The Effect of Phone Interface and Dialing Method on Simulated Driving Performance and User Preference

Abstract

Previous research on the use of cell phones while driving has attempted to determine if voice-activated dialing differs from manual dialing in terms of driving performance. However, these studies have generally not examined other calling methods (e.g. calling stored nametags) and have not examined the differences between different phone interfaces. The present study examined driver performance and user preference using three different phones with different manual and voice interface applications in a driving simulator. Twelve drivers participated in one two-hour session. Their task was to follow a lead vehicle, maintaining a safe headway and basic control of the vehicle while performing different dialing tasks. Results showed that overall voice dialing resulted in longer task times and higher error rates than manual dialing, but calling a stored nametag by voice resulted in similar task times and error rates as manually calling a stored nametag or manual digit dialing. Findings suggest that manual speed dialing is the preferred method for dialing while driving, and that differences between various phone interfaces can greatly affect driving performances results.