Constant Companionship Without Disturbances: Enhancing Transparency to Improve Automated Tasks in Urban Rail Transit Driving

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript explores the impact of transparency design on urban rail transit drivers' SA, tTiA, SoA, workload, and operational performance. The research topic is innovative, the experimental design is rigorous, and the findings provide significant guidance for optimizing automated driving. However, there is room for improvement in terms of data collection, the presentation of the manuscript's innovations, and the discussion of its practical applications. Specific suggestions are as follows:

1. The current study evaluates the effects of transparency design using questionnaires but fails to capture participants' real-time experiences dynamically. It is recommended to incorporate real-time data collection methods, such as sliding scales, to record changes in participants' perceptions during the experiment, along with retrospective evaluations using video playback of experimental scenarios. Additionally, eye-tracking data or physiological signals (e.g., heart rate variability) could be integrated with questionnaire results for cross-validation, enhancing the study's scientific rigor and credibility.

2. The paper's innovations cover several aspects but are presented in a somewhat fragmented manner, which diminishes the emphasis on the core contributions. It is suggested to consolidate the innovations into three primary contributions: proposing a transparency design framework and validating its effects, revealing its impact on task performance through multidimensional metrics, and providing practical guidance for optimizing rail transit interfaces. Furthermore, the discussion of the practical value of these innovations should be strengthened to better align with engineering needs.

3. The experiments are based on a single scenario, namely Chengdu Metro Line 9, which may not fully reflect the applicability of transparency design across different operational environments. It is recommended to analyze the needs and limitations of transparency design in high-density lines or complex task scenarios using literature or industry data. Existing experimental results could be used to infer broader applicability and limitations, enhancing the generalizability of the conclusions.

4. The practical implementation of transparency design may face technical and operational challenges, such as the complexity of hardware integration, system compatibility, and driver adaptability. The authors are encouraged to discuss hardware costs and data transmission reliability, as well as explore the learning curve and adaptation period for drivers using such interfaces. Proposals for modular or standardized interface designs could also be made to facilitate broader application.

5. The paper's discussion of situational awareness focuses primarily on the effects at the perceptual and predictive levels but lacks an in-depth analysis of its generative mechanisms and practical significance. It is suggested to examine how transparency design enhances the formation of situational awareness using experimental data and to analyze its specific roles in improving emergency response or task optimization, thereby enriching the theoretical contributions.

6. Some paragraphs contain lengthy and complex sentences, which may reduce the readability of the paper. It is advised to simplify sentence structures, remove redundant expressions, and strengthen the logical connections between paragraphs. Additionally, certain word choices are slightly informal and could be replaced with more formal academic language to improve the overall academic tone and flow of the text.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

 The English could be improved to more clearly express the research.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your insightful and constructive comments, which have been invaluable in improving the quality and rigour of our study. To ensure clarity and address your suggestions comprehensively, we have provided detailed responses to all your comments in the attached document. Please see the attachment, and we kindly invite you to review it. We greatly appreciate your time and consideration.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The work investigates how the introduction of transparency design into urban rail transit driving tasks affects drivers' situational awareness, trust in automation, sense of agency, workload, operational performance, and visual behaviour.

The paper is well written and well-organized. The topic is very actual. However, there are some major issues to fix. The concerns of the reviewer are the following:
1) 32 participants to the test are too few for such a complicated experiment. The best case would be to enlarge the number of participants.
2) The experiment environment is too simplified. The environment is completely unrealistic, it does not convey visual stimuli nor due to the movement of the train. The test environment isn't even immersive. The results could be strongly influenced by this environment.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your insightful and constructive comments, which have been invaluable in improving the quality and rigour of our study. To ensure clarity and address your suggestions comprehensively, we have provided detailed responses to all your comments in the attached document. Please see the attachment, and we kindly invite you to review it. We greatly appreciate your time and consideration.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors worked hard to improve the quality of the paper. They addressed all the comments of the previous revision round. The paper can be accepted in its current form.