Objective: This study examines whether the pilot flying’s (PF) scanning behavior is affected by the absence of the pilot monitoring (PM) and aims at deriving implications for the design of single-pilot cockpits for commercial aviation. Background: Due to technological progress, a crew reduction from two-crew to single-pilot operations (SPO) might be feasible. This requires a redesign of the cockpit to support the pilot adequately, especially during high workload phases such as approach and landing. In these phases, the continuous scanning of flight parameters is of particular importance. Method: Experienced pilots flew various approach and landing scenarios with or without the support of the PM in a fixed-base Airbus A320 simulator. A within-subject design was used and eye-tracking data were collected to analyze scanning behavior. Results: The results confirm that the absence of the PM affects the PF’s scanning behavior. Participants spent significantly more time scanning secondary instruments at the expense of primary instruments when flying alone. Moreover, the frequency of transitions between the cockpit instruments and the external view increased while mean dwell durations on the external view decreased. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the PM supports the PF to achieve efficient scanning behavior. Information should be presented differently in commercial SPO to compensate for the PM’s absence and to avoid visual overload. Application: This research will help inform the design of commercial SPO flight decks providing adequate support for the pilot particularly in terms of efficient scanning behavior.

In this paper, we present a concept for an assistance system for public transport passengers currently being developed for Kassel, Germany, and its surrounding area. The assistance system aims at increasing the attractiveness of local public transport by reducing barriers to use, thus promoting sustainable travel behavior. Three main barriers were identified: crowded vehicles, missed connections, and inconveniences in the transportation of shopping bags and luggage. To tackle these issues, three assistance system services were conceptualized: the occupancy rate informing passengers about the occupancy level of vehicles, the transfer connection monitor and secure system giving passengers the option to communicate transfer connection requests, and the delivery service allowing the use of public transport while shopping without the need to transport purchased goods. The three services are presented in detail along with the user interfaces they will be integrated into. Moreover, for the further implementation of the assistance system, a user requirement analysis is outlined. We finally give an overview and outlook regarding the implementation and evaluation of the concept in laboratory studies and a one-year field study.

Smart glasses are increasingly commercialized and may replace or at least complement smartphones someday. Common smartphone features, such as notifications, should then also be available for smart glasses. However, notifications are of disruptive character given that even unimportant notifications frequently interrupt users performing a primary task. This often leads to distractions and performance degradation. Thus, we propose a concept for displaying notifications in the peripheral field of view of smart glasses and with different visualizations depending on the priority of the notification. We developed three icon-based notifications representing increasing priority: a transparent green icon continuously becoming more opaque (low priority), a yellow icon moving up and down (medium priority), and a red and yellow flashing icon (high priority). To evaluate the concept, we conducted a study with 24 participants who performed a primary task and should react to notifications at the same time using the Nreal Light smart glasses. The results showed that reaction times for the low-priority notification were significantly higher and it was ranked as the least distracting. The medium- and high-priority notifications did not show a clear difference in noticeability, distraction, or workload. We discuss implications of our results for the perception and visualization of notifications in the peripheral field of view of smart glasses and, more generally, for augmented reality applications.