Affiliations: Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands | TNO, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands | BMW AG, München, Germany
Abstract: BACKGROUND: There is a demand for interiors to support other
activities in a car than controlling the vehicle. Currently, this is the case
for the car passengers and – in the future – autonomous driving cars will
also facilitate drivers to perform other activities. One of these activities is
working with handheld devices. OBJECTIVE: Previous research shows that
people experience problems when using handheld devices in a moving vehicle and
the use of handheld devices generally causes unwanted neck
flexion [Young et al. 2012; Sin and Zu 2011; Gold et al.
2011]. In this study, armrests are designed to support the arms
when using handheld devices in a driving car in order to decrease neck flexion. METHODS: Neck flexion was measured by attaching markers on the C7 and
tragus. Discomfort was indicated on a body map on a scale 1–10. User
experience was evaluated in a semi-structured interview. RESULTS: Neck flexion is significantly decreased by the support of the armrests and
approaches a neutral position. Furthermore, overall comfort and comfort in the
neck region specifically are significantly increased. Subjects appreciate the
body posture facilitated by the armrests and 9 out of 10 prefer using handheld
devices with the armrests compared to using handheld devices without the armrests. CONLUSION: More efforts are needed to develop the mock-up into
an established product, but the angles and dimensions presented in this study
could serve as guidelines.
Keywords: Discomfort, neck flexion, user experience, armrests, car seat
