Introduction

One of the major limitations of user research in automated driving is its reliance on driving simulations, which often lack the valuable insights that real-world driving experiences can provide. Ayoub et al. analyzed 10 years of AutoUI research and found that conducting studies on automated driving, particularly at SAE Levels 3-5, is challenging due to the limited availability of automated vehicles [1]. As a result, research involving experienced drivers and real-world driving scenarios has been explored only to a limited extent. Similarly, Forster et al. found that 73.29% of the reviewed studies in driving automation were conducted in lab environments, with 71.32% relying on driving simulations [2].

While simulation-based research methods can yield valid results, studies on the long-term effects of real-world automated driving usage are scarce. Future research is essential to understand the impact and importance of real-world experience on user experience and usability evaluation of automated driving systems.

This year’s AutoUI takes place at the Stanford University in the San Francisco Bay Area — a region at the forefront of automated mobility—it presents the perfect opportunity to explore interactions with existing automated driving systems and to gain insights from users with substantial real-world experience.

In the first phase of our research, we conducted interviews with 10 experienced and tech-savvy users of current automated driving systems, including content creators of popular automated driving YouTube channels. We asked them about their personal experiences with the vehicle interaction, safety-critical situations, communication with other traffic participants, the explainability of the vehicle’s actions, and more. These participants have extensive experience with systems like Waymo, Cruise, and Tesla FSD, having completed hundreds of rides.

At the workshop, we will now present the findings from these interviews to the AutoUI community, offering participants a unique opportunity to engage directly with experienced users in a Q&A session. Following this, we will conduct interactive group activities to identify the most pressing issues that need to be addressed in the coming years, ultimately deriving concrete research questions to update the AutoUI research agenda.

  1. Jackie Ayoub, Feng Zhou, Shan Bao, and X. Jessie Yang. 2019. From Manual Driving to Automated Driving: A Review of 10 Years of AutoUI. In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications (Utrecht, Netherlands) (AutomotiveUI ’19). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 70–90. https://doi.org/10.1145/3342197.3344529
  2. Yannick Forster, Anna-Katharina Frison, Philipp Wintersberger, Viktoria Geisel, Sebastian Hergeth, and Andreas Riener. 2019. Where we come from and where we are going: a review of automated driving studies. In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications: Adjunct Proceedings (Utrecht, Netherlands) (AutomotiveUI ’19). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 140–145. https: //doi.org/10.1145/3349263.3351341

Schedule

The Workshop will take place on September 22nd in the Paul Brest Hall at Stanford University

Time Activity
08:30 – 08:40 Welcome and introduction to the workshop topic and agenda
08:40 – 08:50 Exchange of participants’ experiences with automated driving systems
08:50 – 09:10 Presentation of interview study results by the workshop organizers
09:10 – 10:10 Q&A Session and Panel Discussion with experienced users
COFFEE BREAK
10:30 – 11:15 Interactive Group Work 1: Identification of the most important and urgent topics
11:15 – 12:15 Interactive Group Work 2: Brainstorming of concrete research questions for an updated AutoUI research agenda
12:15 – 12:30 Wrap up, reflection of the workshop and discussion of next steps

Please check the program on the AutomotiveUI website for any last-minute changes: AutomotiveUI '24

Participation

The workshop will focus on hearing and discussing the real-world experiences of users, making this the central theme. As such, there will be no paper presentations or submissions. We won’t stick to a specific research topic but will take a holistic look at real-world experiences with Waymo, Cruise, and Tesla FSD technology. A broad range of AutoUI topics will be covered, including trust in the vehicles, interface design, unexpected driving behavior, and communication with other traffic participants etc.

We welcome participation from researchers at all stages of their careers—whether you're a student, an early-career professional, a seasoned researcher, or an industry expert, your perspective will be a valuable addition to our discussion.

Experience Automated Driving

Our invited experienced users will share their extensive experience with Waymo's Level 4 automated ride-hailing service during the workshop. Waymo currently operates these fully autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, where you can book a ride through their app—no waitlist required. During the workshop, we'll provide all the information you need to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to experience driverless taxis firsthand. Check out Waymo Self-Driving Cars.

Workshop Organizers

  • Carina Manger

    Is a researcher at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI), Germany. Before she joined the Human-Computer Interaction Group (HCIG), she obtained degrees in Psychology and Human Factors Engineering and worked on intelligent user interfaces in the automotive industry. Her PhD research concerns experimental user studies in simulated environments, with a strong focus on AI Explanations in automated driving.

  • Anna Preiwisch

    is a student of User Experience Design at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI). In several projects, she worked on improving the user interaction with automated vehicles, with a focus on shared automated vehicle concepts like shuttle buses.

  • Jakob Peintner

    is a researcher and PhD student at the Human-Computer Interaction Group (HCIG) at the CARISSMA Institute of Automated Driving (C-IAD), which is part of Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt. With a background in Industrial Design and Human Factors Engineering, in his research, he investigates cooperative interactions between human passengers and automated vehicles.

  • Nikolas Martelaro

    is an Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. His lab focuses on augmenting designer’s capabilities through new technology and design methods. He graduated with a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford’s Center for Design Research, where he was co-advised by Larry Leifer and Wendy Ju.

  • Sven Krome

    is a researcher and designer specializing in human interactions with intelligent systems. He holds a Ph.D from RMIT and completed postdoctoral research at Cornell Tech, where he explored UX actors of advanced traffic models and contextual in-car interactions. He has worked at leading L4 ride-hailing companies likeWaymo and UberATG, focusing on rider experience and driving behavior issues, particularly related to tertiary communication systems.

  • Debargha Dey

    is a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell Tech, with a research focus on human-automation interaction. He received his PhD in Industrial Design from TU Eindhoven and has 8+ years of experience in the domain of human factors for automated driving and traffic behavior. His current work focuses on the crosscultural aspects of traffic interactions and its implications in the deployments of automated driving systems.

  • Andreas Riener

    is a professor for Human-Machine Interaction and Virtual Reality at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) with co-appointment at the CARISSMA Institute of Automated Driving. He is program manager for User Experience Design and leads the UX/usability research and driving simulator labs. In 2017, he founded the interdisciplinary Human-Computer Interaction Group. His research interests include HF/ergonomics, adaptive UIs, driver state assessment, and trust/acceptance/ethics in automated driving. Andreas is steering committee member of ACM AutomotiveUI and chair of the German ACM SIGCHI chapter.