Evaluation Of An Application Based On Conceptual Metaphors For Social Interaction Between Vehicles

Due to an increasing level of automation whilst driving, users will gain additional spare time while travelling in the future. This allows passengers to indulge in non-driving activities, e.g. staying socially connected with their friends or entertaining themselves via mobile devices, which would otherwise be considered too distracting. To facilitate this, we designed an in-car infotainment system to replace the multiple mobile devices currently necessary to satisfy those needs. Our design approach employed a combination of Contextual Design methods and the Image Schema Theory for the first time ever in the automotive domain, which promises to be intuitive-to-use, and have innovative and inclusive interfaces. A first-time comparison with market leading products indicated higher efficiency, innovation scores and preferential scores while showing equal results for effectiveness, inclusivity and intuitive use. Furthermore we provide a set of conceptual metaphors which can inform future design and research efforts in the automotive domain.