Shifting Gears: User Interfaces in the Age of Autonomous Driving

The field of automotive user interfaces has developed rapidly over the last several years. To date, the field has primarily focused on creating user interfaces that promote safe driving, including when the driver is engaged in a secondary task in addition to operating the vehicle. However, researchers now need to prepare for a major change in the automotive domain: the automated driving revolution. The authors argue for a new research agenda that focuses on four challenges for automotive user interfaces: assuring safety in the age of automation, transforming vehicles into places for productivity and play, taking advantage of new mobility options made possible by automated vehicles, while throughout all this preserving user privacy and data security. This article is part of a special issue on smart vehicle spaces.