Four-wheel independent steering (4WIS) vehicles refer to vehicles designed to be able to move in multi-orientation by eliminating the mechanical linkage among the wheels. This study aims to evaluate and compare the usability of previously proposed 4WIS vehicle controllers. A usability test with 33 drivers was conducted to compare the five control interfaces (steering wheel buttons, touchscreen buttons, center console buttons, joystick, and paddle shifters). In order to identify what factors contributes to the usability of 4WIS control interfaces, we utilized a mixed-method approach that collects and analyzes both quantitative and qualitative data within the study. The quantitative results indicate that button-type interfaces shorten task completion time and reduce workload than joystick or paddle shifters. Qualitative analysis implies that touchscreen buttons reduce the perceived safety of drivers due to the lack of tactile feedback. Design recommendations for 4WIS control interfaces were provided from the usability testing results.

The rapid advancement of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology presents new opportunities and challenges in the realm of urban air mobility. As eVTOLs transition from conceptual designs to practical implementations, ensuring a seamless and delightful user experience becomes crucial. This workshop aims to explore how cabin design including user interfaces (UI) and indoor environment can enhance the user experience at two different stages of eVTOL development: the initial phase, where increasing perceived safety is paramount, and the mature phase, where factors like comfort and hedonic quality play a significant role. During the workshop, experts and researchers will delve into the multifaceted aspects of UI design for eVTOLs. Participants will engage in discussions, share insights, and examine case studies to understand the potential impact of eVTOL UI design on user experience.

Public Mobile Robots (PMRs) are increasingly operating on urban sidewalks, yet the physical design of these shared spaces has received little empirical attention as a determinant of pedestrian acceptance. This work-in-progress paper presents findings from a within-subjects experiment (N = 500) examining how three sidewalk separation types, Shared Space, Semi-separated Space, and Fully-separated Space, affect pedestrian subjective perceptions and coexistence acceptance. The three separation types represent conceptual conditions spanning a spectrum currently under policy and infrastructure discussion across multiple countries, rather than physical designs we implemented or evaluated in situ. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that Shared Space consistently produced the least favorable evaluations across all seven measured constructs. Semi-separated and Fully-separated Space conditions yielded comparable outcomes for Perceived Usefulness, Sidewalk Design Acceptance, and Coexistence Intention, suggesting that the presence of any spatial demarcation, rather than its degree, may represent the more consequential factor in early acceptance formation. We discuss what these findings suggest for the design of PMR coexistence environments and identify open questions for future research, including how different forms of spatial demarcation may be experienced across diverse pedestrian populations and real-world deployment contexts.