It's Enactment Time!: High-fidelity Enactment Stage for Accessible Automated Driving System Technology Research
Aaron Gluck, Hannah Solini, Julian Brinkley · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22) · doi:10.1145/3517428.3551351
Summary
This pictorial paper documents the iterative design and construction of a high-fidelity enactment stage for researching accessible autonomous vehicle (AV) technology with older adults and people with disabilities. Autonomous vehicles hold transformative potential for people who cannot currently drive — including blind people, older adults, and those with physical disabilities — yet current AV development focuses on occupants who can already drive. Since fully autonomous Level 5 vehicles are not available for research use (companies like Waymo and GM Cruise operate them only in limited geographic areas), the researchers at Clemson University developed user enactment as a method to explore AV accessibility. User enactment combines brainstorming with bodystorming, allowing participants to physically act out interactions with emerging technologies they have no prior experience using. The paper traces three iterations of the enactment stage. The first study used a low-fidelity setup: blue painter's tape outlining an SUV footprint with six chairs inside, tested with 10 older adult participants. The second study added props, foam core board labels for tracking changes, and tri-fold display boards for the vehicle front and rear, with 30 older adult participants across seven groups who iteratively modified the design. The final high-fidelity stage was modeled on the GM Cruise Origin ridesharing AV, chosen for its wheelchair-accessible sliding doors, flexible seating layout, and spacious interior for HMI exploration.
Key findings
The high-fidelity enactment stage measures 14 feet long, 7 feet high (6 feet interior), and 6 feet wide, constructed from lumber, plywood, and foam core board with screen door material simulating tinted glass. Critical accessibility features include an over-engineered floor supporting 600+ pounds per square foot for powered wheelchairs, and a metal ramp (5 feet long, 3 feet wide) meeting ADA rise-over-run requirements. The interior walls are covered with metallic paper, enabling magnetic foam core widgets — labeled in both text and Braille — representing interaction devices like levers, buttons, keypads, and microphones that participants can freely place, rearrange, and remove. The stage features moveable seating, two sets of sliding doors, a working trunk, and spaces for installing computers or digital devices. An internal pilot study was conducted as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Inclusive Design Challenge for Autonomous Vehicle Accessibility, using a touch-screen HMI and wearable device along with a floor-projected map showing the vehicle's position. A research team member with low vision successfully entered, interacted with, and exited the stage, confirming its accessibility and usability. Future plans include adding augmented reality projectors and more sophisticated HMI systems.
Relevance
This work addresses a fundamental methodological challenge in accessible technology research: how do you study the accessibility of technology that doesn't yet exist in usable form? The user enactment approach with high-fidelity staging offers a practical solution that the broader HCI and accessibility research community can adopt. For accessibility practitioners, the paper demonstrates the importance of including disabled people and older adults in the design of autonomous vehicles now, before inaccessible design patterns become entrenched — a concern the authors explicitly raise, noting that AV human-machine interfaces are being developed without standardization or accessibility features. The detailed construction documentation, including accessibility-specific decisions like wheelchair-rated flooring and Braille-labeled magnetic widgets, provides a replicable blueprint for other research groups. The iterative process — from tape on the floor to a full-scale vehicle mockup — also models how to progressively increase research fidelity while maintaining participant engagement throughout.
Tags: autonomous vehicles · accessible transportation · user enactment · older adults · physical disability · research methods · prototyping · human-machine interface · inclusive design
Standards referenced: SAE Level 5 · ADA