Blinded by novelty: a reflection on participant curiosity and novelty in automated vehicle studies based on experiences from the field

Abstract

Interacting with a novel technology or a known technology in a novel context can influence a user's interaction with said technology in both a positive or negative way. Research is often primarily interested in capturing interaction under regular conditions, rendering such influences less desirable. Depending on the actual novelty of any given technology, such halo or novelty effects might be weaker or stronger, and thereby more difficult to mitigate. In this paper, we want to share a number of experiences related to participant curiosity and technology novelty in interaction with automated vehicles. We intend to use our experiences from several studies to open the discussion on a potential underestimation of technology novelty and its effects on user research in vehicle automation technology and want to particularly highlight the role, researchers, manufacturers, and media play in shaping such effects.