Objective This study aims to develop user acceptance models for two concepts of full driving automation: personally owned and shared use. Background Many manufacturers have been investing considerably in and actively developing full driving automation. However, factors influencing user acceptance of full driving automation are not yet fully understood. Method This study consisted of two parts: focus group discussions and online surveys. A total of 30 potential users participated in focus groups to discuss their perception of full driving automation acceptance. Based on the findings from focus group discussions, theoretical foundations, and empirical evidence, we hypothesized the acceptance models for both personally owned and shared-use concepts. We tested the models with 310 and 250 participants, respectively, online. Results The results of focus groups indicated that users’ concerns are centered around safety, usefulness, compatibility, trust, and ease of use. The survey results revealed the important roles of perceived usefulness and perceived safety in both models, whereas the direct impact of perceived ease of use was found to be insignificant. The indirect impact of perceived ease of use was less significant in the personally owned than in the shared-use model, whereas usefulness, trust, and compatibility played more important roles in the personally owned when compared with the shared-use model. Conclusion The findings uncovered a chain of constructs that affect behavioral intention to use for both full driving automation concepts. Application The framework and outcome of this study provide valuable guidelines that allow better understanding for government agencies, manufacturers, and automation designers regarding users’ acceptance of full driving automation.

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Abstract:In an increasingly mobile era, the wide availability of technology for texting and the prevalence of hands-free form have introduced a new safety concern for drivers. To assess this concern, a questionnaire was first deployed online to gain an understanding of drivers' text driving experiences as well as their demographic information. The results from 232 people revealed that the majority of drivers are aware of the associated risks with texting while driving. However, more than one-fourth of them still frequently send or read text messages while driving. In addition to the questionnaire, through the use of a virtual-reality driving simulator, this study examined drivers' driving performance while they were engaged in some forms of text driving under different challenging traffic conditions. Through a blocked factorial experiment, drivers would either read a text message or respond to it with two levels of text complexity while using either hand-held or hands-free texting method. Their driving performance was assessed based on the number of driving violations observed in each scenario. Conclusions regarding the impacts of different forms of texting, text complexity, and response mode on drivers driving performance were drawn.

By their nature, smartphones must have small screens, and that is one of their limitations. Many users have trouble reading information on the Internet on such small screens because Internet browsers are usually designed for computers that have larger screens than smartphones. This study evaluates the usability of alternative user interfaces when reading news articles on smartphones. An experiment was conducted involving 120 smartphone users who were asked to evaluate six types of user interfaces based on three methods (pop-up, full-screen, and auto-zooming) and two display orientations (horizontal, vertical) in one of two languages (English and Persian). The participants were assigned four typical tasks that users must perform to obtain information from the Internet, that is, finding, refinding, reading, and browsing; they were asked to conduct the tasks in random order. In addition, a questionnaire was used to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of the participants' completion of the tasks, as well as their satisfaction, compatibility, and enjoyment of the undertakings. The results indicated that method, orientation, and language affected the actual usage and the time used. Based on the human factor experiment, the full-screen method was preferred in refinding and reading, whereas the pop-up method was preferred in browsing and finding. In terms of orientation, the vertical mode was preferred, and each user's performance in the vertical mode was better in all tasks except browsing. Of interest, using the English language turned out to be more satisfying, enjoyable, and efficient to the Persian users who did the experiment in English as their second language.

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