The continuous development of in-vehicle information systems in recent years has dramatically enriched drivers’ driving experience while occupying their cognitive resources to varying degrees, causing driving distraction. Under this complex information system, managing the complexity and priority of information and further improvement in driving safety has become a key issue that needs to be urgently solved by the in-vehicle information system. The new interactive methods incorporating the augmented reality (AR) and head-up display (HUD) technologies into in-vehicle information systems are currently receiving widespread attention. This superimposes various onboard information into an actual driving scene, thereby meeting the needs of complex tasks and improving driving safety. Based on the qualitative research methods of surveys and telephone interviews, this study collects the information needs of the target user groups (i.e., beginners and skilled drivers) and constructs a three-mode information database to provide the basis for a customized AR-HUD interface design.