Designing an Interface to Support Eco-Driving by the Combination of Ecological Interface Design with UserCentred Design
Résumé
The paper describes some of the major results of the European Project ecoDriver. This five-year project aimed to deliver to drivers the most effective support and feedback on green driving by optimising the driver-powertrain-environment feedback loop. To reach the goal, a set of activities, from the design to development of demonstrable eco-driving systems, was carried out. Twelve European partners were involved, fulfilling one of the ideologies of User-Centred Design (UCD) by having complementary skills (system design, automotive engineering, human factors and behavioural economics). The starting point was a set of overall principles and concepts derived from the Ecological Interface Design (EID) approach. Those top-down principles and concepts were then developed and tested, based on the appreciation that drivers play a crucial role in influencing their vehicle's energy consumption and resulting emissions, and therefore needed to be involved as the detailed design was developed. Following a suite of driving simulator experiments and qualitative research, the project partners designed three types of eco-driving systems. A common Human Machine Interface (HMI) was defined and a range of systems tested on-real roads with naïve users. The results showed positive effects on energy-saving and safety, high acceptability and no demonstrable impact on workload. Additionally, the cost benefit analysis results provided a complete picture for stakeholders. As long as the human driver continues to be in the loop, eco-driving systems are very promising means to provide energy savings and reduce emissions. A combined EID and UCD methodology should be adopted from the outset of the design phase, covering both technical and HMI aspects in order to maximize user and societal benefits.