Unifying in-vehicle infotainment and navigation system interfaces

Guide: Davide Bolchini Aeshvarya Verma, Giri Babu Saranu, Reecha Bharali I541 Fall 2012.

An introductory HCI Project

IMBIBING BETTER INTERACTION PRACTICES TO THE CURRENT GPS SYSTEM THROUGH UNIFIED SCREEN

Novel And Unified Interface for GPS and In-car Entertainment

Dr. Davide Bolchini I541 Fall 2012

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CONTENTS

I. Problem Space ............................................................................................................................. 3

A. Context ................................................................................................................................... 3

B. Use .......................................................................................................................................... 3

C. People ...................................................................................................................................... 3

D. Usability and Experience goal of user .................................................................................. 4

E. The User Experience goals .................................................................................................... 5

II. Conceptualization ...................................................................................................................... 6

High Level Concepts ................................................................................................................... 6

III.Design and Prototypes .............................................................................................................. 7

Physical Device ....................................................................................................................... 7

User Interface Behavior ......................................................................................................... 8

IV. Product Requirements ............................................................................................................. 8

Functional Interface Requirements .......................................................................................... 8

Data & Content Requirements .................................................................................................. 8

Environmental Requirements ................................................................................................... 9

User Requirements ..................................................................................................................... 9

Initial User Scenarios................................................................................................................. 9

Scenario 1 ................................................................................................................................ 9

Scenario 2 .............................................................................................................................. 10

V. Design and Prototypes ............................................................................................................ 11

High Fidelity Prototype ............................................................................................................ 12

VI. Evaluating the Design ........................................................................................................... 13

Usability Study through Internal Walkthrough .................................................................... 15

APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................... 17

APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................................... 19

APPENDIX C ............................................................................................................................... 23


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APPENDIX D ............................................................................................................................... 24

APPENDIX E ............................................................................................................................... 28


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I. PROBLEM SPACE A. Context

GPS systems have been able to simplify the problems of travelers in a bountiful way by which location is tracked and directed. The search for destinations just over a tiny screen has made travelling much easier. Current GPS systems solve the primary problem of navigation. Our task for the project was to imbibe better interaction practices for the current GPS system.

Travelling is one of the fun activities of the modern world and long distance travels are on the hobby list of many. Modern GPS adds up the value for such travels to people who visit places for the first time. The idea was to enhance the experience of GPS during long travels where the car driver need not look into the GPS for a long time such as in highways, low traffic zones and when one has an hour long straight road to drive.

During such times, drivers generally end up switching on their car LCD for a short movie, putting up their phone for a call or putting on their car music systems. All these activities put on the cognitive load on the driver. Moreover often due to not landing on the perfect set of options like getting the perfect song; it demands a scan of the car drawer or the pen drive; causing a distraction. The idea is to address this problem space and to reduce the cognitive load on the car driver for a safe drive and a happy journey.

B. Use The team will design a novel interface for a global navigation (GPS)

and car entertainment interface allowing users to seamlessly switch between GPS and car entertainment. This proposed interface gives an excellent user experience for the people. This interface will be intelligent enough to switch over the GPS Navigation and the remaining modules like Audio and Video. And also, this GPS System provides auditory enabled information to the drivers like famous hotels, movie complex etc in the current location by reducing the cognitive load on the car driver for a safe drive and a happy journey.

C. People The users that have been discovered through the problem space are as

mentioned below: Primary Users

These users are basically the drivers or the person driving the automobile. These include all the persons with a valid driver’s license. They


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are in direct interaction with the in-car entertainment system and use the GPS navigation system, FM system, listen to MP3 songs. During long drives, the entertainment system is used frequently. The technical know-how varies from person to person. They also search for good restaurants, hotels, tourist spots along their way or at the destination. Secondary Users

These are the people sitting beside the driver. They can also interact with the in-car entertainment system but priority is given to the driver. These people frequently changes the songs, radio stations or watch short movies. These users don’t require a driver’s license. They have basic to moderate technical knowledge. Excluded Users

These ‘excluded’ are not tech-savvy and doesn’t interact with the entertainment system at all. These people sit at the back of the car. User Communities

These include the GPS map software made by Garmin allowing users to locate the exact destination from their initial location, FM station list, Song playlist. These allow users to relax and refresh during the drive.

D. Usability and Experience goal of user The technical usability goals would be:

Effectiveness This novel GPS interface should provide the simplicity and ease of use

to all the users. It should allow all users to enjoy listening music, FM or watching video and provide mapping and directions using GPS. The primary goal of this interface is seamless transition from car entertainment to GPS and vice-versa. Setting of a time enhanced and automated GPS system that detects travel locations while on the way would also enhance the effectiveness.

Efficiency This interface needs to be simple and intuitive. The new interface should provide all the functionality with very less interaction to the unified device. Users should be free from interacting with the car entertainment and GPS,


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as these interfaces switch over intermittently. I should provide a better road enhancement of the GPS with travel needs. E.g. location of the favorite cafeteria during long distance travels Learnability The option of easy navigation and state of the art interface covering both the learnability of technical people and non tech-savvy people.

Memorability The interface will be designed around two primary scenarios, each making use of simplified affirmations. It should not require users to memorize complex instructions, and will provide enough recognition to functionality for those that may have forgotten. Safety

The use of a single screen reduces the associated problems of safety as opposed to common opinions of increasing risks for users. For a unified screen the driver doesn't have to look at the same time to different screens. Moreover the adaptive technology helps in lesser interactions and better understanding of the user needs of playing better music or FM. The music or video fades away and takes over the GPS screen once the signal or a strong turn approaches. Utility

The use of system can be fruitful especially for long distance travels due to facilities like Point of Interest i.e. finding a suitable location.

E. The User Experience goals The user experience goals are as listed:

Enjoyment Users can really enjoy with this novel interface, as they are free from

interacting with the multiple devices like GPS and car entertainment concurrently. This makes more joy for the users while driving, as this interface will switchover intermittently between GPS and car entertainment.

Convenient This interface is more convenient for the users, as users are not

required to interact with the system while driving. This makes users relaxed and focused on driving rather than interacting with the devices.


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Exciting The system has surprise elements to excite the user. The media

systems would detect the mood of the user to play a playlist that suits one’s needs. The video play can be suggestive for the videos that have not been watched for a long time.

Aesthetically Pleasing The interface suits the user needs like easy readability by having large

fonts.

Emotionally Fulfilling The interface fulfills the user’s needs without putting in much effort

and with no frustration.

II. CONCEPTUALIZATION High Level Concepts

Oldsmobile in 1995 were the first to add a GPS navigation system to a production car, adding it to their Guide star car model. Dozens of GPS related satellites had been launched into space ever since to enhance the availability of GPS in different cars. GPS today is enhanced with GPS rangefinders; to give information on POI i.e. the points of interest like cash machines, gas stations, restaurants; up to date traffic system; vehicle traffic system and others.

Driving is a passion and long distance travel is something that everyone often looks forward to.GPS has become an inseparable part of such travels due to its capacity of making roadways familiar to the new drivers. Along with, the drivers or the travelers often want the travel to be joyful with their favorite music or video; the entertainment system satisfies this need of staying refreshed during the journey. To get a better experience the user often switches between the two interfaces whenever he feels like. However it is a strenuous activity to look at various screens on the dashboard- the GPS and the music screen and also driving at the same time.

By using the proposed enhanced GPS system with a single screen for various functions driving becomes easy and safe. The music system realizes the mood of the driver and plays songs accordingly. There are no browsing drives and scanning the music space of the car. The videos are played according to the time available for a particular travel. Both music and video


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operate with the element of surprise in them. The GPS is also enhanced by pointing the favorite’s spots of the driver. His favorite café, gas stations, the popular tourist destinations on the way. These actions are voluntary and system accepts them when there is a command from the user. Such a system with automation and minimum interaction helps the user have a safe drive to the destination.

III. DESIGN AND PROTOTYPES Physical Device

This device is a single screen interactive system which will reflect the following growing trends in ubiquitous devices. First, the device will make use of touch screen technology, allowing for users to physically interact with the user interface itself, rather than with a significant number of external, physical buttons. Second, this device will allow for connectivity to multiple input devices like USB, iPod docking station, Aux-in port, port for 7.1 surround sound speaker system. Third, the device will incorporate voice activation functionality, allowing users hands-free device control, a noted safety and lawful feature while driving & also the frequently used buttons like start, volume control, pause, etc. are placed on the steering wheel.

The physical device is being developed with parameters of approximately 9.5” H x 7.31” W x 0.37” D (rounded rectangular), and will weigh approximately 1.44 pounds. The total number of external buttons will be at absolute minimum, as most device interaction should be controlled by the user interface. There are ports for the connection of input devices like USB 3.0 port, iPhone/iPod connector, Aux-in port, audio port for 7.1 surround sound speaker system. A solid-state storage device of 16 GB will be incorporated for file storage purposes, and a replaceable rechargeable battery will be implemented. The device is intended to be operated horizontally, such that internal sensors will adjust the display to the closest horizontal axis, allowing both right and left handed users very similar (if not identical) physical user experiences. The display will support a 2048x1536 resolution with a screen size of 9.7inch which is a LED backlit glossy widescreen. It has a fingerprint- resistant oleo phobic coating.


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User Interface Behavior The novel integrated GPS and Car Entertainment system with multi-

touch functionality of the interface will provide users the ability to explore all the possible interactions to perform GPS, audio and video functions. Users can select the desired function, such as driving directions to a specific address or listening to FM just by selecting the respective icon on the screen. With this excellent user-centered interface, users can get the desired functionality very quickly. Though the interface provides all the required functionality but it looks simplified.

IV. PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS Functional Interface Requirements With the process, the following specifications were considered:

• Access to GPS, Satellite radio, MP3, movies and internet.

• Satellite positioning, satellite radio, access to the web

• LED Backlit Touch screen interface

• 16GB solid state storage

• Built-in rechargeable battery that recharges through the car.

• Voice command recognition (for GPS navigation)

• Standard device controls (i.e., volume, display)

• USB, iPod, Aux-in, audio port connectivity

• High fidelity screen output (2048x1536); good contrast, brightness

• Built-in speakers

Data & Content Requirements This product requires the data to be received from the satellite for the

navigation and this will be provided to the user by the in-built GPS receiver in the device. Along with this, users can store the data for the audio and video. The interface will possess large, icon-based symbols familiar to the user. Users can also physically connect the device via the USB ports and upload and download audio and video content.


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Environmental Requirements Access to a GPS system and access to a wireless broadband service is

required. Remote sensitivity is needed for use by both primary and secondary users. Display controls are required to adjust brightness and self-dim mode after a certain interval. Voice Recognition of the primary was not found to suit so as to subside the external noises.

User Requirements Identifying the context of the problem space led to analyze the requirements of the user that would enhance the requirements of the user. A questionnaire was designed to understand the requirements of the user. A qualitative questionnaire and a quantitative online questionnaire were designed. The qualitative questionnaire was answered by 5 participants. The quantitative answer was answered by 10 participants. The questionnaires were hosted online for the purpose. They are attached in Appendix A. The following features were found to be apt for the new system:

• Effortless transition between different applications (For e.g.: GPS, Audio, FM, Video etc) while driving.

• Provide onscreen keyboard for manual input(when necessary or requested)

• Menu based commands. • Allow for emotion based music play of stored audio files (surprise

elements in the music) • Allow for seamless selection of Add-on places while the GPS is on( For

e.g.: ATMs, restaurants etc. can be located on the way) • Allow for easy usage of the system by both the primary and secondary

users of the GPS system.

Initial User Scenarios Scenario 1 User Profile: Steve is a 30years old Sales Executive who loves to travel and commutes to different locations every day. Each trip takes about 60 minutes to 2 hours. He always finds himself bored during the drive, as he has to go alone and wishes he had some pleasure during his driving. He always has to bring iPod, Portable DVD Player and his GPS device which makes him cumbersome to keep track of all of the gadgets. Steve always needs to control


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two or more gadgets at the same time like increasing the GPS audio volume while reducing the music audio volume. Many times, he has to change during his daily driving. Steve is frustrated and wishes that he could have just a single device/interface that would provide him with the essential services of GPS, Audio and Video without controlling manually. Task Oriented Scenario: Steve started using the newly released GPS in the car. After his meeting with clients, they all planned to have lunch together. They want to find the nearest food places to have lunch. Steve selected the point of interest and then selects the food option; it immediately displayed the nearest restaurants along with distance from the current position. They all decided to go and take lunch from the TGF by selecting from the list. The GPS added this location to its immediate destination point. Steve and his clients are very excited with this new GPS system. On the return to home from work, Steve relay tired and he wanted to listen good music. He selects the Music and then he clicks on Surprise. Then GPS system started playing music, which makes him more, relaxed based on his emotion. This makes him more happy and relieved from his day’s hectic schedule. When there is turn, the new GPS system automatically pause the music and it gives directions till his crosses turn and music resumes after that. This feature makes him enjoy while in driving rather than worry about turns and working with multiple gadgets simultaneously. Scenario 2 User Profile: Beth is a 35 years old working lady living in Indianapolis. She is a happy woman with two children and a husband, who works in a foreign investment company in Minneapolis. Her husband's busy schedule prevents him to travel to Indy even on weekends. So she regularly travels to Minneapolis over the weekends with her two children. She is a working mother and remains very busy and didn't get much chance to prepare, in advance, for the journey. She drives with her children who are seated at the back of the car. Though she travels to Minneapolis regularly; she often gets confused with the streets. On the way her children often watch cartoons and listen to a lot of songs. But her children often keep complaining about her for putting up the same stuffs repeatedly. Task Oriented Scenario: Beth sits in the car with her children. She puts up the new GPS in her car and starts it. She types her husband’s exact address


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for Minneapolis as 234 North Street Minnesota, Minneapolis. Based on the directions provided by GPS, she starts driving. On the demands from children, she just switches on the FM to the local radio station. It plays local country music and the radio station is hosting guests so there is a lot of talking. She wants to change but waits for the next red signal. In the next signal, Beth tunes into other radio stations pressing the button. She finally lands in something that suits her taste and her children agree. After travelling from the downtown area she finally reaches the expressway. The GPS continuously monitors her and she turns off the voice command. Meanwhile just after crossing the last exit she notices that she is running out of gas. She starts scanning for the next exit in her GPS. The children also start asking for some food. She finally notices an exit and enters it. But the exit only hosted gas station; it had a bar but nothing much that the children wanted to eat. So, she quickly fills up the gas and goes further to look for the next location where she spots a Mc Donald’s. In the meantime she again needs to continuously look for the exit until she finally ends one. The children also keep complaining to play their favorite Taylor Swift songs. She browses through her playlist but doesn’t find any. In the end she ends up browsing her dashboard drawer and locating a disk; which she mounts to play. She gets irritated that she cannot do things easily while driving on the highway and promises her to take a day off before moving on a journey. V. DESIGN AND PROTOTYPES

Physical Product Design

The new graphical interactive interfaces were designed for

optimizing for a fixed physical device on a car dashboard.

Concept Design

This product should give both the primary and secondary users an

easy and simplified in-car entertainment system. Its first priority is GPS and all other multimedia capabilities are seamlessly integrated into the interface. Initial sketches and low-fidelity prototypes are demonstrated here.


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Low Fidelity Prototype

The low fidelity prototypes were developed in Balsamiq. Sketches were drawn

and nine different versions of the concept were laid out. Based on the user needs and requirement analysis; the functionalities and the navigation of the system were decided. The crude low fidelity prototype was developed with

both vertical and horizontal functionalities of the system.

High Fidelity Prototype The high fidelity prototype was designed using MS Axure software

keeping the low fidelity version 2 prototype in mind. This prototype is far

from finish but demonstrate the near complete functionality of the final product. The high fidelity prototypes can be found at the following URL:

http://share.axure.com/MWUCAD/ Instructions: Please Click on Page 1 on the link. Some Screenshots from the high fidelity:

The screen for the GPS and emotion based music play

http://share.axure.com/MWUCAD/


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GPS display screen

The video play screen of the interface


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Screen for music playlist with GPS running in background

VI. EVALUATING THE DESIGN Usability Study with Users We selected four participants to take part in a usability study, based on the

developed high-fidelity prototype. The participant’s demographics comprise 3 male and 1 female; all were between the ages of 21 to 30 years. The participants were explained about the product in a detailed format. They

were also told that the session will be videotaped and used mainly for research purpose. They were also explained about the incentives. The user responses for the project have been through online questionnaires which have

been listed in Appendix D.

During each test session, evaluator took general notes for every task. After all tasks were completed, users were asked to complete the


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questionnaire (qualitative study, consists of open ended questions) to understand the constructive feedback about this high-fidelity prototype.

Usability Study through Internal Walkthrough Task driven expert evaluation was conducted within the team with the following scenario; where the expert imagines oneself in the following situation and uses the application: 1. You are driving from Indianapolis to Chicago with the GPS showing the route. Select an ATM along the way so that when you reach Chicago, you can pay the bill. 2. You are on a long and straight highway and driving alone, you want random songs to be selected depending on mood. 3. Before starting the GPS, you want to listen to the current news on the FM on the frequency 98.3 MHz Assessment of Results The results of the user studies from the questionnaires in Appendix E are included in the following Table1.


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Table 1

There are still some icons remaining to be incorporated in the interface like

play button when the GPS is on and music is playing in the background. The home button is placed at the correct position but needs a revision in terms of the graphics. The POI button doesn’t make sense and also needs a revision.

Although, initially we thought colors would make a difference while selecting different choices in the point of interest and various playlists but now it seems they distract the users more than what they contribute in the

selection.

The interface seems to assume that you realize something happened, but does not do much in the way of feedback. For example, when selecting music on top of running GPS, there’s no mention of where the user is. The same

thing is lacking when FM, Video or GPS are selected in the interface. There are still some optimizations needed when using the FM.

Placing the required buttons in appropriate locations in the interface can

help enhancing the overall functionality of the design. Fixed notifications about the current location of the user will reduce the cognitive load of the user.

We need some research on how we can detect the present mood of the user and provide options of related songs to him. We made the transition from a Video to GPS smooth but require a notification on the GPS about the changed

distance and time settings.


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APPENDIX A

The Quantitative Questionnaire with 10 participants.

1. Demographics

• Name • Age • Sex • Car Used

2. How often do you go for long drives?

• Frequently • Sometimes • Rarely • Never

3. How do you search destinations on GPS?

• Touch(touch keypad) • Type(buttons) • Voice

4. How often do you use the music system?

• Always • Frequently • Sometimes • Rarely • Never

5. How often do you need to control two or more gadgets at the same time or simultaneously?


6. How often do you use GPS?

• Always • Frequently


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• Sometimes • Rarely • Never

7. How often do you need to search for your favorite song?


8. How many different gadgets you use in your car?

• 1 • 2 • 3 • More

9. Would you like to use a music system that selects a music for you based on your emotion?

• Yes • No • Maybe • Can't Say

10. Which other add-on searches you wants with the GPS?

• Restaurants • ATM • Gas station

Qualitative Questionnaire 1. How do you feel when you use multiple gadgets in the car? 2. When you are travelling what might makes you feel more relaxed? 3. How do you feel interacting with current GPS? 4. How do you find your point of interests while travelling with GPS? 5. Would you like to have a unified device providing GPS and Car

Entertainment? 6. Would you like to have GPS intelligent enough, where you don’t need

to operate multiple gadgets at the same time? 7. How would you describe your experiences about your favorite song

selection based on your emotion?


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APPENDIX B


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APPENDIX C The participants were read out the following paragraph. Introduction: “This is an enhanced GPS system. It is called emc2. This is basically an automated system where you can listen to music, work on GPS and watch videos on a single screen. There are various options for listening to music. This will change your life. Because when you sit in a car; a GPS is a most important element. We are integrating all the interfaces into one. The system can detect points of interests. These points can be selected as per the likes of the user. The system works intelligently while playing videos to shift to the GPS interface while there is an important turn in the roadway” Participants were then asked to perform the following tasks after they were explained about the interface: Scenario 1 Imagine yourself driving to Chicago from your current location. Suppose your GPS is running. Now select a playlist. Suppose now you want to switch to a video. Can you do it now? Suppose you got bored and want to try tuning into your favorite FM station 98.3 FM. Scenario 2 Imagine yourself driving. Now suppose you are in a happy mood. And you want to select songs based on your mood. Suppose you are hungry and your car is running out of gas, search for a point of interest in the same lines.


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APPENDIX D Demographics: Age Group: ___ 21-25 Years_√√__26-30 Years___31-35 Years___36-40 Years___above 41 Sex: ___M_√__F Car Owned: _________________________________________ Questions Strongly

Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly

Disagree The language on the task list you were given was clearly understood

√

The icons used are self explaining

√

The information on the homepage was clear

√

The labels used are appropriate to achieve your task

√

This interface is comfortable to use while driving

√

This overall design can be easily learned and remembered

√

It is comfortable to switch among the applications and the GPS

√

The interface provided with clues to access it easily

√

The navigation pattern was well understood

√


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Additional Comments: , if I can choose what kind of food, rather than just a large scope of food, it may work better. I may need a button to manually switch between GPS and the video that I am playing easily. In-class participants - Quantitative Extraction: Likert Scale Questionnaire: User Feedback Demographics: Age Group: __X_ 21-25 Years___26-30 Years___31-35 Years___36-40 Years___above 41 Sex: _X__M___F Car Owned:_______0__________________________________ Questions Strongly



X


X


X


X


X


X


X

The interface provided with clues to access it

X


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easily The navigation pattern was well understood

X

Additional Comments: It provides me a faster way to set destination without memorizing address Out-class participants - Quantitative Extraction: Likert Scale Questionnaire: User Feedback Demographics: Age Group: ___ 21-25 Years_ X __26-30 Years___31-35 Years___36-40 Years___above 41 Sex: __ X _M___F Car Owned: _________________________________________ Questions Strongly



X


X


X


X


X


X


X


X


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X

Additional Comments: Out-class participants - Quantitative Extraction: Likert Scale Questionnaire: User Feedback Demographics: Age Group: ___ 21-25 Years_ X __26-30 Years___31-35 Years___36-40 Years___above 41 Sex: __ X _M___F Car Owned: _________________________________________ Questions Strongly



X


X

The information on the home page was clear

X


X


X


X


X


X


X


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APPENDIX E Informed Consent for participating in High Fidelity Prototype evaluation

Reecha Bharali , Giri Saranu and Aeshvarya Verma

Human Computer Interaction I541

Description of Study: I understand that I,_____________________________________ have been asked to participate in a prototype evaluation study created as part of the above persons’ (henceforth, “the researchers”) course project for I 541. My participation in this will help the researchers to better understand the high fidelity prototype of strengths and weaknesses. I have been asked to spend about 10 mins participating in this test. This will involve my doing some or all of the following things:

• Performing tasks, • Interacting with researchers , • Filling out questionnaires.

When the researcher describes their work to other people, they will not use my name.

Risks and Benefits Expected: The study will not do me any harm. The study is not expected to help me directly. The results may help the researcher to improve the design of this interface.

Confidentiality: I understand that any information about me that is obtained from this study, including what I say, will be confidential. My real name will be kept in a locked file and only the researcher will have access to it.

Right to Refuse or End Participation: I understand that I may refuse to participate in this study or stop participating at any time.

Certification: I certify that I have read and that I understand the foregoing, that I have been given satisfactory answers to my inquiries concerning this study, and that I have been advised that I am free to withdraw my consent and to discontinue participation in the project or activity at any time.

I herewith give my consent to participate in this study with the understanding that such consent does not waive any of my legal rights, nor does it release the researcher or any agent thereof from liability for negligence. I understand that I shall remain anonymous in all written and verbal reports of this study.

Signature of individual participant Date

Unifying in-vehicle infotainment and navigation system interfaces

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