Automation and Robotics

Biography

Biography: Lisa Falkson

Abstract

Current car infotainment systems are notoriously out-of-date and don’t meet their user needs. With fixed hardware and software in these systems, users turn to their mobile phones for the latest content in navigation, media and communication. Recent data (from Distraction.gov) shows that since 2010, at any given moment, approximately 660K drivers are using cell phones or electronic devices while driving. By improving in-car infotainment systems, we can draw user attention back to the larger built-in display, as well as encourage users to use a handsfree, voice-driven interface. In this presentation, we will discuss the challenges of designing a multimodal interface for speech systems in the automobile. NHTSA guidelines require a glance time of 2s or less (12s total for a task), which is a challenging requirement. However, interaction with the screen can be minimized by ensuring that speech input and TTS output are the primary modes of interaction. When users are interfacing with the touch screen, the fonts and touch targets should be large, and the screens should be free of confusing graphics. In short, both modes of interaction (speech and touch) should be utilized to their best advantage in order to make the most usable interface.