‘Intelligent’ in-vehicle intelligent transport systems: limiting behavioural adaptation through adaptive design

Abstract

Most would agree that the use of in-vehicle intelligent transport systems (ITS) can lead to changes in driver behaviour that were not necessarily intended by the system's designers. This collection of unintended behavioural changes is often referred to as behavioural adaptation (BA). While it is unlikely that designers of in-vehicle ITS will be able to accurately predict every possible manifestation of BA to a given system, it is argued herein that they may nonetheless be able to minimise the potential for ‘negative’ BA, increase system usability and, consequently, user acceptance, by applying principles of intercultural adaptability and adaptive interface design during the design phase.