Perceived Importance of Automotive HUD Information Items: a Study With Experienced HUD Users

Despite the long history of automotive head-up displays (HUD) systems and their increasing importance in the human-vehicle interface design, a question still remains about what they should display to best serve the driver. As an effort to contribute to the ergonomics design of automotive HUD systems, this paper determined the perceived importance of different HUD information items-fifty-one drivers with significant prior HUD use experience subjectively evaluated twenty-two information items in their importance. The information items were those displayed by existing commercial HUD systems. The results indicated that the information items varied greatly in perceived importance, and current speed, speed limit, turn-by-turn navigation instructions, maintenance warning, cruise control status, and low fuel warning were of highest importance. Also, participants' prior experience of using an information item was found to greatly impact the average importance rating, suggesting that information items' importance must be evaluated by those with sufficient information item use experience.