Practitioners in creative domains such as web design, data visualization, and software development face many challenges while trying to create novel solutions that satisfy the guidelines around practical constraints and quality considerations. My dissertation work addresses two of these challenges. First, guidelines may conflict with each other, creating a need for slow and time-consuming expert intervention. Second, guidelines may be hard to check programmatically, requiring experts to manually use multipage style guides that suffer from drawbacks related to searchability, navigation, conflict, and obsolescence. In my dissertation, I focus on exploring mixed-initiative methods as a solution to these challenges in two complex tasks: biological network visualization where guidelines may conflict, and web design where task requirements are hard to check programmatically. For biological network visualization, I explore the use of crowdsourcing to scale up time-consuming manual layout tasks. To support the network-based collaboration required for crowdsourcing, I first implemented a system called GraphSpace. It fosters online collaboration by allowing users to store, organize, explore, lay out, and share networks on a web platform. I then used GraphSpace as the infrastructure to support a novel mixed-initiative crowd-algorithm approach for creating high-quality, biological meaningful network visualizations. I also designed and implemented Flud, a system that gamifies the graph visualization task and uses flow theory concepts to make algorithmically generated suggestions more readily accessible to non-expert crowds. Then, I proposed DeepLayout, a novel learning-based approach as an alternative to the non-machine learning-based method used in Flud. It has the ability to learn how to balance complex conflicting guidelines from a layout process. Finally, in the domain of web design, I present a real-world iterative deployment of a system called Critter. Critter augments traditional quality assurance techniques used in structured domains, such as checklists and expert feedback, using mixed-initiative interactions. I hope this dissertation can serve to accelerate research on leveraging the complementary strengths of humans and computers in the context of creative processes that are generally considered out of bounds for automated methods. / Doctor of Philosophy / Practitioners in creative domains such as web design, data visualization, and software development face many challenges while trying to create novel solutions that satisfy the guidelines around practical constraints and quality considerations. My dissertation work addresses two of these challenges. First, sometimes the guidelines may conflict with each other under a certain scenario. In this situation, tasks require expert opinion to prioritize one guideline over the other. This dependence on expertise makes the design process slow and time-consuming. Second, sometimes it is difficult to determine which guidelines have been fulfilled. In this scenario, experts have to manually go through a list of guidelines and make sure applicable guidelines have been successfully applied to the final product. However, using a list of guidelines has its own drawbacks. Not all guidelines are applicable to a project, and finding a relevant guideline can be strenuous for experts. Moreover, a design process is not as simple as following a list of guidelines. Design processes are dynamic, non-linear, and iterative. Due to these reasons, a simple list of guidelines does not align with the designers' workflow. My dissertation focuses on exploring mixed-initiative methods where computers and humans collaborate in a tight feedback loop to help follow guidelines. To this end, I present solutions for two complex creative tasks: biological network visualization where we can compute how well a design adheres to the guidelines but guidelines may conflict and web design where task requirements are hard to check programmatically. I hope this dissertation can serve to accelerate research on leveraging the complementary strengths of humans and computers in the context of creative processes that are generally considered out of bounds for automated methods.

During the past 100 years, researchers have investigated the potential of hundreds of tree and shrub species for use in applications of tree-ring research. Although several lists of species known to crossdate have been published, investigated species that do not crossdate are rarely included despite the usefulness of this information for future research. This paper provides a list of the Latin and common names of 573 species that have been investigated in tree-ring research, information on species known to crossdate, and information on species with measurement and/or chronology data in the International Tree-Ring Data Bank. In addition, a measure of the suitability of a species for future tree-ring applications, the Crossdating Index (CDI), is developed and proposed for standard usage.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering / Stephen A. Dyer / Steven Warren / Embedded systems control nearly every device we encounter. Examples abound: appliances, scientific instruments, building environmental controls, avionics, communications, smart phones, and transportation subsystems. These embedded systems can fail in various ways: performance, safety, and meeting market needs. Design errors often cause failures in performance or safety. Market failures, particularly delayed schedule release or running over budget, arise from poor processes. Rigorous methods can significantly reduce the probability of failure. Industry has produced and widely published “best practices” that promote rigorous design and development of embedded systems. Unfortunately, 20 to 35% of development teams do not use them, which leads to operational failures or missed schedules and budgets. This dissertation increases the potential for success in designing and developing embedded systems through the following: 1. It identifies, through literature review, the reasons and factors that cause teams to avoid best practices, which in turn contribute to development failures. 2. It provides a framework, as a psychologically unbiased mediator, to help teams institute best practices. The framework is both straightforward to implement and use and simple to learn. 3. It examines the feasibility of both crowdsourcing and the Delphi method to aid, through anonymous comments on proposed projects, unbiased mediation and estimation within the framework. In two separate case studies, both approaches resulted in underestimation of both required time and required effort. The wide variance in the surveys’ results from crowdsourcing indicated that approach to not be particularly useful. On the other hand, convergence of estimates and forecasts in both projects resulted when employing the Delphi method. Both approaches required six or more weeks to obtain final results. 4. It develops a recommendation model, as a plug-in module to the framework, for the build-versus-buy decision in design of subsystems. It takes a description of a project, compares designing a custom unit with integrating a commercial unit into the final product, and generates a recommendation for the build-versus-buy decision. A study of 18 separate case studies examines the sensitivity of 14 parameters in making the build-versus-buy decision when developing embedded systems. Findings are as follows: team expertise and available resources are most important; partitioning tasks and reducing interdependence are next in importance; the quality and support of commercial units are less important; and finally, premiums and product lifecycles have the least effect on the cost of development. A recommendation model incorporates the results of the sensitivity study and successfully runs on 16 separate case studies. It shows the feasibility and features of a tool that can recommend a build-or-buy decision. 5. It develops a first-order estimation model as another plug-in module to the framework. It aids in planning the development of embedded systems. It takes a description of a project and estimates required time, required effort, and challenges associated with the project. It is simple to implement and easy to use; it can be a spreadsheet, a Matlab model or a webpage; each provides an output like the model for the build-versus-buy decision.

År 2003 introducerades en checklista för patienters kliniska status och vårdplats på neurointensivvårdsavdelningen (NIVA) på ett universitetssjukhus i Mellansverige. Studiens syfte var att utvärdera denna checklista som verktyg i klinisk verksamhet med fokus på brister, åtgärder och användarvänlighet. Studien består av tre delar och är deskriptiv med kvantitativ ansats. En observationsstudie av tvärsnittskaraktär där funna brister och åtgärder studerats, en journalgranskning där användarvänlighet studerats och en enkätstudie avseende intensivvårdssjuksköterskornas erfarenheter och upplevelser. Resultatet visade att checklistan var användarvänlig med nyttjandefrekvens på 100 %. Intensivvårdssjuksköterskorna ansåg att checklistan inverkar positivt på arbetet, utgör ett stöd och bidrar till ökad patientsäkerhet. Den vanligast funna bristen var larmgränser. Totalt påträffades brister i 38 % av fallen och dessa gav en åtgärdsfrekvens på 77,5 %. En signifikant skillnad avseende åtgärdsfrekvensen påträffades mellan dag- och nattpass. Slutsatsen är att checklistan bidrar till att brister upptäcks och åtgärdas, den är användarvänlig och personalen är positivt inställd till den. En modifierad checklista skulle kunna användas inom intensivvårdsavdelningar generellt och säkerställa att personal arbetar på ett likvärdigt sätt och medföra en mer patientsäker vård där rätten till lika vård för alla efterlevs inom checklistans avsedda område. / This study aimed to evaluate a checklist, with regard to the workstation and the clinical status of the patient, used at the neuro-intensive care unit, NIVA, at a university hospital in central Sweden. The design of the study is descriptive with quantitative data and consists of three parts. An observational, cross-sectional study where flaws and measures where studied, a journal review where the usability where studied and a survey in which critical care nurses expressed their experiences and perceptions. The results showed that flaws where found in 38 % of all cases and these gave a measure frequency of 77,5 %. The checklist was user friendly with utilization of 100 %. According to the critical care nurses the checklist had a positive impact on their daily work, it provided support and contributed to increase patient safety. The conclusion is that the checklist contributes to detection and correction of flaws, it is user fiendly and the critical care nurses have a positive mindset about it. A modified checklist could be used in intensive care settings in general to ensure that staff are working on an equivalent basis and provide a more patient-safe care.

Syfte: Studiens syfte är att beskriva och analysera erfarna revisorers uppfattning om ett strukturellt arbetssätt i form av checklistor för både erfarna och mindre erfarna revisorer. Empirisk metod: Studien bygger på en kvantitativ metod i form av en enkätstudie utskickad till alla Sveriges auktoriserade revisorer. Svarsfrekvens var 4,8 procent. Svaren analyserades genom Pearson korrelationsmatris, multipel linjär regression och t-test. Resultat: Resultatet visar en generell positivitet till checklistanvändande, dock är revisorers uppfattning att de är mer positiva till att de mindre erfarna revisorerna använder sig av checklistor. Teoretiskt perspektiv: Applicerar teori om professioner, struktur och omdöme på revisorer med olika erfarenhet. / Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze experienced auditors' perception of a structural working approach in the form of checklists for both experienced and less experienced auditors. Methodology: The study is based on a quantitative method in the form of a questionnaire sent to all Swedish approved auditors. The response rate was 4.8 percent. The responses were analyzed by Pearson correlation matrix, multiple linear regression and t-test. Findings: The results showed a general positivity to checklist use, however, the auditors are even more in favor of the less experienced auditors to use checklists. Theoretical perspectives: We apply theory of professions, structure and judgement at the auditors with diverse experience.

Bakgrund: Intrahospitala transporter innebär att lämna tryggheten på intensivvårdsavdelningen och möta farorna i sjukhusets korridorer. Syfte: Denna studie har syftat till att öka förståelsen för patientsäkerhetsarbete i samband med intrahospitala transporter genom att belysa effekten av en checklista i ett före-efter förhållande utifrån tre perspektiv, kommunikation mellan professionerna, patientsäkerhet och arbetsflöde. Metod: Intervjuer utfördes på en intensivvårdsavdelning på ett universitetssjukhus i Mellansverige. Intervjuerna analyserades sedan med kvalitativ innehållsanalys i enlighet med Elo och Kyngäs (2008). De nio informanterna inkluderades från samtliga professioner som använder checklistan. Resultat: Patientsäkerheten har stärkts av att checklistan förbättrar förutsättningarna till dialog mellan intensivvårdsläkare och intensivvårdssjuksköterska kring patientens tillstånd inför transport. Den har även ökat riskmedvetenheten vid intrahospitala transporter. Slutsats: Studien visar att checklistan fungerat tydliggörande i ansvars- och rollfördelning vid transporter. Brist på resurser utgör det största hindret till att efterleva checklistans höga ambitioner. / Background: The process of intrahospital transports is one of leaving the safety of the intensive care unit and venturing out into the relative danger zone of the hospital corridors. Aim: This study aims to increase the understanding of patient safety and the effects of the use of a checklist from three different perspectives; communication between professions, patient safety and workflow. Method: Interviews were conducted in an intensive care unit situated in a university hospital in the middle of Sweden. The Elo and Kyngäs (2008) method of qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the interviews. The nine participants were from three different professions of the workforce in the ward were included. Results: Patient safety increased using the checklists by improving the possibilities for communication between doctors and nurses about the patient’s condition before transportation. The checklist also increased hazard awareness during intrahospital transports. Conclusion: The study shows that the checklist improves cooperation and division of responsibility during transport. The lack of resources is the main obstacle hindering full implementation of the checklist.

The diploma thesis is focused on the ergonomic analysis of selected workplaces in the company TRUNN, s.r.o. The theoretical part of the thesis contains a summary of basic knowledge in the field of ergonomics, which are then applied in the practical part of the thesis. The practical part of the work includes a description of the current state of workplaces and evaluation of jobs using the methods described in the theoretical part. Based on the evaluation, own recommendations and suggestions are made on how to adjust the jobs. The aim of the diploma thesis is to provide workers with a suitable workplace that meets ergonomic requirements.

This study utilized a multiple baseline design across two study skills to examine the impact of a self-monitoring checklist and performance feedback on the implementation of study skills for seven college students with disabilities. The accuracy with which students performed study skills was calculated as a percentage based on the number of correct study skill steps completed during a college course divided by the total number of treatment steps. The results show that three of the seven students markedly increased the accurate use of the notetaking and study guide skills immediately when provided with a self-monitoring checklist and performance feedback, whereas the other four students had more variable results. However, following a booster session, all students' performance increased following intervention. Results were socially validated by students who indicated they were generally satisfied with the intervention and found it to be useful when studying for the college class.

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This article presents the use of the Checklist as a tool to tailor and enhance library resource instruction and the faculty response. A checklist was developed that covered the information resources of the library and the information skills needed by pharmacy faculty. Librarians learned the value of using a checklist. Better relationships were developed with the college of pharmacy faculty. Weaknesses in the library’s training of pharmacy faculty were discovered and remedied. Checklists are used in medicine to obtain quality. Checklists can be used in medical librarianship for the same purpose.