Designing Remote Assistance Interfaces for Automated Vehicles – A Planning-Oriented Prototype with Real-World Driving Stimuli

Automated vehicles may encounter situations at system limits that require external human support without continuous remote driving. We present a lab-based remote assistance setup for investigating planning-oriented interaction methods. The setup combines real-world driving video stimuli, contextual dashboard information, a pen-based planning display, and instrumentation for logging interaction and attention data in a multi-screen operator workplace. It supports two assistance concepts: collaborative planning, in which operators select system-generated maneuver suggestions, and trajectory guidance, in which operators draw a desired path for the vehicle. We conducted a formative within-subjects evaluation with 35 participants to assess the setup and explore perceived usability and user experience of two implemented interaction conditions. No statistically significant differences were found between the two implemented conditions in perceived usability or user experience. The findings suggest that both concepts warrant further investigation and motivate future setup iterations that combine interaction methods according to scenario demands and operator preferences.