UX Design and Evaluation of Warning Alerts for Semi-Autonomous Cars with Elderly Drivers

Rukonic, Luka [UCL] Marie-Anne Pungu Mwange [AWTC Europe] Kieffer, Suzanne [UCL]

This paper presents a study on user experience (UX) design and evaluation of warning systems intended for older adults in semi-autonomous cars. We used combinations of visual, auditory, and speech modalities to design the warning alerts and created three low-fidelity, video-based prototypes. We conducted user tests with elderly drivers, both in the lab and remotely, within a test-and-refine approach involving three experiments. The methods used for data collection included Wizard of Oz, standard questionnaires and interviews. We collected qualitative user feedback and self-reported ratings of user experience and cognitive load. We report on the iterative development of our design solution, findings from these user studies, and our methodological insights, that UX researchers and practitioners could use in similar settings.