Human Factors-Based Icon Button Layout Design for In-Vehicle Information System Interface: A Driving Simulator Experiment Study

Icon buttons in in-vehicle information systems (IVIS) are key interaction elements but can cause driver distraction. This study employed a full factorial within-subjects repeated measures design with three levels each of icon button number (6, 9, 15), position (left, middle, right), and familiarity (high, medium, low). A total of 60 drivers participated in a driving simulator study. Generalized estimating equation was employed to explore the effects of various factors on drivers’ visual and driving performance. The visual transfer characteristics were explored by Markov transition probability. The results indicated that higher visual resources were needed when icon buttons on the right-IVIS area. Task reaction time and attention to the IVIS were highest when 15 icon buttons were present. Furthermore, high familiarity icon buttons significantly reduce task reaction time and improve lane keeping. These findings will contribute to future automotive IVIS interface layouts design.