Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Hands-Free Siri Interactions Result in Highest Levels of Mental Distraction While Driving
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
"You don't have anyone named "an ambulance" in your contact."
----------
You can reply to all threads relating to Apple with this. Epic.
----------
Apple Maps is to be blamed. Before iOS 6 Siri (with Google Maps) was much better in giving directions.
Why on frack's earth even mention Siri. They invite scrutinity just for that. Do you know what I heard on MY newscast, half the clip was about Siri and Apple. Yes sir. The rest of their point barely made it through!!
And, as I noted, their study is heavily flawed in methodology. They can have the proper conclusion (meaning they are right) without actually having proved it in this study; because obviously, they're NOT the first to look at cognitive impairement from distraction.
I agree myself that myself that its an issue and don't do anything but drive. No phone, even radio annoys me. But, I still can't condone their half assed methods and conclusions that go beyond the facts.
So, this was basically a click bait job.
Disagree, it's pretty useful if you know how to use it. There is also a startup developing an AI that started Siri that people should closely follow.
In any case I guess you're ok with the Apple, FBI, etc. potentially key logging your phone and the NSA listening on your calls then? They have the software and more to already get all that if you want, check out Der Spiegel.
I think if you don't want something to be picked up then say it face to face or write it down with your phone and others miles away. Why do you think Edward Snowden was so adamant about not using cell devices when he first met the journalists.
Please keep in mind that fifty percent of the population is of below average intelligence and cannot multitask whether in a car or not. The testing should have focused on those who are well versed with technology and know how to use it versus randomly selected people. I have been using Siri eyes free in my car for over six months with no issues what so ever. The point is asking someone to complete a task that they are not accustomed to while driving will always result in detrimental outcomes. The perfect example is a person drives a car they have never driven, measuring their level of distraction will give similar results.
I'm not one for phones in the car but Siri undestands me fine.
They must have some really broad accented drivers who were unfamiliar or old because, asking Siri to do something is easier than complex menus. I literally don't undersatand how mental workload can be higher under any circumstances ?
Not enough is revealed about the subjects and their backgrounds to know what issues were encountered. People who don't own an iPhone aren't going to be able to complete tasks well especially if they have other factors such as age, inexperience, accent loaded on top.
I call BS on this
They must have some really broad accented drivers who were unfamiliar or old because, asking Siri to do something is easier than complex menus. I literally don't undersatand how mental workload can be higher under any circumstances ?
Not enough is revealed about the subjects and their backgrounds to know what issues were encountered. People who don't own an iPhone aren't going to be able to complete tasks well especially if they have other factors such as age, inexperience, accent loaded on top.
I call BS on this
This study further corroborates prior studies showing that if you are TALKING you aren't driving.
Simple as that.
If you are trying to hold an active conversation with anyone or anything your brain is not focusing on the task of driving.
Stop talking and drive.
Simple as that.
If you are trying to hold an active conversation with anyone or anything your brain is not focusing on the task of driving.
Stop talking and drive.
wow, look at at thing !!
Its like a bunch of steps..
Probably for the most reason why is is distracted because half the time siri gets it wrong and/or mis-unstands u is a fetal key.
The driver gets so annoyed they loose concentration anyway since they have to take their eyed of the road to tap.
Something good like a voice-asssist comes in,, and suddenly everyone relies on it only. You can tell who the users are, because when it doesn't work out, u can't shut em up about it.
I'm all for hand-free mobiles, hands-free phone calls, but a technology that is never perfect, will cause distractions..
People can try and debate this all they like, without any proof.
Its like a bunch of steps..
Probably for the most reason why is is distracted because half the time siri gets it wrong and/or mis-unstands u is a fetal key.
The driver gets so annoyed they loose concentration anyway since they have to take their eyed of the road to tap.
Something good like a voice-asssist comes in,, and suddenly everyone relies on it only. You can tell who the users are, because when it doesn't work out, u can't shut em up about it.
I'm all for hand-free mobiles, hands-free phone calls, but a technology that is never perfect, will cause distractions..
People can try and debate this all they like, without any proof.
Because they are incredibly insecure in their own humanity and feel no self worth unless they are connected with someone, somehow. That's why people's faces are shoved into their phones all day long. They are lonely, desperate, and socially challenged beyond repair.
Losers.
And you're the reason there's road rage. If you're stopped at a stop light, you can't get into an accident. Stop being the police.
It's actually very different. Speaking to people on speaker phone is actually much more distracting that talking to someone in a car too.
When on speaker phone you feel committed to reply in a timely fashion and so don't stop talking when you are changing lanes etc.
As for Siri, the level of inconsistency in it's interactions is the real problem. If you could just talk to it in a normal way and it do what you want, that's fine. But forcing yourself to speak in language it understands is an extra thing to think about and then getting back any kind of answer is annoying.
To see how it SHOULD be one day, check out the TV show Extant. Their voice activated tech looks great!
----------
At the moment Google Now isn't completely hands free. It oftens "responds" by just giving you a page of search results. It doesn't always answer like Siri does. This is due to be changed in Android L, which will then support full hands free mode for cars.
----------
You don't need to thank Darwin. That's not how science works. You also don't need to thank Newton for the fact your coffee doesn't float out the top of your mug.
I don't have experience with other navigation systems, but I do have experience with two mapping apps on my phone. So, I decided to give Siri the boot, so to speak, and just give the address to Apple Maps. More precisely, gave it a street name. It found matches in ENGLAND. I did the same with Google maps and it found the closest areas with the matching street name. In other words, Google Maps did exactly what I expected.
I know Apple is new to the maps game, but this isn't a data problem. It's an algorithm problem.
Google Maps KNOWS where I am. It then uses that location to find data points close to me and works outward.
Apple Maps KNOWS where I am. It then queries its database, finds streets with the same names, and throws darts.
I wish they'd fix this issue.
http://taketotask.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/apple-fix-your-maps/
Why the heck are they testing Siri and not CarPlay!?
The "Siri for your car" comes out, and they decide just to test Siri?
I really hope that they actually test the device meant for use in a car. Otherwise, they've wasted their time in not making a comparison. Their findings are worthless; I could have told you that using the iPhone Siri was frustrating from the start!
The "Siri for your car" comes out, and they decide just to test Siri?
I really hope that they actually test the device meant for use in a car. Otherwise, they've wasted their time in not making a comparison. Their findings are worthless; I could have told you that using the iPhone Siri was frustrating from the start!
It's not very clear on what they were trying to do with Siri; adjusting the temperature controls or radio are things you don't do often, and if that's the kind of thing you're doing with Siri (e.g - changing music tracks) then I don't see how it's any worse except that you may be trying to specify a track by name which has more opportunity for error, but then so does any voice-controlled radio system, which some cars have.
I dunno, it just seems a weirdly structured test that doesn't give you a clear picture of anything. "Use of Siri" is just too generic, and you could rate Siri badly because you decided to use it to find and watch pornography in which case, sure, there's a definite risk of crashing, but is that a relevant complaint?
I dunno, it just seems a weirdly structured test that doesn't give you a clear picture of anything. "Use of Siri" is just too generic, and you could rate Siri badly because you decided to use it to find and watch pornography in which case, sure, there's a definite risk of crashing, but is that a relevant complaint?
It's worse than that. The researcher listened to commands, then simulated their success using a Powerpoint presentation. The car's actual voice-control system was not used by anyone.
What about including having a conversation with another human in the car? I can't see Siri interaction being much more demanding...
Or:
Smoking
Eating (I saw someone eating a bowl of cereal while driving the other day)
Changing radio stations (this is how I rear-ended someone)
Looking for money for toll
Looking for something you dropped on the floor
Chasing a bee in the car
blah, blah, blah....
There always have been, and always will be, distractions while driving.
What about kids or in car conversations?
My kids rarely listen to my voice commands too. I wonder how conversations or interaction with other passengers would rank?
My kids rarely listen to my voice commands too. I wonder how conversations or interaction with other passengers would rank?
My first car accident was because I looked down at the clock.
Reading a text or navigating a complex menu doesn't cause as much distraction because you stop driving and start doing something else.
The distinction between mental distraction (performing two tasks at once) and distracted driving is HUGE.
Reading a text or navigating a complex menu doesn't cause as much distraction because you stop driving and start doing something else.
The distinction between mental distraction (performing two tasks at once) and distracted driving is HUGE.
Look everyone! Someone who doesn't understand statistical sampling, and how it can be used to extrapolate data for a larger population (and how it cannot)!
Seriously, the study appears to have been a *comparative* study, with the same 45 people tested on each scenario. Unless there's some reason to believe that these 45 people are somehow 'special' (aka: utterly different from the rest of the human race), conclusions *can* be drawn from such a study, assuming it was well designed. They will not be definitive conclusions, but that would likely only require a test size in the low hundreds, *not* the "entire human race".
45 people is not a large enough sample out of the 6 billion people on the planet. That's like sampling 5 people at a Pepsi plant whether they like Coke and then coming to brilliant deduction that all people hate Coke. Come on, stop reaching and trying to impress people with your 3 syllable words.
Now take a look at the picture of the driver. Is that a normal Siri setup, with the electrodes and cables and large screen taped to the center of the ****ing windshield? Nope. So that's two times the whole test is flawed, and thus that's TWO ******** flags I'm raising.
Now, can you imagine their driving if they were chatting or texting on their phones on top of that?
----------
Not in the study, that's actually a very classic and time tested way of doing early testing of human-computer interfaces. You can bet that "Wizard of Oz" was also used at Apple when designing Siri and, actually, when designing iOS as a whole...
It's a great way to test if you're idea of a human-computer interface is stupid before even spending a lot of money on programming it...