A recent study out of Dongchedi in China evaluated how effectively 36 cars handled 15 obstacles in both highway and urban settings. We discuss the results of the study, the strengths and weaknesses of it, and what it means for safety and human factors in the design of these systems. In Condensed Soup, we share our most proudest or most memorable research findings.

In this episode, we discuss fake people. No, not people who pretend to be somebody they're not, but true fake people and their potential use in UX research. AI-powered participants? AI researchers? There are companies creating these fake participants for usage in product and market research, and we discuss the pros and cons. Then we contemplate other use cases for fake people, and Oprah and ABBA become involved. In Condensed Soup, we tell the one thing we would want our own fake double to carry out.

We are all aware of issues with data privacy on the internet and on your mobile devices, but how aware are you about the data being collected from your car? We discuss how this data is different from that of your other connected devices and how well automakers are protecting your data. We review a benchmarking report from Privacy4Cars which evaluates how effectively automakers honor your privacy rights.

Zoe is a personalized nutrition program which uses at-home tests and blood sugar monitoring to help users understand how their body responds to food and provide personalized dietary recommendations. Chris and Derek interview Lisa about her positive and negative experiences with Zoe, and what she would change for future releases. In Condensed Soup, we discuss our favourite recent health care tech.

In this episode, we discuss an opinion piece written by Nick Hodges lamenting the decline of the user interface, providing our analysis of the main points regarding where UI has gone wrong and how we can fix it. In Condensed Soup, we discuss the most misused UX research phrases.

Make sure you stay to the end of the episode for a big announcement! But before that, Derek talks with Chris and Lisa about why he is part of the Tidbyt fan club. Tidbyt is a retro-style display that has a passionate core base but likely a limited future. For UX Soup, they discuss their favourite retro video game.

For years, automotive interior design has trended toward minimalism, which combined with smartphone and other tech trends has led automakers to move an ever increasing amount of functionality to the touchscreen. However, some automakers and regulators are pushing back. Join Chris, Derek, and Lisa as they discuss touchscreen design considerations, safety issues, and give their thoughts on the future of touchscreens in the car.

Last year, Human Factors and Ergonomics professionals from Delft University of Technology published a paper arguing that their field was losing credibility and significance. Join Chris, Derek, and Lisa (our three human factors professionals) as we discuss this article and the profession as a whole. Is the paper correct? What are the dangers facing our profession? What can be done to make it more impactful?