Making a cardboard car

My goal with target testing was to determine if a certain configuration of knobs would yield a high accuracy score. I also wanted to be sure our test drivers were focusing on the road ahead, using only their peripheral vision to touch the targets. Testing different control layouts began with sketches, measurements and paper mockups. It ended with a cardboard mode and some interesting results.

When I set about user testing I knew I wanted a physical mockup. What I didn’t know was how hilarious it would look even after days and hours of careful consideration and construction. I wanted to put the user “in” the car, but I also wanted the car to be indoors. I wanted to be able to take pictures as well as use my laptop for other testing modules. Ultimately my design proved functional, portable and adjustable for use in any setting with a table.

If I had to do it again

Although testing went swimmingly there are a few details I’d modify for a second iteration. The angle of the wheel to the drivers hands was a little off, more like driving a bus than a car. To keep the users eyes on “the road” I asked them to stare into the middle distance. A set physical target, like a ball on a stick, would’ve been a more consistent focal point.