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Journal of Graphics ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (4): 927-939.DOI: 10.11996/JG.j.2095-302X.2026040927

• Industrial Design • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research on dashboard interface interaction design based on visual selective attention

YU Xianyuan, ZHU Zhaohua(), WU Jingtong, TANG Tiantian, WANG Wenyu   

  1. School of Architecture and Design, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou Jiangsu 221116, China
  • Received:2026-01-31 Accepted:2026-06-10 Online:2026-08-31 Published:2026-08-31
  • Contact: ZHU Zhaohua
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(52005498);Xuzhou Science and Technology Project(KC21069)

Abstract:

In intelligent connected vehicle driving scenarios, the increasing complexity of in-vehicle instrument cluster information has led to heightened visual interference and greater cognitive workload for drivers. Based on the theory of selective visual attention, this study investigated the effects of information weighting, spatial layout, and color attributes on drivers’ attentional allocation and information acquisition efficiency, and developed corresponding design strategies aimed at improving interface readability and cognitive efficiency. This research was organized around three dimensions: “information weight-layout positioning-color characteristics.” First, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to construct a hierarchical model of in-vehicle instrument cluster information, allowing the extraction and quantification of the weight relationships among key information elements. Second, eye-tracking experiments were conducted with center-aligned and dumbbell-shaped layouts as the primary experimental conditions to analyze differences in cognitive efficiency for high-weight information, including vehicle speed, battery level and remaining range, power output, and gear status, under different spatial configurations. Third, a k-means clustering algorithm was applied to extract visual characteristics such as primary color, background color, font color, and auxiliary color, thereby summarizing the color design patterns of in-vehicle instrument cluster interfaces. Finally, based on the research findings, interface design strategies were proposed, and a comprehensive evaluation was conducted through system usability assessment, eye-tracking analysis, and user preference testing to validate the design solutions and identify the optimal scheme. The results indicated that essential driving information had the highest overall weight within the information system. Among these, vehicle speed, battery level and remaining range, power output, and gear status were identified as the most critical information elements receiving the greatest driver attention during driving tasks. When high-weight information was arranged in the visual center and its surrounding regions, both information search efficiency and recognition efficiency were significantly improved. In terms of color design, blue and blue-green color schemes are the mainstream visual styles for current instrument cluster interfaces, effectively balancing readability and visual comfort. The evaluation results further demonstrated that the proposed interface solutions exhibited good system usability. In particular, the center-aligned layout combined with a blue-green color scheme achieved superior performance in both cognitive efficiency and user preference. In conclusion, the information hierarchy, layout optimization, and color design strategies constructed based on the theory of selective visual attention effectively optimized the information structure and visual presentation of in-vehicle instrument clusters. These strategies significantly enhanced information recognition efficiency and interface readability, providing both theoretical foundations and practical guidance for the design and development of intelligent connected vehicle instrument cluster interfaces.

Key words: visual selective attention, vehicle dashboard, interface interaction design, driving safety, human-computer interaction

CLC Number: