The user interface plays an important role for how successful a driver is in communicating with his car and hence, his overall user experience. If the interface is complicated or isn’t intuitive- it is not suitable for a driver, whose primary task is to operate the vehicle. The purpose of this thesis is to research, analyse and test user interfaces and find out where their shortcomings are. In the theoretical part, we have learned about the concept of user interface and described their development. Within the description, we have learned how the introduction of radio, navigation, telephone and microchip contributed to the current image of user interfaces. We also described the development of individual models created by major car manufacturers and the ones created by tech companies, which are not engaged in the automotive industry. In the experimental part, we have analysed four models of user interfaces and tested the number of clicks required to complete the tasks of individual test subjects. The design analysis of individual models together with the test results have set our framework for where today’s user interfaces are not refined enough. This thesis also includes an interview with an expert in this field, who confirmed our hypotheses. In particular, the results show that the price of the car does not reflect the quality of the user interface design. Furthermore, those interfaces with the best test results could still benefit from improvements. With these findings, we have designed an improved user interface and reinvented its image. The main goal of the improved interface is to make the experience intuitive and enable the driver to be safer.
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