Novel Auditory Displays in Highly Automated Vehicles: Sonification Improves Driver Situation Awareness, Perceived Workload, and Overall Experience

Nadri, Chihab; Ko, Sangjin; Diggs, Colin; Winters, Michael; Sreehari, V. K.; Jeon, Myounghoon · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1177/1071181321651071

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Summary

This study investigates the efficacy of sonification—transcribing data into non-speech sounds—as a novel auditory display method for Level 4 highly automated vehicles. As automation technology shifts drivers from active control to passive monitoring, there is a critical need for new user-vehicle interaction designs that maintain situation awareness (SA) and reduce workload. The research addresses the gap in evaluating sonification for Level 4 autonomy by comparing visual-only displays against audiovisual conditions utilizing either speech or non-speech auditory cues. The methodology comprised two phases. First, online focus group interviews with 12 university students explored user preferences for seven potential use cases, including automation level changes, takeover requests, battery status, and live journey sonification. Second, a driving simulator study with 20 young drivers employed a within-subject design to evaluate three display conditions: visual-only (V), non-speech with visual (N), and speech with visual (S). Participants encountered seven specific events, such as battery alerts and incoming calls, while the vehicle simulated a Level 4 automated drive. Data collection included Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) scores, Trust in Automated Systems scales, and NASA-TLX workload indices. Results from the focus groups indicated high user interest, particularly in automation level notifications and live journey sonification. In the simulator study, both audiovisual conditions (N and S) significantly improved situation awareness compared to the visual-only condition for most events, including battery alerts, takeover requests, and live trip sonification. Notably, for the "increase in automation" event, the non-speech condition yielded significantly higher SA than the speech condition. Regarding workload, the non-speech condition resulted in significantly lower physical demand and effort scores compared to the visual-only condition. While trust scores did not differ statistically across conditions, the audiovisual displays showed numerically higher average trust ratings than the visual-only display. The findings suggest that integrating auditory displays, particularly sonification, enhances driver situation awareness and reduces perceived workload in highly automated vehicles. The study provides empirical evidence that non-speech auditory cues can be as effective as, or in some cases superior to, speech cues for specific driving-related notifications. These results offer actionable guidance for the design of human-machine interfaces in automated vehicles, supporting the use of sonification to improve safety, user experience, and acceptance of autonomous driving technologies.

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Topics

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• auditory warnings
• auditory
• situational awareness
• voice interaction
• ehmi external hmi
• multimodal feedback

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: design guidelines
• Theoretical Contribution: conceptual framework