Denna rapport beskriver hur dagens tekniska processer ser ut vid tillverkning av applikationer för interaktiva publikationer. En interaktiv publikation är en digitalt skapad tidning med ett extra lager av information som man kan interagera med. Exempel på interaktivitet är bildspel, video och informationsflöden i realtid som visas direkt i tidningen.  Rapporten fokuserar på vad det är som ger ett mervärde till en digital interaktiv publikation och vilka funktioner det är som kan ge upphov till detta. Genom en jämförande analys mellan digitala publikationer och papperstidningar tas fyra designaspekter fram för att användas som grund för hur interaktiva element bör hanteras i framställningen av digitala publikationer.  En prototyp av en interaktiv publikation har tagits fram för att visa hur designaspekterna kan tillämpas och för att visa hur information kan presenteras på ett mer interaktivt sätt. / This report describes how today's technological processes look like in the production of applications for interactive publications. An interactive publication is a digitally created magazine with an extra layer of information that you can interact with. Examples of interactivity is slideshows and video and data streams in real time that are displayed directly in the magazine. The report focuses on what it is that adds value to a digital interactive publication, and what functions which may provide cause to this. Through a comparative analysis of digital publications and the newspapers, four designaspects have been developed as an basis for how the interactive elements should be handled in the production of digital publications.  A prototype of an interactive publication was developed to show how the designaspects can be applied and to show how information can be presented in a more interactive way.

Despite educational reforms, the annual results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress continue to indicate that the majority of American fourth-graders struggle to master the crucial skill of reading. In the last decade, the percentage of students who read at or above a proficient level hovers around 30 percent, which draws attention to the fact that the academic institutions may not be fully to blame for the decline of reading competency (NAEP, 2011). The real reason for the incompetency could be attributed to the amount of time that children spend reading as average fourth-graders spend less than two hours a week reading (Juster, Ono, & Stafford, 2004, p. 11). This Digital Generation lives in a world full of distractions in which reading cannot compete. Although the American educational system is stressing reading instruction, children are not putting what they are learning into practice outside of school. Instead of reading, children immerse themselves into the world of interactive digital media and electronic devices. If children do not increase the time they spend reading, their proficiency will not improve. To revive reading within the Digital Generation, authors of children’s literature may need to reevaluate their role in the literacy problem because their traditional print-form content appears to be unsuccessful in reaching their young audience. To create reading material that children are eager to read, authors need to produce content in a format that will entice a response from the newest generation. One way children’s authors can accomplish this is by publishing transmedia storytelling ecosystems. By combining storytelling with digital media to meet the modern literary needs of today's children reading proficiency should begin to improve, along with a renewed interest in literature. This research provides insight into today’s “digital children” and suggests a methodology for creating transmedia literature using the Adobe® Digital Publishing Suite.

Detta projekt har haft som syfte att producera och grafiskt formge det kommande numret av tidskriftsapplikationen Scandinavian Architectural Review för förlaget It Is Media Svenska AB i Stockholm. Skapandet har utgått från applikationens tidigare grafiska profil och har ämnat att följa tidigare utseende och funktioner utan nya tillägg. Hela produktionen har skapats genom Adobe InDesigns tilläggstjänst Adobe Digital Publishing Suite. Efter att produktionen färdigställts har en analys gjorts av den färdiga applikationen enligt en heuristisk utvärdering ur ett människa-datorinteraktionsperspektiv, till vilken David Benyons tolv designprinciper har  tillämpats. Till stöd i analysarbetet har ett aktivitetsdiagram skapats för att ge en god överblick över hela tidskriftens disposition. Analysen har slutligen resulterat i en åtgärdslista med förslag på förbättringar av applikationen för att öka dess användarvänlighet, vilket framför allt har lyft fram behovet av tydligare grafisk design av interaktiva element, ett förbättrat system för att ge användaren återkoppling samt ökad konsekvens och flexibilitet. / This project has aimed to produce and design the upcoming edition of the magazine application Scandinavian Architectural Review for the publisher It Is Media Svenska AB in Stockholm. The production has been based on the application’s prior graphic profile and has intended to follow previous appearance and functions without new additions. The entire production has been created using the Adobe InDesign plugin Adobe Digital Publishing Suite. After the production was finished an analysis of the completed application was performed according to a heuristic evaluation, which was based on the twelve design principles of David Benyon in a perspective of human-computer interaction. To support the analytical work an activity diagram was created to get a comprehensive view of the entire disposition of the application. The analysis has resulted in a list of actions and suggestions to improve the application and its usability, which particularly emphasize the need of a clearer design of the interactive elements, an improved system to give the user feedback as well as an increased consistency and flexibility.