The adult population aged 65 and older is growing at an unprecedented pace. Recent studies have shown that shared autonomous vehicles (SAV) can help maintain the mobility and late-life quality of older adults at a competitive cost. However, transportation needs and abilities among aging populations can vary based on factors such as age and physical/sensory conditions. To date, only a few studies have investigated potential users’ needs for SAV, most of which were based on large-scale surveys and focused on general acceptance. The purpose of this study is to understand older adults’ accessibility needs to inform the interior design of an SAV.

This study incorporates a video analysis of user interaction with SAV and a meta-analysis of focus groups in understanding riders’ accessibility needs for SAV. This study contributes to applied ergonomics by providing new methodologies to evaluate user experience from human factors and ergonomics perspectives and highlighting older adult riders’ specific accessibility needs in future SAVs.

Authors:

Nade Liang, Purdue University, Ashima Krishna, Purdue University, Nadia Gkritza, Purdue University, Ksenia, Kozak, Ford Motor Company, Stacey L. Connaughton, Purdue University