Near Eyes-Free Chauffeur Computer Interaction with Chording and Visual Text Mnemonics

Modern cars are equipped with advanced technology requiring cognitively complex operation that is reliant on the user’s visual attention. It is therefore hazardous for drivers to operate such devices while driving. In this paper a user interface interaction style for in-car user interfaces are proposed. Users interact with the in-car computer using three chording keys and chording pattern sequences are derived based on visual mnemonics. Cases are illustrated for an in-car multimedia system, a mobile phone and a GPS-navigation system. Experimental results demonstrate that the technique is easy to learn, efficient to use and require low visual attention.