Auditory Displays for Automated Driving — Challenges and Opportunities

The current position paper discusses vital challenges related to the user experience design in unsupervised, highly automated cars. These challenges are: (1) how to avoid motion sickness, (2) how to ensure users’ trust in the automation, (3) how to ensure usability and support the formation of accurate mental models of the automation system, and (4) how to provide a pleasant and enjoyable experience. We argue for that auditory displays have the potential to help solve these issues. While auditory displays in modern vehicles typically make use of discrete and salient cues, we argue that the use of less intrusive continuous sonic interaction could be more beneficial for the user experience.