Investigating Multimodal Warnings for Distracted Smartphone Users on the Move in Potentially Dangerous Situations

The use of smart devices has become an integrated part of our everyday life. Communication is now possible any place and any time. The distraction caused by these devices, however, can lead to potentially dangerous situations. To mitigate these situations, various researchers have proposed and developed solutions to analyze the environment and to alert the user if a situation is evaluated dangerous. While seeking technical solutions, the concerns of the users are usually not addressed. With our studies we put the needs of the user into focus and investigated the acceptance, potential dangers, events to be warned about, type of warning, reaction time and legal regulations.