Transportation Research Webinar
Computerized Crash Reports Usability and Design Investigation

May 10, 2016

About the Presentation

Minnesota’s commencement of a new crash records database offered a unique opportunity for a redesign of its electronic crash report to best support law enforcement officers (LEOs). A well-designed electronic report will not only support LEOs in the line of duty but will also lead to more useful, complete, and accurate data for various state and federal agencies for analysis and policy decision making.

This presentation discussed the HumanFIRST Laboratory's crash report and usability design project conducted as part of this effort. The objectives of this project were to improve crash data reliability and validity, develop a framework crash report interface based on human factors principles and usability requirements, and reduce the mental workload and required steps for users. The project featured a cooperative approach among university researchers, state agencies, and a private developer to ensure that the knowledge and technology of the research effort was fully transferred into the final product. The resulting interfaces preliminarily suggest improved data completeness and accuracy, comply with principles of usability, and provide a resource for replication in multiple domains.

Webcast

About the Speakers

Nichole Morris is the principal researcher at the HumanFIRST Laboratory at the University of Minnesota. Her main research interests are in transportation, especially as it relates to multi-sensory perception, aging, judgment and decision making, usability, and human factors. Her most recent research has examined Connected Vehicles warning systems, teen driving with the use of in-vehicle coaching, and lane-departure warning systems.

Kathleen Haney is the Research, Evaluation, and Traffic Records manager with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Sponsors

The webinar series is sponsored by the Roadway Safety Institute and the Midwest Transportation Center at Iowa State University.