Perceived intelligence as a factor in (semi-) autonomous vehicle UX

Copyright held by authors, 2015 Abstract We argue that there is a shift in how drivers perceive vehicles, moving from vehicles as tools towards vehicles as intelligent agents. Here, we present recent and ongoing research that explores the consequences for human interaction with increasingly intelligent (whether semior fully autonomous) vehicles. We highlight in particular that the driver’s perception of a vehicle’s intelligence affects driver behaviour and argue that this effect can be explicitly considered in UX design. Our current research explores this in more detail for eco-driving feedback design. Overall, the research discussed here covers three research projects, the recently finished CARS (investigating the connection between perceived intelligence and driver behaviour) and UMIF (focusing on trust in automation) projects, as well as the ongoing TIEB project (focusing on intelligent eco-driving feedback). Our perspective and results so far have implications for the design of future vehicle UX at several levels of automation.