AutoJam: Exploring Interactive Music Experiences in Stop-and-Go Traffic

AutoJam is an interactive music listening experience played on an inactive steering wheel of an autonomous car. By designing AutoJam, our aim was to make in-car music interactive and align music creation with the progression of the traffic situation. Besides being a fun and creative activity for frustrating stop-and-go traffic, AutoJam helps to understand the building blocks of in-car performances. In order to explore the impact of AutoJam, we conducted an in-situ user study with 14 participants. From the findings, we constructed a map of experiential dimensions of AutoJam and found that player's experience, constitute itself through a continuous shifting between those dimensions. Reflecting on this process, we discuss four building blocks of in-car performances. Ultimately, this work aims to frame autonomous driving in difficult traffic as a creative and playful activity promoting situational awareness and musical expression.