improving traffic safety. Primarily driven by the technology’s potential impact, there is a rapidly evolving body of literature focused on consumer […]

Exploring the Needs, Preferences, and Concerns of Persons with Visual Impairments Regarding Autonomous Vehicles

ABSTRACT Fully autonomous or “self-driving” vehicles are an emerging technology that may hold tremendous mobility potential for blind or visually impaired persons who are currently unable to drive a conventional motor vehicle. Despite the considerable potential of self-driving vehicle technology to address this mobility issue, however, the needs and preferences of persons with visual disabilities […]

An Open Road Evaluation of a Self-Driving Vehicle Human-Machine Interface Designed for Visually Impaired Users

ABSTRACT Fully autonomous or “self-driving” vehicles are an emerging technology that may hold tremendous mobility potential for individuals who are visually impaired who have been previously disadvantaged by an inability to operate conventional motor vehicles. Prior studies however, have suggested that these consumers have significant concerns regarding the accessibility of this technology and their ability […]