Together in the Car: A Comparison of Five Concepts to Support Driver-Passenger Collaboration

A well-known cause of driver distraction is the engagement in non-driving-related activities (NDRA) using in-vehicle-infotainment systems (IVIS). Prior research shows that collaborative approaches to NDRAs with input from passengers can help to reduce these effects. Nevertheless, there is no systematic work on how to support collaboration in the car. In this paper, we designed and evaluated five concepts that exemplify different collaborative approaches with the goal of studying in-vehicle collaboration. Our results provide insights into how these approaches affect collaboration through the measures of (1) social connectedness (connectedness, affiliation, belongingness, companionship) and (2) team performance (coordination effectiveness, team cohesion). We found that Anarchic or Hierarchical control empower front-seat passengers, reduce power dynamics, and minimize driver distraction (caused by interacting passengers). We discuss the implications of these findings and posit recommendations to design future IVIS in passenger cars with improved driver-passenger collaboration.