Co‐Designing the Sound of Safety: Embracing Complexity in the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System Sound for Zero Emission Buses

Kirsch, C; Kocaballi, AB; Johnston, A; Naweed, A; Stevenson, I

Co‐Designing the Sound of Safety: Embracing Complexity in the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System Sound for Zero Emission Buses

Kirsch, C Kocaballi, AB Johnston, A

Naweed, A Stevenson, I

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Publisher:: Wiley
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, 2025, 35, (3)
Issue Date:: 2025-05-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Kirsch, C
dc.contributor.author	Kocaballi, AB
dc.contributor.author	Johnston, A https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8306-7507
dc.contributor.author	Naweed, A
dc.contributor.author	Stevenson, I https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6920-3573
dc.date.accessioned	2025-05-09T04:15:08Z
dc.date.available	2025-05-09T04:15:08Z
dc.date.issued	2025-05-01
dc.identifier.citation	Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries, 2025, 35, (3)
dc.identifier.issn	1090-8471
dc.identifier.issn	1520-6564
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/187295
dc.description.abstract	<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title><jats:p>Around the world, transport organizations are transitioning their bus fleets from internal combustion engines to electrified zero emission buses (ZEBs). The quiet nature of these buses raises safety concerns for vulnerable road users. To address these concerns, new standards mandate that electric vehicles, including ZEBs, be equipped with an acoustic vehicle alerting system (AVAS) emitting sound at low speeds, to make vehicles more detectable. However, developing an effective AVAS sound requires balancing safety and technical constraints with diverse stakeholder needs. Using codesign, this study conducted a series of risk‐focused subject matter expertize workshops (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 15), and a large user‐experience focused participatory design workshop (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 41) to inform the AVAS sound design. The latter included empathy and user journey mapping techniques, facilitating the collection of insights from various perspectives. Results revealed stakeholder preferences for an AVAS sound that was both alerting and positive, and embodied qualities like calmness, politeness, and vibrancy. The workshops allowed for refinement of sound design requirements, although challenges emerged in balancing conflicting preferences and managing technical limitations to create a sound that could be both perceptible and nonintrusive. This study provides a framework for the development of an AVAS sound that could capture a range of stakeholder needs and preferences and lays a foundation for AVAS sounds that enhance safety while being positively received. It highlights the importance of inclusive, iterative design in advancing public transport safety and sustainability, with outcomes supporting the future sound design, testing, and implementation.</jats:p>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Wiley
dc.relation.ispartof	Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1002/hfm.70004
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0910 Manufacturing Engineering, 1503 Business and Management, 1702 Cognitive Sciences
dc.subject.classification	Human Factors
dc.title	Co‐Designing the Sound of Safety: Embracing Complexity in the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System Sound for Zero Emission Buses
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	35
utslib.for	0910 Manufacturing Engineering
utslib.for	1503 Business and Management
utslib.for	1702 Cognitive Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Computer Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Visualisation Institute (VI)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/The Trustworthy Digital Society
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/New Faculty
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-05-09T04:15:05Z
pubs.issue	3
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	35
utslib.citation.issue	3

Abstract:

ABSTRACTAround the world, transport organizations are transitioning their bus fleets from internal combustion engines to electrified zero emission buses (ZEBs). The quiet nature of these buses raises safety concerns for vulnerable road users. To address these concerns, new standards mandate that electric vehicles, including ZEBs, be equipped with an acoustic vehicle alerting system (AVAS) emitting sound at low speeds, to make vehicles more detectable. However, developing an effective AVAS sound requires balancing safety and technical constraints with diverse stakeholder needs. Using codesign, this study conducted a series of risk‐focused subject matter expertize workshops (n = 15), and a large user‐experience focused participatory design workshop (n = 41) to inform the AVAS sound design. The latter included empathy and user journey mapping techniques, facilitating the collection of insights from various perspectives. Results revealed stakeholder preferences for an AVAS sound that was both alerting and positive, and embodied qualities like calmness, politeness, and vibrancy. The workshops allowed for refinement of sound design requirements, although challenges emerged in balancing conflicting preferences and managing technical limitations to create a sound that could be both perceptible and nonintrusive. This study provides a framework for the development of an AVAS sound that could capture a range of stakeholder needs and preferences and lays a foundation for AVAS sounds that enhance safety while being positively received. It highlights the importance of inclusive, iterative design in advancing public transport safety and sustainability, with outcomes supporting the future sound design, testing, and implementation.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/187295