Re-inventing the Daily Commute: Exploring Space Usage And Interior Design Requirements to Support Non-Driving Related Tasks in Autonomous Vehicles

Diane Elizabeth Gyi, Christopher Wilson, Andrew Morris, Robert Bateman

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) potentially change the journey experience, allowing occupants to partake in non-driving-related tasks (NDRTs) such as using electronic devices. To support human-centered design, it is important to understand the types of NDRTs and consider ergonomic interior vehicle layouts to optimize carrying out such activities. An exploratory study was conducted using a vehicle buck: data on seat position, discomfort, posture, and observations of both space use and NDRTs were collected. Participants (n = 16) took part in three simulated commutes with different car interior scenarios, allowing for various levels of space availability and design features (e.g., laptop table, armrest). Using laptops, phones, and tablets was the most frequent activity, followed by reading and sleeping. Overall discomfort levels were low for all scenarios. Still, head/neck, upper back, and lower back discomfort were lower in the co-designed scenario where participants had both flexibility of space usage and additional design features. A high frequency of neck flexion was observed but was lower in the co-designed scenario for postures held over ten minutes; this was partly mitigated by the design features. This research explores the in-vehicle space usage of occupants in AVs to guide and evidence future design decisions for supporting NDRTs.