Adaptive In-Vehicle Information Systems and Their Usability Evaluation

In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVIS) provide vehicle travelers with a range of useful information, including road condition, weather broadcasting, GPS maps, and city navigation. It is widely acknowledged that a single IVIS design does not fit everyone as users can have different interface and content preferences. T hese preferences are often related to age, gender, experience, and other demographic, social, and psychological characteristics. IVIS need to be capable of adapting to the context. This paper reviews adaptation techniques found in user-adaptive systems and develops a mapping between adaptation techniques and the characteristics of the system being adapted. This mapping is then used to show that adaptation techniques for user-adaptive systems can be applied to the design of IVIS. As IVIS become popular and their functionalities become more diverse, driver distraction will increase due to increased cognitive load. Since inappropriate adaptation can lead to user confusion and distraction, the usability of adaptive IVIS need to be carefully evaluated.