Designing Touch Interface for Truck Cabs : - A study of Driver Needs in a Digitalising world

The digitalisation of the automotive industry has led to the gradual replacement oftraditional physical controls in truck cabins with touchscreens—a trend expected tocontinue for the foreseeable future. This shift presents both opportunities andchallenges for truck drivers, particularly in terms of functionality development,usability, and safety. Since truck drivers operate in complex, demanding, and variedenvironments, it is crucial that interfaces are intuitive and minimize distractions. This master's thesis examines how drivers interact with various truck functions indifferent situations and how a touchscreen-based interface can be designed to meettheir needs in an increasingly digitalized industry, where usability and safety are keyfactors. The study was conducted in collaboration with Scania and followed a designthinking-centered process, incorporating methods such as user observations,interviews, thematic analysis, benchmarking, workshops, concept prototyping, anduser testing. The results show that many drivers prefer physical controls over touchscreens insituations that require high precision and quick access, such as engaging thedifferential lock during challenging driving conditions. However, there is greateracceptance of digitalisation for functions that are used in a planned and frequentmanner, provided the interface is well-structured, flexible, and tailored to the driver’sworkflow. The ability to customise settings according to individual preferences wasalso perceived as valuable, as it provides a sense of control. The study resulted indesign proposals that integrate touchscreen functions in a way that, based on driverfeedback, feels intuitive and easy to learn—likely reducing cognitive load andimproving driver-vehicle interaction. The conclusion is that future interfaces should combine touchscreens with physicalcontrols for functions used in critical situations to optimise both safety and usability.This work contributes insights and guidelines for designing digital interfaces in trucksthat better align with drivers' needs in an increasingly digitalised industry. This study was conducted by one student during the fall semester of 2024 as part ofthe Master’s program in Industrial Design Engineering at Luleå University ofTechnology, in collaboration with Scania.