CB @ Semicast Research11 Jul 2024 10:36
the growing realization that #dms is exceptionally hard to do well is starting to become apparent in vehicle reviews by motoring journalists. this video from parkers of the volvo cars hashtag#ex30 describes the problem precisely. click on the video below to watch the segment. as observed by the reviewer: "there is one thing about the #safety systems that is annoying though. one is them is called 'driver alert' (dms) and what i've noticed is that when i'm looking at the central infotainment screen, it starts to tell me to pay attention and it starts bonging at me because it's analyzing how i'm driving and looking at me and it can tell that i'm distracted. yeah, i would be distracted, because all of the physical buttons that you can use without having to look at them have been taken away, and instead there's a touchscreen which you need to look at, so no wonder i'm distracted."
volvo's well documented problems with its software-defined architecture also extend to poor design of the user experience for the digital ****pit. great job from volvo designing-out all the physical buttons and switches, but it also specified poorly performing dms which does not understand the subtlety and nuance of human behavior. a dms has to be able to distinguish between driving-related tasks and non-driving-related tasks to support, rather than annoy, the driver.
as we have seen already with #adas, the array of bongs, chimes, and dings of the braking and lane-keeping systems both annoy and distract the driver. increasing driver distraction further with the addition of a "driver alert" system is stupid, and a sign of poor human factors design in the dms. but this is the reality that dms is exceptionally hard to do well. as the reviewer observes, "you can turn the system off but again, unsurprisingly, it turns on again every time you switch the car back on, so you need to keep switching it off."
this problem is becoming pervasive, and i have had motoring journalists contact me about annoying dms in the kia hashtag#ev9 too, and mitsubishi #triton. driver distraction through cognitive overload of safety alerts is an issue which euro ncap - for safer cars, vans & trucks is certain to consider in its scoring system going forwards. points need to be deducted for poor design.
the primary role of a dms is to see and understand human behavior as it applies to crash risk, so a properly designed dms should work with the other safety systems to reduce the cognitive workload. but that requires an #oem to start with the user experience and work backwards to the technology. volvo is showing the industry what happens when an #automaker starts with the technology and goes from there.
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