SEAT and infotainment design

The background

Infrared light sensors, high resolution images and a sophisticated algorithm. All this technology is used to find out exactly where people are looking. As we drive, the road must obviously be the main focus. That’s why it’s key to safety to be able to locate everything we’re looking for on the central console of the infotainment system at a glance, from the navigation system to the air conditioning or the radio.

The method

Eye tracking technology makes it possible to obtain very precise studies on human interaction with all kinds of devices. For example, it will serve to analyze the usability of mobility apps. “We can know where users expect to find information such as battery level or range of kilometers” says the head of Smart Quality.

The team is now working on a pilot test in order to introduce eye tracking glasses in the testing of new models. They select users with different profiles who, while wearing them, will get behind the wheel of the SEAT Leon. "We’ll ask them, for example, to turn up the temperature or change the radio station and we’ll analyze which part of the screen they’ve directed their gaze at first, how long it takes them to do so and how many times they look at the road while interacting with the device." says Rubén.

Before, these tests were done by asking people questions, but “the brain often misleads and where you think you’re looking is not where you’re actually doing it” he adds. Now they will have accurate data.

In the Smart Quality department facilities, using the complex algorithm, the behavioral patterns of each driver’s gaze are obtained through different indicators. One of them is the heat zone indicator, which shows the intensity of each focus of attention. “The red spot, which indicates the greatest number of impacts, should always be on the road” Rubén points out. It is the guarantee that users continue to pay attention to the road, even when interacting with the screen.

Another indicator is the order in which they look, a key to knowing where each driver expects to find a function. "We may think, for example, that the lower part of the screen is the most accessible, but with the eye tracking glasses, we can discover that, for whatever reason, first they look at the upper part" he says.

The conclusion

All of these usability patterns will be key in developing the central consoles of tomorrow’s cars, determining the location, size and distribution of information that is most comfortable for users. “This technology will help us humanize the interfaces, improving the user experience. With it we’ll certainly go a step further in the quality of the infotainment console of the future” he concludes.