External Interface-based Autonomous Vehicle-to-Pedestrian Communication in Urban Traffic: Communication Needs and Design Considerations

ABSTRACT

External interface-based autonomous vehicle-to-pedestrian (AV2P) communication will facilitate the interaction between autonomous vehicle (AV) and pedestrian in future urban traffic. However, there are still no designs of external interface that could be generally accepted nowadays. In this regard, more sufficient research should be conducted to understand pedestrian’s needs for the communication and explore the considerations for the external interface design. To investigate these issues in this work, two focus groups and a design study were conducted with 14 users (i.e., pedestrians) and 4 experienced designers, respectively. Based on the obtained results, the pedestrian-required communication information from the vehicle for the AV-pedestrian interaction were extracted and classified into the state of vehicle, the intention of vehicle, and the vehicle advice to pedestrians. A taxonomy of AV-pedestrian interaction situations was developed in accordance with the different situation features subsequently. Finally, considerations about the design of external AV2P communication interface were summarized. The results showed that the interface design should be made with consideration of specific situation features. It also revealed that the communication interface should be understandable, concise, salient, and unambiguous. Findings in this work is expected could serve as valuable design bases or principles for the development of interface-based AV2P communication in the future.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express our sincere thanks to Dr. Felix Kapp for his valuable suggestions on this article, and also to all the participants for their participation. This work is supported by China Scholarship Council.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yuan Liu

Yuan Liu is currently pursuing a PhD degree under the supervision of Matthias Rötting in the chair of Human-Machine Systems at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. Her research focuses on human-vehicle interaction and communication, human factors, and user experience.

Yuan Lyu

Yuan Lyu received her dual master’s degree in Information Communication Technology-Innovation at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany, and Université Paris-Saclay, France. Her research interests are human computer interaction, usability research, and user experience.

Kai Böttcher

Kai Böttcher is currently a master student majoring in Automotive Engineering at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. His research interests include vehicle technology, autonomous driving, and human-vehicle interaction.

Matthias Rötting

Matthias Rötting is a professor at the chair of Human-Machine Systems, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. From 1998 to 2001, he was the head of the research group of “Ergonomics and Human-Machine Systems” at RWTH Aachen, Germany. His research interests include human factors, human-machine interaction, and transportation safety.