While touch Interfaces have greatly improved the user friendliness and functional possibilities of devices, haptic feedback has been lacking in user interface design. Good Haptic feedback not only gives confirmation of a key press, but also enriches the user interaction and improves the usability of interfaces.
This absence of haptic feedback is is generally not an issue when the users field of view is oriënted at the touch interface (as is the case with Smartphones and tablets), problems arise when features in the interface have to be controlled blindly, as is the case in automotive applications, where distraction of the driver results in safety risks. In terms of HMI design, the unique properties of Aito’s HapticTouch system has shown it can potentially solve these issues and even could enrich the user experience of automotive interiors. In reality however, when clients integrate Haptic Touch in their products, its application is generally limited to replacing traditional buttons, reducing its competitiveness when compared to other technologies. Broadly speaking, there two problems: The first one is that Aito has no demonstrators that show haptic feedback integrated with innovative UI designs. The second problem is that at this time, Aito has little experience in combining audio-visual cues with Haptic Feedback. This graduation thesis explores the possibilities in designing an affordable demonstrator that showcases the unique selling points of AITO®HapticTouch technology for automotive applications. To provide a sound foundation for the design process, internal- and external company analyses were done to identify the sustainable competitive advantages of Aito, trends and developments in the Automotive industry (until 2030) and companies/technologies that compete with Aito. Based on insights from the analysis, the following Design Vision has been formulated: Future automotive HMI’s should adapt themselves to the personal preferences of the user(s), taking into account the context the car is used in and the state of mind of the user(s) in relation to their physical and digital lives. With this vision, Aito’s Haptic Touch is central in making the UI contextual and personal to the user, while also being used as an additional channel of communication with the user in e.g. automated driving modes. The demonstrator presented in this thesis embodies this design vision: A light-weight structure with a wide range of personalised features, a minimalistic projection mapped GUI design, contextual to the driving situation and controls that communicate with the user through Haptic Feedback. To validate the design, a prototype version of the gear shifter panel was built to evaluate the use of projection mapping and the quality of the stack designs. The initial validation brought to light there is room for improvement in terms of HapticTouch integration. The estimated building costs were higher than the target price, but for a demonstrator of this complexity still acceptable.
If Aito would decide to continue developing this demonstrator, would therefore be to start small with the individual panels before integrating them into a fu a demonstrator on the scale of the one discussed in this thesis.