Work in process

Engineering design process

Human–computer interaction

Operating system

Algorithm

Iterative design

Software engineering

Engineering

Operations management

Compatibility (geochemistry)

Design elements and principles

Computer science

Design process

Virtual prototyping

Process (computing)

Chemical engineering

Simulation

Projection (relational algebra)

Mechanical engineering

Recent studies have investigated new approaches for communicating an autonomous vehicle's (AV) intent and awareness to pedestrians. This paper adds to this body of work by presenting the design and evaluation of in-situ projections on the road. Our design combines common traffic light patterns with aesthetic visual elements. We describe the iterative design process and the prototyping methods used in each stage. The final design concept was represented as a virtual reality simulation and evaluated with 18 participants in four different street crossing scenarios, which included three scenarios that simulated various degrees of system errors. We found that different design elements were able to support participants' confidence in their decision even when the AV failed to correctly detect their presence. We also identified elements in our design that needed to be more clearly communicated. Based on these findings, the paper presents a series of design recommendations for projection-based communication between AVs and pedestrians.

Designing for Projection-based Communication between Autonomous Vehicles and Pedestrians