Introduction: Alerts for ATIS messages refers to information presented to drivers prior to, or concurrent with, the presentation of an ATIS message. Alerts are typically used to notify drivers of high-priority ATIS messages associated with safety (e.g., immediate hazard, emergency vehicle approaching), vehicle status (e.g., vehicle condition warning), or augmented signage information (e.g., guidance, notification, or regulatory signs).

In Reference 2, subjects were trained to recall six complex sounds (earcons) and six visual icons that were part of an experiment investigating ATIS devices. These earcons and icons, along with speech and textual messages, were then presented to subjects while they navigated through a simulated driving environment in a fixed-base driving simulator. Twelve of the subjects received a speech alert before all message presentations, 12 of the subjects received a tone alert, and 12 of the subjects received no alert at all. Performance measures included: response times to a recognition question on the message, accuracy in recognizing the meaning of a message, and confidence in their answers. Results suggested that subjects in the no alert group were significantly less accurate, slower, and less confident with the visual messages than they were with the auditory messages. Performance in the speech alert and tone alert groups did not differ. These findings suggest that alerts of some type will improve accuracy, latency, and confidence associated with visual messages.

Special Design Considerations: The guidelines presented here are preliminary and general, and should be implemented in a careful and purposeful manner. Application to specific design issues should reflect the goals, requirements, and constraints of individual design efforts.