Methodology for the design of automotive HUD graphical interfaces

Villa-Espinal, Jesús; Osorio-Gómez, Gilberto · 2018 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.15446/dyna.v85n207.71437

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Summary

This paper addresses the growing safety risk associated with driver distraction caused by the use of mobile devices and complex in-vehicle information systems. As distracted driving has become a leading cause of accidents, Head-Up Display (HUD) systems have emerged as a critical solution, projecting essential vehicle and navigation data into the driver’s field of view. However, automotive manufacturers do not publicly disclose their design guidelines for these interfaces, and existing literature lacks a comprehensive methodology for designing HUD graphical interfaces that balance safety with user experience. The authors aim to fill this gap by proposing a structured design methodology that integrates Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and User Experience (UX) principles to manage information overload and minimize cognitive distraction. The proposed methodology is grounded in ecological interface design and established HMI guidelines. It involves characterizing vehicle information based on urgency, frequency, and importance, followed by allocating information into a four-level hierarchy: primary driving operations, navigation demands, vehicle warnings and status, and auxiliary activities such as entertainment and communication. The design process includes defining product specifications (e.g., virtual image size, colors), selecting relevant data, organizing it by importance levels, and applying principles of hierarchy, distribution, and integration. The methodology was validated through exercises involving two product design engineers and two computer engineers, who were tasked with designing HUD interfaces following these specific parameters. The validation results revealed significant differences in the application of the methodology. Product design engineers successfully implemented the hierarchical classification of information, clearly prioritizing driving-related data over auxiliary content and adhering to general interface design principles like symmetry and balance. In contrast, the designs produced by computer engineers lacked the proposed structural order and showed little evidence of applying the general interface design principles. Despite these differences, all designs demonstrated the importance of classifying information by relevance, with driving information consistently identified as the most critical element. The study confirmed that a clear hierarchy helps maintain the driver’s focus on the primary task while allowing safe access to secondary tasks like smartphone notifications. The significance of this work lies in providing a concrete framework for designing automotive HUD interfaces that mitigate visual clutter and cognitive workload. The findings suggest that HUD technology is increasingly relevant in automotive interior design, serving as a bridge between the primary task of driving and secondary multitasking activities. The authors conclude that future research should focus on refining these parameters to achieve a perfect balance between driving safety and the integration of nomadic devices, ensuring that HUDs enhance rather than compromise driver performance.

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Topics

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• hud ar windshield
• in vehicle displays
• display design
• ehmi external hmi

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: design guidelines