The first round of user tests of SAFE STRIP, to select icons, sounds and texts for warnings given to drivers, and riders, has been concluded successfully.
The SAFE STRIP infrastructure technology will detect dangers and warn drivers and riders about them. For example, the system will warn its users about possible collisions with other road users, such as pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles, or about dangerous road conditions, such as wet roads, traffic congestions, or roadworks. It is important that such warnings are given in an unambiguous manner, making it easy for all users to understand their meaning in the blink of an eye, without causing distraction. The project partners have conducted user tests to ensure that these warnings will be fast and easy to understand, without adding significantly to the driver or rider’s workload.
For this purpose, we presented representative users with different dangerous situations in driving and riding simulators and asked them to choose their preferred icon, auditory signal and wording for each situation. The tests were conducted at the vehicle interaction laboratories of CERTH/HIT (Thessaloniki, Greece), RE:Lab (Reggio Emilia, Italy), and Fraunhofer IAO (Stuttgart, Germany). We measured workload, usability and acceptance of the presented icons, sounds, and wordings. The participants’ answers have been collected and aggregated to find out which icons, auditory signals and wordings serve the respective purpose best.
Based on the results of this first round, the involved partners will define a first set of warning strategies which will then be tested again with representative users, using the simulators at the three test sites. This will lead to the final warning concept to be included in the SAFE STRIP prototype to be used in the pilot tests.
