Towards a framework for validating the matching between notifications and scents in olfactory in-car interaction

Olfactory notifications have been proven to have a positive impact on drivers. This has motivated the use of scents to convey driving-relevant information. Research has proposed the use of such scents as lemon, peppermint, lavender and rose for in-car notifications. However, there is no framework to identify which scent is the most suitable for every application scenario. In this paper, we propose an approach for validating a matching between scents and driving-relevant notifications. We suggest a study in which the olfactory modality is compared with a puff of clean air, visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli while performing the same driving task. For the data analysis, we suggest recording the lane deviation, speed, time required to recover from the error, as well as the perceived liking and comfort ratings. Our approach aims to help automotive UI designers make better decisions about choosing the most suitable scent, as well as possible alternative modalities.