Interface Development for Early Notification Warning System: Full Windshield Head-Up Display Case Study

Paper in proceeding, 2009

This paper elaborates on the development of a prototype Head-Up Display (HUD) system designed to offer crucial navigation information to the driver under adverse weather conditions. In particular, the paper outlines the considerations involved in the development and implementation of the sharp turn notification and traffic warning cues, which reflect some of the most common risks leading to a collision in a motorway environment under low visibility. Throughout the HUD design process emphasis was placed on the prioritisation and effective presentation of information available through vehicular sensors, so that they would assist the driver in successfully navigating the vehicle under low visibility conditions. In this work, the relevant visual cues are projected in the vehicle’s windscreen and superimposed onto the real scenery. Opting for a simplistic approach of interaction, the interface elements are based on minimalist visual representation of real objects. Overall, the paper examines the tangible benefits and potential issues of the proposed HUD interface and presents the results of a large scale evaluation of the system on a group of forty drivers, who used the driving simulator in evaluation trials.