Beyond Overt Reactions: Analyzing Subtle User Emotional Response to Unexpected In-Vehicle System Behavior

[2608.15048] Beyond Overt Reactions: Analyzing Subtle User Emotional Response to Unexpected In-Vehicle System Behavior Skip to main content Search Submit Donate Log in Search arXiv Press Enter to search · Advanced search Computer Science > Human-Computer Interaction arXiv:2608.15048 (cs) [Submitted on 15 Aug 2026] Title: Beyond Overt Reactions: Analyzing Subtle User Emotional Response to Unexpected In-Vehicle System Behavior Authors: Huy Quyen Ngo (1), Suresh Kumaar Jayaraman (1), Brian Mok (2), Ken Friedl (3), Oliver Krause (3), Aaron Steinfeld (1), Nikolas Martelaro (1) ((1) Carnegie Mellon University, USA, (2) BMW Group Technology Office USA, (3) BMW Group, Germany) View a PDF of the paper titled Beyond Overt Reactions: Analyzing Subtle User Emotional Response to Unexpected In-Vehicle System Behavior, by Huy Quyen Ngo (1) and 10 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract: Modern vehicles, with advanced AI voice and autonomous navigation features, extend beyond traditional driving but, like any autonomous system, can potentially make mistakes or behave in ways unexpected by users. Although providing real-time explanations can alleviate some confusion, constant information can overwhelm users and potentially cause unnecessary distractions. Some situations may require explanations or corrective vehicle behavior, and thus, recognizing user response to unexpected vehicle behavior is critical. To investigate such user responses, our study focused on collecting and analyzing user behavioral responses to unexpected events while interacting with a fully autonomous vehicle in a driving simulator. We also aimed to address the lack of datasets capturing subtle user responses (facial, spoken language, physiological signals) to in-vehicle events, as existing datasets primarily focus on strong emotional signals in conventional human-driven cars and user response to external road and traffic conditions. Users were exposed to stimuli designed to induce surprise, confusion, and frustration while performing a secondary task on a tablet and interacting with the vehicle through voice commands and in-vehicle displays. We collected a multi-modal dataset with video, audio, and heart rate data and gained insights into subtle user responses that underscored the need for further investigation of nuanced user behaviors. These observations highlight the importance of designing vehicles that recognize and adapt to occupants' behavior, potentially improving their experience. Comments: 23 pages, 10 figures Subjects: Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC) Cite as: arXiv:2608.15048 [cs.HC] (or arXiv:2608.15048v1 [cs.HC] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2608.15048 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite Submission history From: Huy Quyen Ngo [ view email ] [v1] Sat, 15 Aug 2026 05:19:51 UTC (8,714 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View a PDF of the paper titled Beyond Overt Reactions: Analyzing Subtle User Emotional Response to Unexpected In-Vehicle System Behavior, by Huy Quyen Ngo (1) and 10 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) TeX Source view license Current browse context: cs.HC < prev | next > new | recent | 2026-08 Change to browse by: cs References & Citations NASA ADS Google Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Loading... BibTeX formatted citation × loading... 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