A study on the interface design of a functional menu and icons for in-vehicle navigation systems

Abstract

The progress in computer technology and information communication for consumer electronics and related intelligent products has greatly enhanced the usability of the global positioning system (GPS) of in-vehicle navigation systems (IVNSs). However, too many functions and information can be a burden to users while driving, which could include unsuitable icons, inappropriate framework configuration, redundant functional items and an unsuitable hierarchical configuration. The objective of this study is to develop a systematic platform to design the framework of functional menu layers and the corresponding functional icons based on analyzing user requirements. This research performed a three-stage assessment and an analysis on the graphical user interface, hierarchical layers of the functional menu such that the IVNS could be re-constructed based on the data collection and the analyzed marketed IVNS. IT is expected to provide reference information and a research process for designers to help create a more humanized, intelligent human-computer interaction. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.