The research reported in this thesis had two aims. To investigate how the variability and complexity of the mobile context of use should be addressed when capturing user needs for mobile products and to explore the role of indirect methods of data capture as tools for eliciting user needs in a form appropriate for informing the scenario based design of mobile products during the. earliest stages of product development. This research presents a novel scenario-based approach to eliciting and representing user needs in a form suitable for informing the earliest exploratory stages of mobile product design. Within this approach scenarios are used to provide snapshots of actual or envisaged product use that can be used to find a starting point for design when there is no clearly defined focus for innovation. Scenarios are organized into sets using scenario tables to structure consideration of key variables within the mobile context of use. These key variables are identified as: mobility, emotion, social relationship and communication purpose. Three user studies were conducted using UK undergraduate students as the study population. Study One explored use of schematic representations ('maps') of each participant's social communications and mobility as tools for eliciting user needs, both in relation to existing mobile product use and in relation to projected use of future mobile product concepts. Study Two used a diary study method to explore existing mobile communications use. Ways of structuring consideration of the mobile context of use were explored and the effectiveness of the diary as a tool for eliciting user needs and for scenario generation was assessed. Study Three extended the diary study approach to include consideration ofthe emotional context of product use and to include pictorial feedback of diary entries to study participants. These personal representations of product use were used to further explore user needs and to prompt participants to generate narratives describing motivations for product use suitable for presentation in scenario form.

Office chairs are becoming a modern status symbol in the workplace. Many individuals are seated on office chairs for most of the working day. As a result of using poorly designed chairs injury and discomfort are frequently experienced, most particularly lower back pain. Correct design of chairs is imperative, and must be user-centered. The aim of this investigation has been to gather anthropometric dimensions characteristic of the South African population, as this information has not been widely assimilated to date. Once collated, this information could be used in the design of an ergonomically correct office chair, suitable for the unique characteristics of the South African working population. Anthropometric dimensions were collected from 683 South Africans (comprising 448 South African females and 235 South African males) from pre-selected companies in major centres in South Africa (Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg, Durban, East London, Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town). Measurements included participants’ personal information (age, sex, home language and ethnic group), basic anthropometric measures (stature, shoulder height, mass, and waist and hip circumference) as well as specific measures of fit of the individual to the specially designed, adjustable chair. Of the 448 females, 317 were Black females, 77 were White females, 35 were Coloured females and 19 were Indian/Asian females. Of the 235 males, 112 were Black males, 79 were White males, 26 were Coloured males and 18 were Indian/Asian males. Office chair dimensions for each ethnic group were represented and differences were noted. A comparison between a current office chair’s dimensions and the South African sample office chair’s dimensions indicated modifications that would need to be constructed to suit the South African sample. The conventional office chair is still the most widely accepted office chair due to its stability and support structures that maintain the correct sitting posture of the user. An ergonomic office chair needs to incorporate anthropometric dimensions worldwide.

Legally binding targets set by the UK government to reduce carbon emissions by 2050 mean it is imperative that the efficiency of the UK housing stock is improved. Housing currently contributes over 30% of the UK s total carbon emissions and a large proportion of the current stock will still exist in 2050. There is therefore a need to retrofit this existing stock with energy saving measures, as the savings from new builds will not be adequate to meet the stringent carbon reduction targets. Whilst technologies to facilitate energy saving retrofit are available, there has been a low uptake from householders in the UK, in part due to the lack of consideration of user requirements within the design of these technologies. To investigate this issue further, this thesis considers two main questions: How can the design of energy saving measures and the process of retrofit of the existing UK housing stock be improved through the use of user centred design (UCD) and How can UCD methods be applied to the research and development process for energy saving measures in order to improve the outcome? Through the research, it became clear that in order to answer these questions, it would be necessary to work across disciplines and therefore a third Research Question was posed; How can UCD facilitate working across disciplines in the context of an energy research project? The results provide evidence of how UCD can effectively improve the design and development process of energy saving technologies, the process of retrofit and the practice of cross-disciplinary working within a research environment. The research is novel in several ways: firstly, the UCD process has been applied in the area of domestic retrofit, giving new insights into the barriers and opportunities to retrofit; secondly, home improvement has been investigated by viewing the home as a complete, interacting system, using novel methods; thirdly, a set of UCD specifications have been created to inform the design of heat pumps, a specific domestic energy saving technology, and finally, enhancements to the UCD process are made for use within an energy technology project, together with the development of six principles for effective cross-disciplinary working and conceptualisation of the bridge building role which the UCD practitioner fulfills.

Objective: The primary objective of the thesis is to advance proactive thinking in designing healthcare facilities for safety by constructing theory to bridge gaps between evidence-based design (EBD) and human factors/ergonomics (HF/E). Background: Adverse events are a pervasive issue in healthcare, with causes and prevention measures under increased scrutiny for the past 15 years. The physical environment can be an underlying condition of safety and healthcare (HC) facility design can be seen as a layer of defense in accident causation theory. However, HC facility design is complicated and complex, and the implications of decisions can be felt for decades. While architects excel at problem solving, they are not fully versed in healthcare work tasks, flow, and function, resulting in complex system interactions. Evidence-based design (EBD) is a process that uses research as a foundation for decision-making in HC facility design. While the EBD process acknowledges the importance of system factors, its focus is on understanding specific facility design interventions on outcomes such as safety, efficiency, quality of care, and satisfaction. HF/E focuses on humans interacting with a system with a goal of optimizing human well-being and overall system performance. Although HF/E recognizes the physical environment as a system component, the ergonomic definition of the environment lacks clarity and influences are frequently considered at a microergonomic level. In summary, EBD supports desired outcomes of a system through building design, while HF/E more often supports desired outcomes of the system through work design. Methods: The thesis leverages a grant to create a Safety Risk Assessment (SRA) toolkit for HC facility design using: (1) consensus-based methods to develop built-environment considerations for falls in HC facility design, (2) a mixed methods approach to test the SRA in hypothetical scenarios, (3) a mixed methods approach to test the SRA in real-world scenarios, (4) quantitative and qualitative analysis using an inductive and abductive approach to construct grounded theory to develop a core theme and a theoretical framework for proactively considering safety in HC facility design, (5) an extended systematic literature review to identify additional system considerations of the organization and people, and (6) established thinking to advance new theoretical frameworks to achieve the thesis objectives. Results: Two theoretical frameworks are proposed. The first framework, Safety as Complexity of the Organization, People and Environment (SCOPE) is based on the Dial-F systems model (Hignett 2013). The evolution includes: the definition of the ergonomic environment using building design as the most stable element of the system, identifying built environment interventions to mitigate the risk of falls (SCOPE 1.0); the addition of non-building design interventions of the system such as organizational and people-based conditions (SCOPE 2.0); and the integration of HF/E design principles to reframe thinking about hospital falls (DEEP SCOPE). The second framework evolves from grounded theory constructed through data from SRA testing proposing safe design as a participatory process to anticipate, participate, and integrate solutions. A participatory ergonomics framework (Haines and Wilson 1998) is integrated with a mesoergonomic framework of inquiry (Karsh, Waterson, and Holden 2014, Karsh 2006) to advance a theoretical framework of participatory mesoergonomics using the SRA and SCOPE content as inputs over the course of a HC facility design project to achieve safety. Conclusion: The gap between EBD and HF/E can be bridged using safety (falls) as a proactive consideration during HC facility design using theoretical frameworks. These frameworks address (1) the definition of building design and design considerations in the HF/E context and (2) integration of the EBD process with HF/E methods to understand interactions of the system.

This thesis investigates the design of inclusive services by integrating theory and approaches from the domains of Service Design and Inclusive Design. This integration was used to evaluate bus service use by younger and older people and the role of other stakeholders. The research was carried out through the case study of the bus service in Guadalajara, Mexico. As a result of this research, an inclusive service design approach and a tool are proposed to guide the design of inclusive services. Using an inclusive service design approach led to the application of a mixed methodology for data collection, which included: 1) a series of individual and group interviews with stakeholders as well as a document analysis; 2) structured focus groups with younger and older people; 3) observation of younger and older passengers using the service; and 4) accompanied journeys with older people. Data were analysed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques, and the results facilitated 1) the understanding of the service operation; 2) the identification of the main barriers for interaction with the service along a door-to-door journey; and 3) the determination of the gap between what younger and older users need and desire and what bus operators actually provide. The research then focussed on visualising and communicating the findings to stakeholders. An inclusive service blueprint was developed to graphically represent the level of difficulty in using the service by younger and older people across the door-to-door journey, and to highlight areas for service improvements. A final study was undertaken to assess the usefulness of the inclusive service approach and the blueprint in improving the bus service. Collectively, the findings indicate that integrating inclusive principles along with a Service Design approach provided several benefits in investigating and improving the bus service. The uniqueness of data generated by younger and older users and the understanding of inclusive principles by the stakeholders already shows the potential to lead to a more inclusive service given the activities now happening in Guadalajara. This research contributes to the discussion of how the design of services can evolve through the incorporation of inclusive principles in the design process. Whilst the research was undertaken in the context of the bus service in Guadalajara, the approach and some outcomes from this research may be applicable for designing inclusive services in other contexts around the world.

Lam Po Ki. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2004-2005, design report." / Includes bibliographical references. / In English ; Some texts in Chinese.