While many users have relatively general information needs, users who are familiar with a certain topic may have more specific or complex information needs. Such users already have some knowledge of a subject and its concepts, and they need to find information on a specific aspect of a certain entity, such as its cause, effect, and relationships between entities. To successfully resolve this kind of complex information needs, in our study, we investigated the effectiveness of topic-independent query templates as a tool for assisting users in articulating their information needs. A set of query templates, which were written in the form of fill-in-the-blanks was designed to represent general semantic relationships between concepts, such as cause-effect and problem-solution. To conduct the research, we designed a control interface with a single query textbox and an experimental interface with the query templates. A user study was performed with 30 users. Okapi information retrieval system was used to retrieve documents in response to the users’ queries. The analysis in this paper indicates that while users found the template-based query formulation less easy to use, the queries written using templates performed better than the queries written using the control interface with one query textbox. Our analysis of a group of users and some specific topics demonstrates that the experimental interface tended to help users create more detailed search queries and the users were able to think about different aspects of their complex information needs and fill in many templates. In the future, an interesting research direction would be to tune the templates, adapting them to users’ specific query requests and avoiding showing non-relevant templates to users by automatically selecting related templates from a larger set of templates.

While many users have relatively general information needs, users who are familiar with a certain topic may have more specific or complex information needs. Such users already have some knowledge of a subject and its concepts, and they need to find information on a specific aspect of a certain entity, such as its cause, effect, and relationships between entities. To successfully resolve this kind of complex information needs, in our study, we investigated the effectiveness of topic-independent query templates as a tool for assisting users in articulating their information needs. A set of query templates, which were written in the form of fill-in-the-blanks was designed to represent general semantic relationships between concepts, such as cause-effect and problem-solution. To conduct the research, we designed a control interface with a single query textbox and an experimental interface with the query templates. A user study was performed with 30 users. Okapi information retrieval system was used to retrieve documents in response to the users’ queries. The analysis in this paper indicates that while users found the template-based query formulation less easy to use, the queries written using templates performed better than the queries written using the control interface with one query textbox. Our analysis of a group of users and some specific topics demonstrates that the experimental interface tended to help users create more detailed search queries and the users were able to think about different aspects of their complex information needs and fill in many templates. In the future, an interesting research direction would be to tune the templates, adapting them to users’ specific query requests and avoiding showing non-relevant templates to users by automatically selecting related templates from a larger set of templates.

While many users have relatively general information needs, users who are familiar with a certain topic may have more specific or complex information needs. Such users already have some knowledge of a subject and its concepts, and they need to find information on a specific aspect of a certain entity, such as its cause, effect, and relationships between entities. To successfully resolve this kind of complex information needs, in our study, we investigated the effectiveness of topic-independent query templates as a tool for assisting users in articulating their information needs. A set of query templates, which were written in the form of fill-in-the-blanks was designed to represent general semantic relationships between concepts, such as cause-effect and problem-solution. To conduct the research, we designed a control interface with a single query textbox and an experimental interface with the query templates. A user study was performed with 30 users. Okapi information retrieval system was used to retrieve documents in response to the users’ queries. The analysis in this paper indicates that while users found the template-based query formulation less easy to use, the queries written using templates performed better than the queries written using the control interface with one query textbox. Our analysis of a group of users and some specific topics demonstrates that the experimental interface tended to help users create more detailed search queries and the users were able to think about different aspects of their complex information needs and fill in many templates. In the future, an interesting research direction would be to tune the templates, adapting them to users’ specific query requests and avoiding showing non-relevant templates to users by automatically selecting related templates from a larger set of templates.

While many users have relatively general information needs, users who are familiar with a certain topic may have more specific or complex information needs. Such users already have some knowledge of a subject and its concepts, and they need to find information on a specific aspect of a certain entity, such as its cause, effect, and relationships between entities. To successfully resolve this kind of complex information needs, in our study, we investigated the effectiveness of topic-independent query templates as a tool for assisting users in articulating their information needs. A set of query templates, which were written in the form of fill-in-the-blanks was designed to represent general semantic relationships between concepts, such as cause-effect and problem-solution. To conduct the research, we designed a control interface with a single query textbox and an experimental interface with the query templates. A user study was performed with 30 users. Okapi information retrieval system was used to retrieve documents in response to the users’ queries. The analysis in this paper indicates that while users found the template-based query formulation less easy to use, the queries written using templates performed better than the queries written using the control interface with one query textbox. Our analysis of a group of users and some specific topics demonstrates that the experimental interface tended to help users create more detailed search queries and the users were able to think about different aspects of their complex information needs and fill in many templates. In the future, an interesting research direction would be to tune the templates, adapting them to users’ specific query requests and avoiding showing non-relevant templates to users by automatically selecting related templates from a larger set of templates.

Svårigheter att hitta relevant information på internet är ett stort problem som kostar svenskar både tid och pengar. På internet finns komplexa informationsmiljöer med stora mängder data och i dessa miljöer är det särskilt viktigt att användare får stöd i sitt letande. Det finns tidigare forskning inriktad på att kvantitativt undersöka användares informationsletande men en brist på kvalitativ forskning inom området. I denna studie undersöks användarbeteenden kvalitativt genom sex intervjuer och observationer med användare av den komplexa informationsmiljön Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). För att ta reda på användarnas informationsmål samt hur lätt det är för användare att hitta information i UCDP har gränssnittets upplevda användarnytta, hittbarhet och användbarhet undersökts. Utifrån resultatet av intervjuer och observationer har personas och scenarier skapats vilket har använts för att utveckla en prototyp över ett nytt gränssnitt för UCDP. Prototypen har sedan användartestats och justerats därefter. Utifrån resultatet av studien har nio principer för god användarnytta, hittbarhet och användbarhet i gränssnitt för komplexa informationsmiljöer sammanställts. Dessa principer inkluderar bland annat att utveckla gränssnitt utifrån användarnas mål och behov, presentera mellanliggande information som tydligt visar vad användare kan fördjupa sig i samt ge stöd för flera informationssökningsstrategier. Fortsatt forskning behövs för att utreda principernas validitet samt om det finns ett behov av kompletterande principer. / Difficulties in finding relevant information online cause significant problems for users. The internet houses complex information environments with large quantities of data in which users need more assistance in order to find relevant information. There are multiple examples of quantitative studies on user behavior when finding information but a lack of qualitative research in the field. This study investigates user behaviors with qualitative methods including six interviews and observations with users of the complex information environment Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). UCDP's interface has been evaluated through its perceived usefulness, findability and usability to identify information goals and how easily users find information. Personas and scenarios were created from the information found in the interviews and observations, which were used to develop a prototype of a new interface. The prototype was evaluated through user testing and modified thereafter. Based on the results found in the study nine principles regarding the usefulness, findability and usability for interfaces of complex information environments were summarized. These principles include developing interfaces from user goals and needs, presenting information that allows users to predict what additional information they can find, as well as supporting several information seeking strategies. Further research is necessary to examine if additional principles are needed and to validate the found principles.

Modern vehicles equipped with many hardware and software systems. To develop new functionalities and maintain existing features of the vehicles, engineers have to check relationship between software and hardware systems. Due to complexity of these relationships, visual representation of how systems are working together is required to make R&D process easier. At Scania, engineers using node-link diagrams to represent logical function architecture of the Scania vehicles. Logical function architecture is a part of electrical and electronic systems in the automotive industry, due to size of these systems they are considered as a large network. Visualizing large networks by diagrams is not a new problem in literature. At past, researches published about diagram drawing and algorithms have been developed to generate good looking diagram. However, sometimes due to complexity of the data, having complex and unreadable diagrams are unavoidable and they are hard to understand. Previous studies investigated how diagrams should be drawn, however focus was not how users should interact with the diagrams. In node-link diagrams users follows edges to understand relationships between components. Having edges in the diagram heavily affects the diagram drawing time and also required space for the diagram. In this paper I developed an artefact which is not using edges to visualize LFA at Scania. Artefact usability has been tested with Scania engineers by giving some tasks to them. In the tests, artefact without edges achieved better results than node-link diagram and 426% improvement achieved by comparing task completion times in seconds. The artefact proved that it can be powerful alternative to classic node-link diagram visualization.

Ce document met l'accent sur la caractéristique des informations de la Chine dans l'environnement complexe de l'information, à la recherche empirique sur la relation entre l'information caractéristique de la Chine avec le marché boursier, outre d'étudier le modèle de diffusion de l'information concernant les différentes caractéristiques de la Chine sur le marché boursier. Les deux données transversales et série temporelles sont appliquées en mesurant la dépendance à partir du micro-indicateur, et en outre au niveau macro d'étudier la dépendance liée au phénomène unique de la Chine . Dans l'étude du niveau micro, nous choisissons le lien politique comme le mode variable de l'information de la Chine. Nous avons découvert que différents liens politiques ont donné lieu à différentes performances de l'entreprise, ce qui affecte plus le rendement des actions à la fois sur le temps et l'échelle du rendement anormal. Dans les tests de la dépendance au niveau macro, nous introduisons l'approche copula empirique dans l'immobilier, le marché de l'or et des actions. Notre résultat a détecté la dépendance univariée parmi les trois marchés bien qu'ils soient deux à deux indépendants. Enfin, nous avions établi un marché immobilier et boursier artificiel pour analyser la réaction du marché boursier avec la politique de l'immobilier basé sur les caractéristiques de la Chine. Basé sur la recherche ci-dessus, nous concluons que la caractéristique des informations de la Chine a un effet sur le marché financier tant au niveau micro et macro, et canalisés entre eux. Ainsi, nous devons tenir en compte ces caractéristiques dans l'étude de l'analyse du marché financier de la Chine. / After recent financial crisis, financial asset clustered and fell together, although there was not significant dependent relationship detected in academic research. lt is an indisputable fact that the correlation and dependence between financial asset and market is far more beyond our current knowledge. On stock market studies, in the current "Big data" world, the complexity and wide variety information calls for research on the particular kind of information and its effect on the stock market. Thus, we could further study the relationship and dependence among financial asset to detect the information diffusion pattern in financial market. To achieve this objective, exiting data sources and analytics required to be improved. This paper focuses on the China characteristic information in the complex information environment, to empirically research on the relationship of China characteristic information with stock market, and further study information diffusion pattern regarding to different China characteristics in stock market. Both cross-seclional and time series data are applied with measuring dependence from micro indicators, and further studied the on the macro level dependence related to China unique phenomenon. ln micro level study, we choose political connection as information which is particular China pattern. By non-parametric analysis, we conclude different political connections resulted in different stock performance. Then we considered stock analyst recommendations as aggregated information proxy, applying event study to test the stock reaction to information controlling for political connection and ratings. We discovered that different political connection affect stock retum both on the lime and scale of abnormal return. ln testing for macro level dependence, we introduce empirical copula approach with stock, real estate and gold market. Our result detected univariate dependence among the three market although they are pairwise independent. Finally, we constructed an agent-based artificial stock and housing market to test the stock market reaction with housing market policy based on China characteristics. Based on the above research, we conclude that China characteristic information do have effect on the financial market from both micro and macro level, and channeled between them. Thus, we need to consider these characteristic in studying China financial market issue.

This study is about increasing engagement in understanding complex energy related information. The purpose of the study is to provide insights on how to create a  concept for increasing engagement in understanding complex energy related information, primarily for young adults, and to provide concept how storytelling  and other techniques be used to engage users in complex energy related information and how design principles be applied with the aim of conveying complex energy related information  in an understandable way. The goal is to increase the understanding on how to engage young adults and to enable a design concept with the collaboration partner Energy Evolution Center. The methods used in the thesis are AEIOU method, user workshop, questionnaire, user observation, storyboard, prototyping, focus groups, cognitive walkthrough and design principles. The design process builds upon a human centered design approach. The design concept was tested, iterated and produced with close collaboration with the target audience and experts within the field. The results show signs that the target group's engagement could be increased through interactive activities that are similar to games and contain experiments, if placed within an educational context and be able to participate during school hours. Thus, the target group raised the issue of engaging voluntarily in activities with subjects in which they have no existing interest in. However, the target group expressed a greater commitment by participating in the activities that the design concept suggested, and to creating engagement to topics such as energy by participating in educational contexts. The conclusion is that the design concept allows room for failure, playfulness, exploration and teamwork, that is conceptualized through interaction of multiple senses. This study would also benefit from larger research and create space for more research especially in the societal aspects of inclusion, such as gender for example. / Denna studie handlar om att öka engagemanget i att förstå komplex energirelaterad information. Syftet med studien är att ge insikter om hur man skapar ett koncept för att öka engagemanget i att förstå komplex energirelaterad information, främst för unga vuxna, och att ge ett koncept för hur berättande och andra tekniker används för att engagera användare i komplex energirelaterad information, samt hur designprinciper tillämpas i syfte att förmedla komplex energirelaterad information på ett begripligt sätt. Målet är att öka förståelsen för hur man engagerar unga vuxna i energi relaterade ämnen och att möjliggöra ett designkoncept med samarbetspartnern Energy Evolution Center för detta ändamål. Metoderna som används i uppsatsen är AEIOU-metod, workshops, frågeformulär, användarobservation, prototypande, fokusgrupper, cognitive walkthrough, storyboard och designprinciper. Designprocessen bygger på ett mänskligt centrerat designtänkande. Designkonceptet testades, itererades och producerades i nära samarbete med målgruppen och experter inom området. Resultatet visar tecken på att målgruppens engagemang skulle kunna ökas genom interaktiva aktiviteter som är likt spel och innehåller experiment om det är placerat inom skolsammanhang och att delta under skoltid. Målgruppen tog upp problem med att engagera sig frivilligt i aktiviteter med ämnen som de inte har något befintligt intresse för. Men målgruppen uttryckte ett större engagemang genom att delta och skapa engagemang för ämnen som energi genom att delta i utbildningssammanhang. Designkoncept som prototypes fram bygger på ett energi-äventyr som interagerar, utforskar och interagerar med samarbetspartnern Energy Evolution Centers energidata och goda exempel. Slutsatsen är att designkonceptet ger möjligheter och utrymme för misslyckande, lekfullhet, utforskande och samarbete, som konceptualiseras genom interaktion mellan flera av människans sinnen. Denna studie skulle behöva större forskning och skapa utrymme för mer forskning om särskilt de samhälleliga aspekterna av inkludering, som till exempel genus.