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The findings of this study have direct implications for how automotive manufacturers conceptualize and implement vibrotactile feedback in vehicle design.
Safety cannot defer to frequency of use
A recurring pattern in this study was participants distinguishing between controls they use daily, such as volume, temperature, navigation, and those they use rarely, like mirror adjustment, windshield wipers and high beams. The implicit assumption
in many participants’ reasoning was that infrequent tasks
are lower priority. This assumption, however, is unsafe.
Safety engineering always recognizes that edge cases, which are the rare, unexpected, and infrequent scenarios, are precisely the conditions that most demand reliable, low-effort access to critical controls.
A driver who cannot quickly activate high beams on a dark road, fold mirrors in high density traffic conditions, or locate windshield wiper controls in sudden rain is most vulnerable. Because these tasks are performed so infrequently, drivers fail to establish muscle memory needed to execute them quickly. The lack of familiarity leaves little room to navigate multi-step controls safely. Interface designers should treat safety-critical functions as highest priority regardless of their frequency of use.
The edge case should not be an afterthought, but rather a design requirement.
Haptic implementation must be strategic, not uniform.
Customizable Haptic Settings
The findings of this study demonstrates that the presence of vibrotactile feedback is not inherently beneficial. Its value is entirely dependent on how it is implemented. Identical vibration for every button press adds sensory noise without meaningful information.
Vibration patterns should be differentiated by certain categories. For example, a distinct pulse for lighting functions and a sustained vibration for safety-critical confirmations. This is so that drivers receive not just confirmation that something was tapped, but information about exactly what was tapped. This approach would transform vibrotactile feedback from a basic sensory signal into meaningful non-visual communication.
The differentiated implementation of this feedback aligns with the broader principle established in the tactile feedback literature: carefully engineered haptic cues enhance subjective usability, while poorly calibrated ones can reduce it.
The participants in this study who reported indifference to vibrotactile feedback did not report that haptics harmed their experiences; they were simply neutral to it. Those who find haptics unnecessary can have the option to disable them. Designing for the defensive, novice, or highly-neurotic driver creates a safety foundation that benefits everyone.
Customizable haptic settings accommodate the full spectrum of user preferences without compromising the safety benefits for those who need it most.
Haptic feedback cannot compensate for poor visual design.
Interface architecture and haptics must be redesigned together.
The most consistent finding across all data is that vibrotactile feedback and interface architecture are interdependent. Haptics reduce the fatigue of navigating a complex interface but do not reduce the complexity itself. When a driver cannot clearly see and identify where to tap in the first place, confirming that they tapped something provides no meaningful benefits.
Interface architecture must be redesigned alongside vibrotactile integration. Safety-critical functions should be on the main screen with direct, single-step access rather than buried behind cascading menus that require excessive visual attention. As a participant noted, vibrotactile feedback is most useful when the interface is simple enough that the driver already knows where to direct their finger. When functions are hidden behind multiple layers of menus, haptics confirm the wrong tap as easily as the right one.
Interface complexity should adapt to driving conditions.
The automotive industry’s framework for Operational Design Domains (ODDs), which defines the specific conditions under which a vehicle’s automated driving systems can be safely engaged, offers a meaningful parallel for IVIS design.
Dynamic interface adaption would surface only the most critical, single-step controls during high-demand driving conditions and expand access to secondary features when conditions are safer. This would bring IVIS design into alignment with the contextual safety logic already embedded in ODD frameworks.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): Six top-level categories and subcategories to define an operational design domain
This mockup redesigns the in-vehicle touchscreen for a high-demand driving scenario: sudden heavy rain on the freeway.
Building on the findings of this study and broader automotive UX and in-vehicle information system literature, this mock interface dynamically prioritizes headlights, windshield wipers, the defogger, and climate controls while using larger button sizes, distinct button borders, and optimal number of partitions layout to minimize cognitive load and improve usability under demanding conditions.
Designing for the most vulnerable users benefits everyone.
Importantly, this study also suggests a universal design principle: interfaces designed to accommodate the most anxious, distraction-sensitive, or inexperienced drivers will naturally work for all users. Combined with simplified interface architecture and strategically implemented vibrotactile feedback, context-aware adaptation represents a design approach that is consistent with both the literature and data observed in this study.
The onboarding experience is a critical opportunity to improve safety.
The transition period is the highest risk.
Drivers transitioning from vehicles with predominantly physical controls to touchscreen-dominant ones may be among the most at-risk groups during the current period of automotive interface shift. For these drivers, vibrotactile feedback meaningfully lowers the attentional cost of learning a new interface during first weeks and months of ownership, before any muscle memory or task familiarity has developed. This onboarding window is when drivers are most vulnerable to the demands of an unfamiliar interface and where vibrotactile feedback provides its greatest value.
Multiple participants across both conditions identified the learning curve as a central barrier to safe touchscreen IVIS interaction. One participant described frantically searching on his phone to figure out how to change his gear to Neutral the first time he drove his Tesla. Another participant reported still feeling uncertain about the location of frequently used critical functions even after consistent daily driving for almost one year.
Onboarding should be a core feature.
These findings suggest that manufacturers should treat structured vehicle onboarding as a core product feature rather than an optional tutorial or an afterthought. An onboarding experience that explicitly teaches drivers the spatial layout of critical functions, the haptics of the interface, and the navigation path for infrequently used controls would address the prolonged learning curve that participants described as both stressful and dangerous. This may be especially valuable for older drivers and those transitioning from physical-control dominant vehicles, who face disproportionately steep learning curves.
While structured onboarding cannot eliminate this challenge, it can meaningfully attempt to bridge the gap.
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