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assistance). They became clearer and, in the end, became scenarios of use of the
system, including the sequential description of system/driver interactions.
The key stage of the approach was specification of the assistance, with the
involvement of all partners. It enabled the specifications to evolve according to
results of the analysis of the contexts of use and intermediary evaluations, as well as
the technical constraints encountered during the development and integration of the
assistance. During this stage, included in the“development-evaluation-
specification” cycles of a classic text, the engineers adjusted the specifications
according to preliminary texts on the simulator carried out by the ergonomists
(which enabled the evaluation of system modifications in terms of efficiency and
usability in the context of the driving task). Shorter cycles between development and
specification were added to meet needs according to the technical possibilities.
7.3. Contextual analyses in natural situations
The first stage of the UCD approach previously shown consisted of an analysis
of the contexts of application of the VIVRE2 system.
The issue of the design of driving assistance is within the context of a “multi-
composite” dynamic road system. The “components” of this system are not only
technological objects (vehicles, infrastructures), but also and especially humans,
whether they are truck drivers or vulnerable road users. Thus, the difficulty of the
realization is intimately linked to the knowledge and consideration of these different
users, each traveling according to their own agenda and goals. (For example, the
pedestrian who is shopping and crosses the road to take advantage of an offer on the
other side of the road who is unaware of the vehicle, whereas the driver, preoccupied
with his itinerary search, is not expecting this risky behavior. Another notable
example is that of the cyclist, who tries to overtake the truck on the pavement side,
taking advantage of space the driver has made to make his turn.)
Thus, developing a driving aid system, making it possible to avoid accidents
between an industrial vehicle and vulnerable users implies not only knowledge of
the activity of the drivers, but also knowledge of their interactions with vulnerable
users and that of the attitudes and behaviors of the latter who are potentially the
cause of accidents. This is why this stage consists of a series of analyses of driver-
deliverers activities in a natural situation, completed by a study of the behaviors and
attitudes of vulnerable users during their journeys in an urban environment.
