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Design guidelines for automotive head-up displays. Provided
specific, quantitative human factors design objectives for automotive
head-up displays (HUDs). Integrated available data into comprehensive
and explicit design objectives for automotive HUDs. Guidelines were
provided for issues such as: symbology design, image size and location,
optical design, user interface requirements, and display content.
Tutorials were provided for selected topics relevant to HUD design.
(General Motors Corporation)
Automotive display guidelines. Developed a handbook of human
factors engineering objectives for design of new display systems in
automobiles. The handbook was structured for use by human factors,
design studio, and engineering personnel on a day-to-day basis. Studies
of the user communities were conducted to identify content and format
issues of greatest concern. The table of contents included general
design issues; display legibility objectives; display lighting objectives;
specific objectives for the speedometer, odometer, tachometer, gauges,
telltales, etc.; display/control interface objectives; and advanced
display systems. (General Motors: Corporation)
Automobile control standardization. Determined, through experimentation,
the requirements for standardizing the location of controls in passenger
cars, light trucks, and light utility vehicles. Related driver performance
to the degree of controls standardization. Examined results in terms
of control function, driver sex and age, vehicle type, expectancy
patterns, labeling, control configuration, and panel configuration.
(Society of Automotive Engineers)
Human factors recommendations for automobile hand controls.
Provided guidelines for automobile hand control locations, actuations,
and control types. The research integrated available human factors
standards, principles, research data, and recommendations regarding
automobile hand control design into a set of specific design guidelines
and procedures. A group of competitive 1991 vehicles were surveyed
and their hand control characteristics were evaluated and compared
to these guidelines. Specific recommendations for hand controls on
current Mazda vehicles were provided (Mazda Research and Development)
Automobile transmission control design. Analyzed human and
environmental factors pertaining to the characteristics of a floor-mounted
automatic transmission selector device, and provided redesign recommendations.
The perceptual, cognitive, and psychomotor capabilities of drivers
were analyzed with respect to shifter operations, and special attention
was given to the body sizes and strengths of large men and small women.
Recommendations included modifications to shifter grip shape, position,
range of movement, resistance, detents, guides and related factors
(Ford Motor Company)
Automotive hand control design. Produced a summary of human
factors guidelines for automobile hand control locations and appropriate
control resistances. Compiled and organized the results of all published
standards, principles, research data, and recommendations, and integrated
the information into a set of design objectives. Conducted a field
study of new foreign and domestic automobiles to identify control
dimensions, locations, forces and torques to compare with the recommendations
and with planned Chrysler designs. (Chrysler Corporation)
Ergonomic design of transmission shifters. Human engineering
design analyses were conducted to determine the optimal locations
and travel of automobile shifter grips, as well as their most appropriate
shape, size, orientation, texture, and hand clearances. Shifter controls
positions and displacements in a range of high-quality automobiles
were measured through the use of a three-dimensional digitizer, for
comparison with each other, and with ergonomic recommendations. Guidelines
were provided for the redesign of shifter locations, operations, and
grip characteristics to improve the operational effectiveness, safety,
and consumer appeal of shifter devices in passenger cars. (Mazda)
Ergonomics criteria for automotive foot controls. Developed
human factors engineering criteria and design guidelines for accelerator,
brake, and clutch foot controls. Reviewed the principles and data
of control design, behavioral research, anthropometry, transfer of
training, and human factors engineering and developed a handbook of
design data for use by automotive engineers. Specified throw, size,
angle, relative position, resistance, obstruction-free areas and dynamic
foot control characteristics based upon available empirical evidence.
(Ford Motor Company)
Control quality program. Developed
a program employing psychometric methodology to predict the customer's
perception of the quality of automotive features, products, and technologies.
The program was designed to identify and quantify underlying reasons
for the perception of quality, rather than simply determining preferences
for existing features in current automobiles. The result of the methodology
is a set of regression equations that can be used to directly predict
the psychological dimension of perceived quality of products based
upon their physical dimensions and specifications. (Chrysler Corporation)
Preferred features of high-performance automobiles. Conducted
an observational research study concerning design and operational
features of Porsche sports and touring vehicles. The approach involved
observation and in-depth interviews to obtain insights regarding the
preferred features of Porsche automobiles, and the motivations and
purchasing strategies of new-Porsche owners. (Porsche Cars North America)
Perceived quality of automobile controls. Developed a methodology
and data base to assist engineers in the "micro-design"
of automobile controls so those controls will be perceived by consumers
to have high quality. Correlated engineering design dimensions with
subjective guidelines that consumers use in evaluating quality. Translated
consumer data into guidelines for design decisions regarding specific
physical parameters. (Ford Motor Company)
Pushbutton control characteristics. Designed a series of psychophysical
experiments to evaluate the optimal characteristics of pushbutton
controls. Pushbutton size, sound, force, travel, detent, and spacing
were the independent variables of the experiments. The design permitted
the independent evaluation of each variable in terms of perceived
quality, and plotting of the distribution of "likes" and
"dislikes" so that the range of preferred or acceptable
characteristics could be identified (and used in trade-off decisions),
rather than a single average "best" dimension. (Chrysler
Corporation)
Perceived quality of an automobile head-up display system.
This project extended the Anacapa-developed methodology of perceived
quality assessments to assist engineers in the design of a new automobile
display system similar to that used in fighter aircraft. The intent
was to ensure that the design, once implemented, would be perceived
by consumers to be that of the highest quality. Engineering design
dimensions were correlated with subjective guidelines that consumers
use in evaluating quality. Preference data were then obtained during
laboratory and driving evaluations of head-up displays. Statistical
analysis of the data supported development of guidelines that specified
display design criteria. (Hughes Aircraft Company)
Automobile instrument panel design. Designed and conducted
research on the expectancies and preferences of luxury car drivers
for control types, locations, and arrangements for different types
of automotive panels. Assessed three different types of instrument
panels and 34 different types of controls. Provided recommendations
for design, and for further research and analyses. (General Motors
Corporation)
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