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Denna avhandling har sin grund i mina erfarenheter av att arbete med människor som har funktionsnedsättningar. Vanligtvis är denna grupp den sista en producent ser som sina kunder. Det är ganska vanligt att producenter gör olika produkter(produkter och tjänster) för personer med funktionsnedsättningar och en för andra. Om man istället, i designarbetet utgår från synsättet att de flesta personer vid någon tidpunkt och/eller plats har funktionssvårigheter så blir den potentiella kundgruppen större för produkten. Ursprunget för avhandlingen är ett projekt, vilket drevs av PTS (Post och Telestyrelsen), med syfte att identifiera vilka typer av stöd eller anpassningar personer med intellektuella funktionsnedsättningar har för att använda bredbandsbaserade tjänster. Resultatet i projektet pekade ut ett antal svårighetsområden där flertalet av dessa svårighetsområden inte var unika för denna grupp. Utifrån resultat i ovanstående projekt togs det fram en test-, utvärderings- och designmodell (TED-modellen) där ett av stegen använde en ”indikatorgrupp”. Syftet med modellen är att identifiera och ge underlag för att prioritera vilka svårighetsområden det fortsatta designarbetet skall fokuseras på. Indikatorgruppen består av individer med funktionssvårigheter som är relevanta i sammanhanget. Modellen tar vara på möjligheterna i ”design för alla” för att göra att göra bättre produkter för människorna. De empiriska studierna i denna uppsats är gjorda inom två områden. Den första är i ett designsammanhang, där fem olika hemsidor skulle tas fram och den andra är runt en studie av tre olika affärsarbetsplatser, där kassafunktionen var i fokus för studien. Resultatet i denna uppsats pekar ut en möjlig inriktning för en designmetodologi, vars målsättning är att få fram bättre produkter för en större grupp. Utgångspunkten är att använda människors olikheter som en möjlighet och inte som ett problem. Individer med funktionella svårigheter är en resurs för att finna nya innovationer vilket jag har benämnt ”the Lead of Need”. Med detta menar jag att individer med funktionella svårigheter, som har ett behov, en ide för en lösning, men inte har möjlighet att förverkliga denna. Om vi kan organisera en mötesplats för individer med ”the Lead of Need”, designers och utvecklare så har vi skapat ett ”Living lab” för nya innovationer. / This thesis has its roots in my experiences of working with people who have some forms of disability. Usually this group is the last group producers consider as their customers. It is quite common that producers make different products (and services) for individuals with disabilities and for others. If one instead takes the position, in the design work, that most people have some functional difficulties at some point in time or in place, then the potential customer group becomes larger for the product in question. The origin of this thesis is a project run by the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS), aiming to identify what kind of support or adaptation people with intellectual disabilities needs when using broadband based services. The result of the project pointed out areas of difficulties. Most areas of difficulties were not unique for this group. From the result of the PTS-project, a design and evaluation model (TED-model) was built, where one of the steps involved the use of an “indicator group”. The aim for this step is to identify and give basis for prioritizing areas of difficulty that the continued design work should focus on. The indicator group consists of individuals with functional difficulties relevant in a specified context. This method uses the possibilities of “design for all” as facilitator to design better products for more people. The empirical studies in this thesis were carried out within two areas. The first study was made in a design project, where five different web sites were to be designed, and the second one dealt with three different business workplaces in which the cashier workplaces was in focus. The results of this thesis point out a possible direction of a design methodology, whose objective is to create better products for larger group of people. The starting point is to use people's differences as a possibility for design, and not a problem. Individuals with functional difficulties constitute a resource for finding new innovations, which I have termed “the Lead of Need”. With this I mean individuals with functional difficulties, who have a need, an idea for a solution, but not the possibility to make it happen. If we can organise a meeting ground for individuals with “the Lead of Need”, designers, and developers, we will have created a “living lab” for new innovations. / QC 20101119

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hinder för återbruk av håldäckselement i den svenska byggsektorn. Studien identifierar flera kritiska utmaningar. Dessa inkluderar ekonomiska hinder, regelverk och standarder, samt branschens acceptans och medvetenhet om återbruk. En av huvudpunkterna är bristen på incitament för återbruk på grund av relativt låga kostnader för avfallshantering jämfört med återbruk. En annan brist som leder till högre kostnader är att demontera och bearbeta återanvänt material. Nuvarande regelverk och standarder främjar inte heller återbruk i tillräcklig grad, där nyproduktion ofta ses som det enklare och billigare alternativet. Slutsatserna av studien understryker behovet av tydligare politiska styrmedel och incitament för att öka återbruket av byggmaterial. / The purpose of the study was to examine barriers to the reuse of hollow core slabs in the Swedish construction sector. The study identifies several critical challenges. These include economic barriers, regulations and standards, as well as the industry's acceptance and awareness of reuse.  One of the main points is the lack of incentives for reuse due to relatively low waste management costs compared to reuse. Another shortfall leading to higher costs is the disassembly and processing of reused materials. Current regulations and standards also do not sufficiently promote reuse, where new production is often seen as the simpler and cheaper alternative.  The conclusions of the study emphasize the need for clearer political directives and incentives to increase the reuse of building materials.

This thesis aims to enhance the light ramp of Rottne Industri AB's harvester. To achieve this, various theories and methodologies were applied throughout the project. By employing a systematic product development process, the authors were able to minimize manufacturing costs while incorporating additional features for improved functionality. The newly developed design resulted in several significant improvements. The height of the light ramp was reduced by 15%, which not only aligns with the project’s goals but also contributes to better integration with the machine's overall structure. The manufacturing costs have been lowered, making the production process more economical and efficient. Furthermore, the lighting coverage has been enhanced to provide better illumination of the nearby area that is surrounding the harvester, thereby increasing visibility and safety for the operator. Overall, the project successfully met all the set objectives, delivering a more efficient, cost-effective, and functional light ramp design for Rottne Industri AB’s harvester.

A suspension system is to be made to increase driver comfort and ergonomics. This kind of system is widely used in a variety of vehicles, such as tractors and trucks, but is not yet standard for forklifts. The purpose of the case study is to design a fully mechanical, passive suspension system that can be retrofitted to a particular forklift without any cabin or chassis modification. The main focus will be on the linkages used to limit unwanted movement of the cabin. A concept utilizing 2 sets of parallel linkages is chosen to continue develop with the application of design for environment and design for manufacturing. This manages to reduce the total number of component sneeded for the system down to 33 from 43 in the first draft of the concept. The design needs to be dimensioned and further tested before a prototype is built. If the system then is implemented, it will have lasting effects on the forklift industry and the ergonomics of operators.

Målgruppen er unge i alderen mellem 20-29 år, der bor i en etværelseslejlighed i Malmö og har flere udfordringer ved affaldssortering. Fuldsorteringen sker ikke altid korrekt og i overensstemmelse med eksisterende lovgivning. Arbejdet tager derfor udgangspunkt i problemformuleringen “Hvordan kan brugercentreret design bidrage til at kunne ændre den yngre generations attitude, når det kommer til at sortere affald i husstanden som et essentielt led i borgeres aktive deltagelse?”. I udforskningen af problemfeltet tages forskellige teorier i brug. Hovedteorien i arbejdet er brugercentreret design efterfulgt af design for holdbar udvikling og affaldssortering ud fra et klimapsykologisk perspektiv. Såvel undersøgende metoder som designmetoder anvendes med henblik på at foretage kvalitative undersøgelser af målgruppens udfordringer. De vigtigste anvendte metoder er designeksperiment, ekspertinterview og Co-design workshop. Afslutningsvis har metoderne resulteret i et designkoncept, hvor alle affaldsbeholderne samles ét sted under køkkenvasken, og med mulighed for at beholderne kan ekspanderes alt efter husstandens behov. Herved får målgruppen et tydeligt overblik over samtlige skraldespande og kan, med det in mente, foretage de korrekte og bedst kvalificerede beslutninger. Det betyder blandt andet, at hvis der mangler plads i en beholder, behøver husstanden ikke tage en ny pose frem, men kan i stedet ekspandere den eksisterende. / The target group is young people between the ages of 20-29 years who live in a one-room apartment in Malmö, Sweden, and have various challenges with waste sorting. The waste sorting is not always done correctly and in accordance with existing legislation. Therefore, the work is based on the research question “How can User-Centered Design contribute to changing the attitude of the younger generation on waste sorting in the household as an essential part of citizens’ active participation in society?”. When exploring the problem field, different theories are used. The main theory in the work is User-Centered Design followed by Design for Sustainable Development and Waste Sorting from a Climate Psychological perspective. Both investigative and design methods are used in order to carry out qualitative studies of the target group’s challenges. The main methods used are Design Experiment, Expert Interview and Co-design Workshop. The methods have resulted in a design concept where all waste containers are placed in the same place under the kitchen sink with the possibility of expanding the containers depending on the household’s needs. In this way, the target group gets a clear overview of all bins and with this in mind they can make the correct and best informed decisions. That means, inter alia, that if one of the bins lacks room the household does not need to take out a new bag, but may instead expand the existing one.

In this thesis the opportunities for designing products that are less resource intensive during use, in different cultural contexts is investigated. The research was divided into four phases: an extensive literature review, an online scoping study, an intensive qualitative study on laundry behaviours, and an international design competition. The research drew on the background of design for sustainable behaviour, a relatively new field of enquiry concerned with reducing the social and environmental impacts of products during their use. Despite the increasing development of theories to change user behaviour through design, there is a lack of understanding of how different cultural contexts affect behaviour. An extensive literature review established the current thinking on culture, development, and behaviour. The diverse nature of everyday household behaviour from different cultures and the effect it has on household resource consumption was uncovered and was investigated further in an online scoping study. In the study, participants from the UK, Brazil and India answered questions related to the themes of food, water, energy, materials and government schemes. The findings helped to highlight the differences in household behaviours and led to more detailed investigation of laundry behaviours in three sites in the UK, Brazil and India using in-context interviews, observations and household tours. From these findings a series of culturally significant and culturally independent factors were established that can aid designers in understanding behaviours in a given context. A set of design guidelines were also created to facilitate the design of less resource intensive products during use. These were then tested with designers in an international design competition answering a brief to design a less resource intensive laundry process. The research suggested a range of benefits for designers studying other cultures. The guidelines and cultural factors created can help designers to build empathy with users in a given context and boost creative thinking for more sustainable solutions. The research also offered insights into the possibility of, and application for, transferring behaviours between contexts as well as a new understanding of the aspirations of consumers in emerging markets, which could support other theories of sustainable development, such as leapfrogging.

In this report a product development process is constructed and used to redesign an omnidirectional treadmill, the Omnideck. The current design of the Omnideck platform is designed without regard for assembly. Using modularity and design for assembly theories, incorporated with the product development process, the Omnideck platforms design is improved in respect to assembly time. The original design required 175 labour hours to install. The result is an improved design which requires ten and a half hours to install at a customer. This is achieved by redesigning the Omnideck into individual modules which allow for a faster installation.

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This thesis work is mainly focused on the processes involved in manufacturing of aircraft engine components. The processes are especially about welding and welding methods. The basics of welding and the thesis support has been taken from the GKN Aerospace Sweden AB, a global aerospace product supplier.  The basic objective of this thesis work is to improve the usability of an automation system which is developed for evaluating the weldability of a part. A long run maintainability aspect of this automation system has been considered. The thesis work addresses the problems arising during the usage of a computerised automated system such as process transparency, recognisability, details traceability and other maintenance aspects such as maintainability and upgradability of the system in the course of time. The action research methodology has been used to address these problems.  Different approaches have been tried to finding the solution to those problems. A rule based manufacturability analysis system has been attempted to analyse the weldability of a component in terms of different welding technics. The software “Howtomation” has been used to improve the transparency of this analysis system. User recognisability and details tractability have been taken into account during the usage of a ruled based analysis system. The system attributes such as maintainability, upgradability, adaptiveness to modern welding methods has been addressed. The system suitability for large scale analysis has been considered.