Accessibility and glanceability
Cabin UI must be readable at a glance for drivers and comfortable for passengers — without turning every screen into a billboard.
Glanceability principles
- Recognize in under a glance — primary status (range, temp, now playing) identifiable in a short eyes-on-display budget.
- Hierarchy over density — one dominant value; secondary detail recessed.
- Stable layout — values update in place; avoid layout thrash that forces re-scanning.
- Motion supports meaning — use motion for state change confirmation, not decoration while driving (foundations).
Typography
| Role (planned) | Use | Glance notes |
|---|---|---|
display | Rare hero values (e.g. SOC %) | High contrast; short |
headline | Screen title | Not for rapidly changing values |
title | Section / card title | Keep to one line when driving |
body | Supporting copy | Avoid long paragraphs in driver UI |
label | Buttons, chips | Large enough for glance + touch |
status | Status bar / HUD-like | Optimized for distance |
Baselines favor larger effective sizes than handheld Material. Exact sp values live in tokens and may scale with compliance profiles (compliance).
Readability rules
- Prefer wider tracking for small status labels if needed for legibility.
- Avoid ultra-light weights for critical values.
- Do not place critical text over busy imagery without scrims.
- Support system font scale where AAOS programs enable it; test at large scales without clipping essential controls.
Color and non-visual cues
- Pair color with icons and text for states (charging, fault, climate).
- Provide content descriptions for icon-only controls.
- Keep selected/pressed states obvious in day and night schemes.
Driver vs passenger surfaces
| Surface | Glanceability priority | Density |
|---|---|---|
| Driver cluster / center information | Highest | Lowest |
| Center stack primary | High | Low–medium |
| Passenger entertainment | Medium | Medium–higher (still Cabin tokens) |
| Rear seat | Medium | Higher OK |
Compliance profiles select density; components should not assume passenger freedom on a driver-primary display.
Accessibility services and input
- Touch exploration / talkback analogs used in AAOS programs must still reach safety-critical controls.
- Rotary: announce focus clearly; large focus highlights from tokens.
- Do not rely on hover.
Motion and glance
| Situation | Motion policy |
|---|---|
| Parked | Richer transitions allowed |
| Driving | Short, purposeful; no looping decoration |
| Safety alerts | Immediate, high contrast; limited animation frames |
Dual-stack parity
Typography roles and content descriptions must match across Compose and Views for the same component state. Catalog checks (planned) compare:
- Text role mapping
- Ellipsize / max-line behavior
- Content description strings
Acceptance criteria
- Uses Cabin type roles (not ad-hoc sp)
- Critical values remain legible at night and large font scale
- Icon-only actions have descriptions
- Layout remains stable as values update
- Driving motion budget respected