  Automated driving system - dedicated vehicles (ADS-DVs), specially designed
for people with various disabilities, can be beneficial to improve their
mobility. However, research related to autonomous vehicles (AVs) for people
with cognitive disabilities, especially Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is
limited. Thus, in this study, we focused on the challenge that we framed: "How
might we design an ADS-DV that benefits people with ASD and their caregivers?".
In order to address the design challenge, we followed the human-centered design
process. First, we conducted user research with caregivers of people with ASD.
Second, we identified their user needs, including safety, monitoring and
updates, individual preferences, comfort, trust, and reliability. Third, we
generated a large number of ideas with brainstorming and affinity diagrams,
based on which we proposed an ADS-DV prototype with a mobile application and an
interior design. Fourth, we tested both the low-fidelity and high-fidelity
prototypes to fix the possible issues. Our preliminary results showed that such
an ASD-DV would potentially improve the mobility of those with ASD without
worries.
