Context adaptable driver information--or, what do whom need and want when?

This study deals with a first step towards context adaptive functionality of a Driver Information System. Driving a car is a complex task for which the driver needs appropriate information to fulfil his or her goals. New technologies enable adaptability to driver state, task, personality etcetera and also to the context. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate what information people perceive that they need and want from the car in different contexts and to what extent there is consensus about the function. A new methodology was developed, and 33 private car drivers were interviewed and asked to rate a number of possible abstract functions in a car in different contexts. It was shown that people need and want different types of information in different contexts. It was furthermore indicated that there is sometimes a difference in drivers' opinions about what should be presented by the car and that there is varying consensus over different functions in different contexts. The rating result was illustrated by an easily perceived Context Function Matrix. The results may be used in the design of a context adaptive driver information system.