Evaluating User Interfaces in Electric Vehicle Interiors: Development of a Refined Coding Scheme

As electric vehicles (EVs) reshape the automotive landscape, their unique interior design potential necessitates a re-evaluation of traditional user interface (UI). The study presented here is part of a larger project investigating EV adoption based on a qualitative observation of participants interacting with EVs. This work-in-progress presents a refined coding scheme that captures a novel taxonomy of EV interior elements, organised into overarching themes (information systems, operations, access/visibility, and sections/features) and sub-themes (aesthetics, usability, and material/build quality). These findings reveal novel insights into factors influencing user evaluations of EV interiors, while supporting and expanding previous findings conducted by the research team outlining preferences for screen size, button layout, tactile feedback, and simple spatial configurations. This work contributes to automotive UI design by offering a refined coding scheme for future inquiry into automotive UX serving as a design-relevant resource for industry practitioners and researchers seeking to craft engaging, user-centered EV interiors.