ISO 15008:2017 PDF

Overview

ISO 15008:2017 - Road vehicles - Ergonomic aspects of transport information and control systems - Specifications and test procedures for in-vehicle visual presentation - defines minimum ergonomic requirements for the image quality and legibility of dynamic (changeable) visual information presented to drivers of passenger cars. The standard focuses on perceptual (and some basic cognitive) aspects of in-vehicle displays used while the vehicle is in motion and is intended to be independent of display technology. It includes test procedures and measurement references to assess compliance. Note: heavy vehicles are partly excluded for contrast and font-size requirements, and certain display types (e.g., head‑up displays, pictorial images, maps, quasi-static indicators, and characters embedded in symbols) are outside its scope.

Key Topics and Requirements

ISO 15008:2017 covers practical technical areas that influence driver legibility and safety:

• Design viewing position and illumination range - defining the driver eyellipse and ambient-light conditions for testing.
• Display illumination, luminance and contrast - minimum contrast ratios, display polarity and brightness behavior across day/night and direct‑sunlight conditions.
• Colour combinations and colour recognition - recommended combinations and measurement references to support accurate colour perception.
• Alphanumerical character dimensions - requirements for character height, width/height proportion, stroke weight, spacing and case to ensure legibility.
• Pixel matrix character format and non‑Latin scripts - guidance for pixel-based fonts, automotive symbols and non‑Latin character sets.
• Reflections, glare and optical artifacts - assessment of specular reflections, disability/discomfort glare and mitigation.
• Image stability and temporal characteristics - limits on image jitter, flicker and flashing that can distract or reduce readability.
• Redundant information - principles for presenting the same information in parallel to support driver understanding.

Where necessary, the standard references test methods and measurement techniques to verify compliance.

Applications - Who Uses ISO 15008:2017

ISO 15008 is useful for:

• Automotive OEMs and HMI designers specifying instrument clusters, center stacks and driver displays.
• Display manufacturers developing in-car LCD, OLED or other display systems.
• Human factors and ergonomics engineers validating driver readability and workload impact.
• Compliance and test laboratories performing photometric and legibility measurements.
• Regulators and certification bodies assessing safety-related presentation requirements.

Practical benefits include improved driver readability, reduced distraction risk, and a standardized basis for testing display ergonomics.

Related Standards

• ISO 4513 - driver eyellipse definitions (referenced for viewing geometry)
• SAE J1757/1:2015 - metrology for vehicular displays
• CIE S 017/E:2011 ILV and CIE 85:1989 - photometric and lighting vocabulary and references

Keywords: ISO 15008:2017, in-vehicle displays, ergonomic, TICS, display legibility, contrast ratio, luminance, character dimensions, automotive HMI, driver readability.