GM Super Cruise Ranks High in Strategy Analytics' User Experience Evaluation

BOSTON, Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent user experience evaluation from the In-vehicle UX (IVX) group at Strategy Analytics has assessed the Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving system in the 2018 Cadillac CT6. On completion, Strategy Analytics found that Super Cruise had 2 key aspects which provided a compelling experience, though it also fell victim to some of the same issues as other semi-autonomous systems. While the controls were well-located, some of its visual assets were unclear. Moreover, an asset was missing at a crucial time-point for safe operation. 

Click here for report:  https://www.strategyanalytics.com/access-services/automotive/in-vehicle-ux/reports/report-detail/user-experience-evaluation-gm-super-cruise

Key report findings include:

• Super Cruise is particularly notable as it is the first semi-autonomous system on market which uses a sophisticated driver monitoring system (equipped with eye and head position tracking). GM's theory is that this implementation could augment other methods traditionally used to keep the driver in the loop, such as ensuring that the driver's hands stay on or near the steering wheel.
• Overall, Super Cruise scored favorably on the IVX rating scale for semi-autonomous systems as two drive-critical aspects of the system ? lane centering technology and audible / non-jarring tactile alerts for escalated take-over requests ? rated clearly one cut above its peers.
• However, design changes of the HMI at 2 time-points ? driver hand-off and messaging in the instrument cluster - could improve its usability tremendously.

Derek Viita, report author and Senior Analyst commented, "There are two main issues with GM's Super Cruise. The time-point of driver hand-off to Super Cruise is missing a clear and obvious non-visual indication that the hand-off was successful; and messaging in the instrument cluster is too wordy for a high-speed use case and at times, nonsensical. However, this is not the first time we've noted these human factors issues in a system: our recent evaluations of other comparable systems have also noted these usability issues."

Added Chris Schreiner, Director, Syndicated Research UXIP, "Though, despite these issues Super Cruise is a compelling system and well-positioned to compete in this emerging market for semi-autonomous driving features. A few simple design fixes are recommended, but these, paired with Super Cruise's robust driver monitoring system and best-in-class lane centering, could potentially make it a game-changing feature."

About Strategy Analytics
Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. www.StrategyAnalytics.com.

About In-vehicle UX
Our In-vehicle User Experience (IVX) service investigates UX innovation opportunities in the connected vehicle.  By understanding the emerging behaviors, needs, motivations, use cases, pain-points and "must-have" experiences of lead adopters and future target consumers, IVX delivers a roadmap to help you design the optimal experience.  IVX forms part of the User Experience Innovation Practice (UXIP) at Strategy Analytics. Through both syndicated and proprietary user-centric research capabilities, UXIP delivers strategic insights and analysis on how to optimize the user experience of new and emerging technologies. Click here for more information.

Press Contacts
US Contact: Derek Viita, +1 617 614 0772, [email protected]
European Contact: Diane O'Neill, +44(0) 1908 423 669, [email protected]

SOURCE Strategy Analytics