The Anxiety Consumers Feel About Using Robotaxis: HMI Design for Anxiety Factor Analysis and Anxiety Relief Based on Field Tests

초록

Background This research aims to accelerate the commercialization of robotaxis (autonomous vehicles) by reducing the anxiety consumers feel about these cars and improving their experience. We plan to identify the factors causing anxiety through user experience surveys and to resolve these issues by improving the way humans and machines communicate (Human-Machine Interface). A unique aspect of this study is that it uses the ‘Wizard of Oz’ (WOZ) method for testing in real, complex road situations, which differs from past studies that mainly relied on simulations or controlled test environments. Methods The study first conducted an online survey to determine people’s anxiety when using a robotaxi. We then created a real road course for testing. There were two field tests. The first field test was to find the key factors causing anxiety and the second field test was to evaluate human-machine interface (HMI) solutions that could help reduce that anxiety. The test tested the robotaxi service using the WOZ method under real-world conditions in the city. Results The first field test identified 19 major anxiety factors. Based on this, 7 new (2 additional functions) HMI functions were created. A second test determined whether this HMI solution was effective in reducing anxiety. This study sheds light on how anxious people really feel when using a robotaxi and shows that proposed HMI solutions can reduce that anxiety. Conclusions This study presents a user experience (UX) research method to investigate anxiety in robotaxi use and an HMI solution that can reduce anxiety. Additionally, HMI solutions allow for a much more realistic evaluation through field testing. Therefore, we present a practical and user-centric method to help promote better acceptance of robotaxi. These findings can serve as a guide to designing future HMIs to provide a more comfortable experience for robotaxi passengers.

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