Identification of an “appropriate” Drowsy Driver Detection Interface for Commercial Vehicle Operations

Considerable progress has been made in measuring drowsiness and understanding its effects upon human performance in the laboratory and in simulated and operational driving conditions. This work builds upon previous research and identifies an appropriate design for a drowsy driver detection interface. A participatory design process was used that included both design experts and drivers in separate focus groups. One expert activity, evaluations of candidate interaction flow models, and two driver activities, critical incident interviews and a design exercise, are described here. The conflict that arose between the drivers’ desires and the desires of the scientific community is that the drivers viewed the system as a loyal servant that would alert the driver when he became drowsy, while the scientific community viewed the system as a trusted advisor that would encourage the driver to stop and rest. The final design has many features to address both of these views.