Although new virtual reality (VR) devices and their contents are actively being released, there are still not enough studies to prepare its interface/interaction standard. In this study, it was investigated whether specific interaction factors influenced task performance and the degree of virtual reality sickness when performing pointing tasks in immersive virtual reality. A smartphone-based VR device was used, and twenty-five targets were placed in a 5 × 5 layout on the VR experimental area that extended to a range similar to the human viewing angle. Task completion time (TCT) was significantly affected by target selection method (p < 0.001) and target size (p < 0.001), whereas the error rate (ER) significantly differed for the target selection method (p < 0.001) and not for the target size (p = 0.057). Target location was observed to be a factor affecting TCT (p < 0.001), but it did not affect the ER (p = 0.876). VR sickness was more severe when the target size was smaller. Gaze selection was found to be more efficient when accuracy is demanded, and manual selection is more efficient for quick selection. Moreover, applying these experimental data to Fitts’ Law showed that the movement time was found to be less affected by the device when using the gaze-selection method. Virtual reality provides a three-dimensional visual environment, but a one-dimensional formula can sufficiently predict the movement time. The result of this study is expected to be a reference for preparing interface/interaction design standards for virtual reality.

This workshop aims to design advanced empathic user interfaces for in-vehicle displays, particularly for high-level automated vehicles (SAE level 3 or higher). Incorporating model-based approaches for understanding human emotion regulation, it seeks to enhance the user-vehicle interaction. A unique aspect of this workshop is the integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the design process. The workshop will explore generative AI’s potential in crafting contextual responses and its impact on user experience and interface design. The agenda includes brainstorming on various driving scenarios, developing emotion-oriented intervention methods, and rapid prototyping with AI tools. The anticipated outcome includes practical prototypes of affective user interfaces and insights on the role of AI in designing human-machine interactions. Through this workshop, we hope to contribute to making automated driving more accessible and enjoyable.

In this study, we explored the relationship between objective and subjective measures for usability evaluation in in-vehicle infotainment systems (IVISs). As a case study, four displays were evaluated based on cluster location and display orientation (that is, front–horizontal, front–vertical, right–horizontal, and right–vertical). Thirty-six participants performed tasks to manipulate the functions of the IVISs and data were collected through an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor and questionnaire items. We analysed a model that estimated EEG-based objective indicators from subjective indicators. As a result, the objective indicators reflected the subjective indicators and were considered to explain the driver’s cognitive state. Although EEG data were collected from only four participants, this study proposed an experimental design that could be applied to the analysis of the relationship between the subject’s evaluation and EEG signals, as a preliminary study. We expect the experimental design and results of this study to be useful in analysing objective and subjective measures of usability evaluation.

Despite extensive analysis into the relationship between emotion and driving, the effects of empathy on driving remain less explored. This paper focuses on the role of empathy, particularly cognitive and affective empathy, as a potential mitigator of negative emotional states. We investigated how empathic responses from an in-vehicle agent influence a driver’s emotional state and their driving performance through a between-subject simulation study. Thirty participants were assigned one of three in-vehicle agents: cognitive empathy style, affective empathy style, and non-empathy style agent. They drove using a driving simulator and received empathic responses from in-vehicle agents when adverse events happened. The results showed that affective empathy style in-vehicle agent more helped driver drive safely with lower negative affect states compared to cognitive empathy style agent and no agent. We expect that the findings of this study could provide valuable insight for designing empathic interactions between a driver and a vehicle.

Recently, the deep learning algorithm has received considerable attention and is influencing different fields including human-computer interaction (HCI). The purpose of this study is to maximize accuracy by applying deep learning to the classification of body movements. An experiment was performed to collect acceleration information on the wrist while performing seven workouts: pull up, row-barbell, bench press, dips, squat, deadlift, and military press. Participants were asked to perform each workout for ten sets repeated ten times per set. Experimental results confirm that one-dimensional convolutional neural network was the best among different algorithms including support vector machine, multi-layer perceptron, long short-term memory, and other deep convolutional neural networks. The accuracy was extremely high, 96%. The results of this experiment are applicable not only to the classification of fitness activities but also to the classification of different motions in numerous sporting events.