Evaluation of Driving Performance and User Experience of Different Types of Speedometer

Abstract

Previously, the classical analog speedometer was the prevalent form of speed indication in cars. With the emergence of new, freely programmable, instrument clusters, its now possible to use any form of visualization to display driving speed. In a driving simulator study with n=17 subjects, we examined the impact of diverse speedometer variants on driving performance, gaze duration, and subjective ratings of user experience and workload. Initial results confirm diverse effects. The conventional speedometer resulted in the shortest eyes off-road times, but was rated worst with respect to UX (hedonic quality). The digital speedometer variant achieved polarizing results while the zoom speedometer performed very well in general. The bracket and linear versions of a speedometer were rated poor in most of the analyzed criteria compared to the alternatives.