Strategic Promotion of Ageing Research Capacity What Do Older Drivers Want From New Technologies?

As the population in the UK ages, there are rapidly increasing numbers of older drivers on the road. Driving helps older people to remain independent, yet little technology currently exists to give them the confidence to keep driving. By involving older drivers in the design process, car designers would be able to develop technologies which would meet the needs of this group. In order for this to work properly though, this engagement needs to take place at an early stage in the design process. This study developed an approach to designing in-car technologies which placed older people in the role of experts, supported by researchers and designers as facilitators. It identified unintentional speeding and reverse parking as two issues which are of particular concern to older drivers, and investigated how technology might support drivers in these tasks. The research found that older people had a range of different needs, attitudes towards driving, engagement with technology and driving abilities. • Methods which involve the user in the design process are rarely used when designing cars and in-car technologies; when they are, older drivers are excluded from this process. This study developed ways of engaging older drivers in the design process. This provided information about the real desires and needs of older drivers, which can be translated into specifications and requirements for designers. • Information from surveys and interviews revealed the central role which driving plays in the lives of many older people. Practical exercises showed that there was a very wide diversity in older people's driving attitudes and strategies, and in the way they approach new technologies. The context in which older drivers learned to drive, and the way in which they have developed their driving skills since, can highlight very different behaviours from those of younger groups. • Two key issues which older drivers are particularly concerned about were unintentional speeding and reverse parking. • The development of enhanced in-car speedometer displays with visual information and warnings, potentially coupled with haptic feedback (related to touch) through the accelerator pedal, showed strong promise. This study also helped to explore how to present design concepts using static displays and a racing game, and to reveal attitudes to speeding. • Exploring the use of new technologies to aid reverse parking provided considerable evidence for the limitations and opportunities for these technologies for use by older drivers.