Chinese Drivers’ Preference for In-Vehicle Information Display: Insights from a Large-Scale Online Survey

Integrating intelligent and connected technologies in vehicles has significantly enriched the information environment for drivers, aiding them in making comprehensive driving decisions. However, inadequate information display may lead drivers to miss crucial information or increase their cognitive load, thereby affecting driving safety and user experience. It is essential to study drivers’ preferences for in-vehicle information display, the factors influencing these preferences, and to present information through appropriate modalities and carriers. Drawing on 695 valid questionnaire responses, this study investigates drivers’ preferences for recommendatory, explanatory, alerting, and warning information across three display modalities and six display carriers. A multivariate ordered probability model was further developed to examine the influence of user characteristics on these preferences. The results showed that drivers preferred visual cues over auditory ones, with a selection frequency that was 5.253 times higher (p < 0.001). Additionally, auditory cues were preferred 3.265 times more than tactile cues (p < 0.001). In terms of the interface, drivers favored the center console, which was preferred 1.058 times more than dashboard (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the HUD was found to be significantly better than steering wheel vibrations, being preferred 2.899 times more (p < 0.001). The study found that the choice of message type influences user preferences. Warning messages had a visual choice preference that was 1.669% higher than that for alert messages (p = 0.042). Additionally, auditory choices for alert messages were significantly enhanced, being 11.079% higher than regular messages (p < 0.001). User characteristics also played a significant role in these preferences. Women showed a lower preference for visual messages compared to men, with a ratio of 0.62 (p < 0.05). Senior drivers were less likely to choose visual dashboards, with the likelihood decreasing to 0.82 for each age group (p = 0.017). Furthermore, individuals with higher levels of education showed a preference for auditory messages, with the preference increasing to 1.23 for each education stratum (p < 0.05). The findings provide theoretical support for selecting appropriate modalities and carriers in in-vehicle information displays, particularly for tailoring displays to various information types and user groups.