I produktutvecklingen förlitar man sig ofta på processer för att driva igenom lyckade projekt, inte minst i företag av större karaktär. En traditionell process som än idag är dominerande i många stora företag är Stage-Gate. Processen är av linjär karaktär och anses vara väldigt effektiv. En uppkommande process med syfte att främja kreativitet är Design Thinking. Processen är iterativ och sätter användaren i fokus. Syftet med detta kandidatexamensarbete är att undersöka hur man i produktutvecklingen hos större etablerade företag kombinerar de två olika processerna Design Thinking och Stage-Gate. Arbetet undersöker kombinationen av en mer iterativ process som Design Thinking och en linjär och mer traditionell Stage-Gate-process och tar reda i vilken mån dessa processer används samt när och varför de används. Arbetet ska också undersöka ifall det finns någon pågående utveckling av processer och i så fall vad en sådan utveckling baseras på. Rapporten grundar sig i en litteraturstudie för att skapa en förståelse om nuvarande kunskapsläge samt undersöka olika synsätt i ämnet. Arbetet bygger också på en empirisk studie av två stora företag i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Respondenterna på företagen arbetar aktivt med produktutvecklingsarbete och besitter kunskap om båda processerna Design Thinking och Stage-Gate. Informationen som genererats har sedan tolkats, analyserats samt diskuterats. Slutsatserna som kan dras från undersökningen är att i stora företag används till störst del en Stage-Gatead process då det är viktigt med en tydlig struktur i stora företag. Design Thinking används mest som ett komplement och i situationer då problemet inte är väldefinierat. Utveckling av befintliga processer sker löpande men då handlar det främst om finjustering, att helt byta process är inget som är relevant. / In product development, companies often rely on processes to achieve successful projects, not least in companies of a larger size. A traditional process that is still dominant in many large companies today is Stage-Gate. The process is linear and is considered to be very effective. An emerging process with the goal to encourage creativity is Design Thinking. The process is iterative and puts the user in focus. The purpose of this bachelor's thesis is to investigate how the product development of larger, more established companies combines the two processes Design Thinking and Stage-Gate. The thesis examines the combination of a more iterative process such as Design Thinking and a linear and more traditional Stage-Gate process and analyzes to what extent these processes are used as well as when and why. The report will also investigate if there is any ongoing development of processes and, if so, what such a development is based on. The report is grounded on a literature study to create an understanding of the current state of knowledge and to explore different perspectives within the subject. The thesis is also based on an empirical study of two large companies where semi-structured interviews are used. The respondents at the companies work with product development and have knowledge of both the Design Thinking and Stage-Gate processes. The information generated has then been interpreted, analyzed and discussed. The conclusions that can be drawn from the study are that in large companies a Stage-Gated process is used to a large extent, since it is important to have a clear structure in large companies. Design Thinking is mostly used as a complement and in situations where the problem is not well defined. Development of existing processes is ongoing, but is mainly about fine-tuning, to completely change the process is not relevant.

Europeiska Unionen står inför en komplex uppgift med att införa Digitala Produktpass (DPP) – en digital mekanism som strävar efter att förbättra hur information om produkters livslängd, tillförlitlighet och återanvändbarhet samlas och delas. Detta arbete utförs med syfte att utveckla och förbättra användbarheten i ett användargränssnitt som är tänkt att integreras i samband med onlineköp för att effektivisera och förenkla processen för skapandet av DPP. Genom att omfamna metoden Design Thinking, har arbetet utvecklat och utvärderat en prototyp. Detta genom att identifiera och analysera problem med användbarhet i en utvärdering beståendes av intervju, användartest i form av Retrospective Probing och en enkät. Resultaten från utvärderingen visade brister i användarnas förståelse för användargränssnittet och DPP. Detta har specifikt lett till förbättringar av designen för initieringsknappen i användargränssnittet. I initieringsknappens beskrivande text har det lagts till mer informtion om Digitala Produktpass, vilket syftar till att öka interaktionens tydlighet och användarnas nöjdhet. Slutsatserna av arbetet belyser både framgångar och identifierade begränsningar. Det framhäver inte bara de förbättringar som redan har genomförts med initieringsknappen, utan också de områden där ytterligare insatser krävs för att optimera användbarheten, som flera iterationer av Design Thinking. Arbetet ger även vägledning för kommande studier och implementeringar inom området genom att föreslå riktningar för framtida forskning för utvecklandet av användbarhet i användargränssnitt för DPP. Genom att skapa en smidig och intuitiv interaktion mellan användare och DPP kan det öka engagemanget och uppmuntra till ökad användning av DPP. Vilket slutligen hjälper Europeiska Unionen införa DPP. / The European Union faces a complex task in introducing the Digital Product Passport (DPP) – a digital mechanism that aims to improve the way information about product lifespan, reliability and reusability is collected and shared. This work is carried out with the aim of developing and improving the usability of a user interface that is intended to be integrated in connection with online purchases, in order to streamline and simplify the process of creating DPP. By embracing the Design Thinking method, the work has developed and evaluated a prototype. This was made by identifying and analysing usability issues in an evaluation consisting of interview, user tests in the form of Retrospective Probing Probing and surveys. The results from the evaluation, showed deficiencies in users’ understanding of the user interface and DPPs. This has specifically led to improvements in the design of the initiation button in the user interface. In the initiation button’s describing text, more information about Digital Product Passports has been added, which aims to increase the clarity of the interaction and the satisfaction of the users. The conclusions of the work highlights both successes and identified limitations. It not only highlights the improvements that have already been made with the initiation button, but also the areas where efforts are required to optimize usability, such as further iterations of Design Thinking. The work also provides guidance for future studies and implementations in the field, by suggesting directions for future research for the development of usability in user interfaces for DPP. By creating a smooth and intuitive interaction between users and DPP, it can increase engagement and encourage increased use of DPP. Which ultimately helps the European Union introduce the DPP.

Use of computerized systems with user interfaces (UIs) is very high in the developed world, and is increasing rapidly everywhere else. The security of these systems are of utmost importance, but so is also the perception of security that people have of them. Therefore, this study investigates if there is a link between how usable systems with UIs are, and how securely they are perceived. This was done by constructing a custom and novel experimental setup, where 37 people (n=37) participated online through a website. The website guided participants through a realistic scenario, and then gave them a number of tasks to perform in a mock E-banking application. Participants then answered some questions regarding the usability and security of the mock E-banking application. This E-banking application was designed with the help of the Design Thinking methodology and heuristic evaluations. For most of the results, statistical significance could not be demonstrated. However, the results suggest that there may be a link between usability and perceived security, albeit quite weak. The relationship is hypothesized to be easily overshadowed by other aspects such as authentication procedure and reputation. / Användningen av datoriserade system med användargränssnitt (UI) är mycket hög i den utvecklade världen, och ökar snabbt i övriga världen. säkerheten hos dessa system är av yttersta vikt, men så är även hur säkert dessa system uppfattas av människor. Därför undersöker denna studie om det finns ett samband mellan hur användbart ett system med användargränssnitt är, och hur säkert det uppfattas. Detta gjordes genom att skapa en skräddarsydd och unik experimentell uppställning, där 37 personer (n=37) medverkade online via en webbplats. Webbplatsen guidade de medverkande genom ett realistiskt scenario och gav dem ett antal uppgifter att slutföra i en fiktiv internetbank. Deltagarna svarade sedan på ett antal frågor angående användbarheten och säkerheten hos den fiktiva internetbanken. Denna internetbank designades med hjälp av “Design Thinking”-metodologin och heuristiska utvärderingar. För de flesta resultaten kunde statistisk signfikans inte påvisas. Däremot antyder resultaten att det kan finnas en svag länk mellan användbarhet och upplevd säkerhet. En hypotes är att detta samband enkelt kan överskuggas av andra aspekter såsom autensieringsprocedur och rykte.

Background. In today’s fast-paced business world, there is a notable shift from product-centric to solution-centric approaches driven by discussions around sustainability. This shift underscores the increasing demand for Product-Service systems as companies strive to adapt to evolving customer needs. Digital Twin-based approaches have emerged as a potential tool in this landscape, providing new methods for gathering customer insights. The construction industry is a crucial sector vital to economic growth, accounting for approximately 10 percent of the gross domestic product of many countries. However, it faces several challenges, including low productivity, unpredictability, and slow innovation. Objectives. The aim of this thesis is to propose a system that improves through-life support in heavy construction equipment. Additionally, the potential benefit of utilizing a Digital Twin for the development of Product-Service Systems will be suggested based on the developed system. Methods. In this thesis, the design approach was chosen to be Design Thinking to provide a structured framework that fits the uncertain and iterative process that the project demands. Furthermore, the tools and methods from Design Thinking were utilized to ensure the final solution was developed with creative support and constant concept feedback to address the user’s needs. Results. This thesis results in three potential areas of improvement in the through-life support of construction equipment, concepts that could address these, and the problem that is stopping their realization. Furthermore, a proposed solution to this problem has been developed that could enable the implementation of Digital Twins in construction equipment. Conclusions. This thesis finds that data collection issues prevent the implementation of Digital Twins in construction equipment. It also presents several potential strengths and weaknesses of Digital Twins in Product-Service System development.Additionally, it presents some future directions in Digital Twins and Product-Service Systems that need further work. / Bakgrund. I dagens snabba och skiftande affärsvärld sker en märkbar flytt från produktcentrerade till lösning-centrerade tillvägagångssätt, drivna av diskussioner kring hållbarhet. Denna förändring framhäver den ökande efterfrågan på Produkt-Tjänstesystem för företag som strävar efter att anpassa sig till det ändrande kundbehovet. Digital Tvilling-baserade tillvägagångssätt har framträtt som ett potentiellt verktyg i detta sammanhang, och erbjuder nya metoder för att samla kunskap om kunderna. Byggindustrin är en avgörande sektor för ekonomisk tillväxt och står för cirka 10 procent av många länders bruttonationalprodukt. Dock står den inför flera utmaningar som låg produktivitet, oförutsägbarhet och långsam innovation. Syfte. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att föreslå ett system som förbättrar service genom hela livscykeln för anläggningsmaskiner. Dessutom kommer de potentiella fördelarna med att använda en Digital Tvilling för utvecklingen av Produkt- Tjänstesystem att föreslås baserat på det utvecklade systemet. Metod. I detta arbete valdes designmetoden Design Thinkin för att tillhandahålla en strukturerad ram som passar den osäkra och iterativa processen som projektet kräver. Dessutom användes verktyg och metoder från Design Thinking för att säkerställa att den slutliga lösningen utvecklades med kreativt stöd och konstant konceptfeedback för att vara riktat mot användarens behov. Resultat. Examensarbetet resulterar i tre potentiella förbättringsområden inom service genom hela livscykeln för anläggningsmaskiner, koncept som kan adressera dessa och det problem som hindrar deras förverkligande. Dessutom har en föreslagen lösning på detta problem utvecklats som kan möjliggöra implementeringen av Digitala Tvillingar i anläggningsmaskiner. Slutsatser. Arbetet konstaterar att problem med datainsamling förhindrar implementeringen av Digitala Tvillingar i anläggningsmaskiner. Det presenterar också flera potentiella styrkor och svagheter hos Digitala Tvillingar i utvecklingen av Produkt-Tjänstesystem. Dessutom presenteras några områden inom Digitala Tvillingar och Produkt-Tjänstesystem som behöver ytterligare arbete.

Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Entwerfen in Theorie und Praxis. Dabei werden die unterschiedlichen Entwurfstätigkeiten immer als eingebettet in ein Entwurfsgefüge verstanden, in dem verschiedene kooperative Disziplinen mit unterschiedlichen Bezügen, Artefakte für die zukünftige Verwendung entwerfen. Hier geht es speziell um das kooperative Entwerfen, das von mehr als einer Person bewerkstelligt wird. Das sind oft Ingenieur und Designer, etwa Architekt und Bauingenieur oder Produktdesigner und technischer Ingenieur oder im Interaktionsdesign Designer und Informatiker. Dabei wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit Design als eine Kooperationsdisziplin und zugleich als eine Kooperationsdisziplin im Wandel dargestellt und gezeigt, wie die Zusammenarbeit mit Prototypen als manifesten Anker- und Differenzpunkten, gewinnbringender gestaltet werden kann. Zunächst wird die Kooperation von Designer und Ingenieur zur Lösung komplexer Probleme im Allgemeinen betrachtet. Anschließend wird die entwurfspraktische Zusammenarbeit beider Berufsgruppen im Interaktionsdesign untersucht. Dabei wird vorgeschlagen, den Entwurf in Skizzen, Mock-Ups oder Prototypen als kommunikativen Bezugspunkt zu wählen. Die Dimensionen von Prototypen im Interaktionsdesign werden bestimmt und in einer Taxonomie zusammengeführt. / Which material manifests a house? A sketch of the house? A car? A model of the car? Answering those questions is relatively simple because architecture and product design cultivate a rich and tangible tradition of prototyping and an adequate design theory. Which material manifests an interactive system? Is it the glas of the touch screen or is it the color of the buttons? Interaction design is an emerging discipline and its accompanying design theory is even more so in its early days. The dissertation contemplates questions of materiality in interaction design. What are interactive prototypes and how can they be sufficiently described? Which properties are inscribed and interpreted by designers, engineers, users and the environment alike? How can this knowledge be utilized for a meaningful transdisciplinary collaboration and equal participation in design processes? The book will start with the premise, that current research positions on prototypes in interaction design are based on hypotheses that are symmetrical in construction. Contemporary prototype research in interaction design focusses on either the artefact or the designer. The proposed research strives to combine those disjunct approaches on a metatheoretical level, via Somatic-Marker-Hypothesis from Neuroscience and Actor-Network-Theory from Philosophy of Technology. This serves as a declaration basis for the symmetric posture of current research and as a point of advancement for practice based research. A variety of empirical findings will be presented. The approach to an exhaustive working definition is building on four stages of analysis. First, this builds on the proposed theoretical framework as a structure for further analyses. In a second step, this framework was used to categorise existing dimensions of prototypes in literature. This extended literature review includes Fidelity Theories and what we call Inscription Theories as well as Form-Material Theories. In a third step, the thereby evolved categories were validated and advanced with content analysis of protocols of design processes between interaction designers and software engineers. In a final step the vocabulary was validated and advanced with of expert interviews.

Motivated by the immature theoretical framework of design, this thesis employs transdisciplinary discourse to provide a contemporary and forward-looking model of design and design theory, as well as the linkages between the two, along with the necessary methodology. The discourse involves research into the current understanding of design, its principles, its practice and conceptual framework. The methodology developed and employed in this thesis can be outlined in five steps: 0. Design briefing 1. Developing a conceptual model based on the writings of Michel Foucault and Helmut Krippendorff. 2. Presenting the model in a written form. 3. Using accounts of conferences as tools for Designing Design and building monuments. 4. Interrogating the theory through an expert system. 5. Summarising and evaluating the findings. Design Briefing The present study delves into design, and into the design of theory. In Chapter A.1.6, a summary of Chapter A.0−A.1.5 is given, highlighting the underlying discourse. As shown, the theory behind this work is based on a hypothesis, which cannot be proved experimentally, or deduced from experimental data, at least at the time of its construction. Therefore, it needs to be understood that the case studies (A.3.2−A.3.5) in this thesis are not intended to serve as experiments that were conducted in order to prove the theory; rather, these case studies are design cases—products and artefacts—and should be viewed as discourse frameworks that can be adopted to design design. As described in Chapter 3.1, these are elements of monuments—in reference to Raichman (1988)—that have resulted from the discursive strategies and were designed within a community of designers, allowing the design understanding to be shaped. Methodologically, the theory is created through an indication of differences. These differences were elaborated on in the literature review, and can be explained using either logic-based or hermeneutical metaphors. As the latter approach is more flexible, it might be more applicable to the design environment. The generated knowledge can be located in three areas—design knowledge, epistemology, methodology (the process to get there), and phenomenology (the composition of the artefacts). While the main focus of this thesis has been on theory design, it was also important to delineate how to get there, as well as analyse the questionable differences between theory and practice, since they are ideal types that mark the extreme ends of a continuum (Jonsen and Toulmin 1988, p.36). The work presented in this thesis was conducted in a circular manner, like a design process, in order to encapsulate the instance. Therefore, essential topics reappear, allowing them to be reframed and newly contextualised. Chapter 0.0 to 0.7 reperesent the introductory part of this work. Thus, the content presented could be referred to as ‘the briefing’—as a parallel to a design case—to provide the background. It shows the motivation, a first hypothesis, some methodological considerations, and the research design and decisions. The aim is to provide insight into the phenomenon of interest and discuss some preconceptions. Thus, these introductory chapters provide orientation through locating some statements of the provided (design) discourse. Developing a conceptual model based on the writings of Michel Foucault and Helmut Krippendorff. As a follow up, Section A consists of several key components, and encompasses the research methodology specificity, its theoretical underpinning, and its connection to design, a reframing and contextualisation. This section also provides the means to overcome the discrepancy between researching and designing. Therefore, in Chapter A1−A1.6, a more substantial discourse of design is provided, along with the theory and the essential knowledge. Here, we can see the method in operation, as a patching of discursive statements—akin to an additive process of designing. Clearly, the attempt made here belongs to the constructivist epistemology, as the idea of design is a mental construct. Nonetheless, the aim is to provide a broad perspective of what can be presently observed in the design field. The employed methodology strategically aims to overcome the divide between designing and researching—between acting and reflecting—in order to provide a conceptual model. Still, it also makes the designing practice a conscious process, whereby theory is designed through discourse. Such discourse is revealed within the discovery of textual statements based on an extensive literature review, as well as through the discovery of textual statements from organised interactive conferences. The theory developed here is, in fact, a theory derived from theory, and is shaped through finding patterns and the simplification of the overall structure they form. In A.2, the concept of discourse and its designing quality is revealed. It shows how discourse, as the guiding method, is ‘excavated’ from the writings of Michel Foucault and Helmut Krippendorff. Methodologically, Michel Foucault’s ‘Archeology of Knowledge’ was analysed against and parallel to Helmut Krippendorff’s ‘Semantic Turn’, as these sources are complementary to each other. The goal of this process is a comparison of statements, yielding reasoning towards discourse and design discourse. In sum, this analysis helped reveal that it is a matter of design how the discourse is provided. The outcome of the aforementioned comparison is very interesting and satisfying. The findings revealed a difference in discourse, because engineering and design discourses are informed by rhetoric of design, rhetoric of deliberation, in opposite to humanistic discourse, which consumes textual objects (Perelman 1999). The discursive designing process within these chapters reveals some important elements, such as the conceptual frame of politics, referred to in Foucault’s discourse explorations. According to the author, power is a generating force in shaping discourse (Faucault 1980, p.119). In contrast, Krippendorff (1995b) sees power as emanating from language, which can be overcome through avoiding the construction of certain language. In the research presented, the designing practice that took place during the conferences, as well as the aforementioned notions, play a role, as was shown in Chapter 3. Power, as it was experienced, is unavoidable. Yet, rather than seeing it as a problem, it should be viewed as a generating force. A second more substantial question arises around the notion of discontinuity (A.2.3), which is essential in Foucault’s concept. According to Krippendorff, knowledge is not partitioned; it rather provides continuity through the various disciplines. As this research shows, this view should not be seen as an opposite to Foucault’s concept of discontinuity, because statements can refer to the same object, but coming from a discontinuous field, from various disciplines. In other words, as design discourse can be viewed as a discourse hosted by various disciplines, it is discontinuous! With respect to Foucault’s concern of grasping of statements, the main goal of this thesis is to provide support for this perspective. As the author noted, the grasping of the statements needs to follow the exact specificity of their occurrence (Foucault 1972). The prudence and success of dissociating statements from their original context to place them in a new context is questionable, since no discontinuity can be ignored (Foucault 1972). Often, rather than paraphrasing the text so that it reflects one’s own understanding of it, the result is a mere citation of the original texts and con-texts. The awareness of discontinuity does not allow for this thesis to be presented according to the positivistic paradigm.

International Development Projects (IDP) are designed to deliver sustained solutions to human life quality threatens. They aim to improve living conditions in emerging countries through initiatives that should provide long-term sustained results. However, the extreme characteristics of IDP contexts challenge traditional project management methodologies. The dynamic nature of stakeholders’ relationships and influence adds additional pressures to the management teams. Higher levels of uncertainty in IDP are faced with non-flexible strategies that compromise the long-term desired results. Not enough participation of relevant stakeholders and beneficiaries limits the impact of development initiatives.   The authors could identify that IDP management is overall an under-investigated field. Specifically, contemporary challenges arisen from unbalanced robust/flexible strategies and low stakeholders participation have undermined the impact success of those projects. Moreover, there is no academic study that constructs on how flexibility could be enhanced in IDP, while maintaining control. Methodologies such as design thinking and agile have elucidated new paths of action for better impact and customer satisfaction in other industries, by enabling flexibility and change management. Despite their huge proven success, these methodologies are still a phenomenon limited to IT and design industries. Therefore, in IDP field there is no framework linking contingency and participatory development theories with flexible methods similar to design thinking and agile methodologies.   In order to bridge this gap the authors will embark in a qualitative study to explore literature and gain insights from actors within the IDP field about the problem at hand. A multiple embedded case study will be conducted with ID academics and practitioners at supervisory and implementation levels from across the world. A possible solution will be designed for IDP management from a different angle to that of traditional management, in order to build up flexibility without compromising project structure. The proposed framework will tackle flexibility and participation issues by integrating design thinking and agile methodologies into IDP.   The theoretical findings suggest that enabling participatory development strategies in the design phase, and expanding the available project knowledge would enhance IDP flexibility.  Likewise, IDP flexibility during the implementation phase is impacted by the quality and relevance of information and methodological tools available, stakeholders’ involvement, as well as the handover process. Therefore, since no previous studies interconnecting those theories to enhanced flexibility could be found in IDP, an expansion of available theoretical knowledge on contingency and participatory development theory in IDP is produced. The authors concluded that design thinking and agile principles may conceptually prove useful to effectively deal with the problems identified, thus project design is more adequate, and collaboration among stakeholders proves effective to deal with uncertainty and complexity. These constructs are explained in the propositions made for the SUITE framework to IDP, which aims to practically contribute to the management field of IDP.

Increasing economic, social and environmental problems around the world have shown that current models of economic development cannot be sustained. Thus, new patterns of consumption are needed. According to the literature, global companies are well placed to attempt leveraging sustainable consumption, as their production lines; supply chains; products and services extend across many continents, and as such the cumulative effect of their actions are wide reaching. This research sets out to better understand the intertwined factors that companies in two different contexts (Mexico and the UK), need to consider in order to leverage sustainable consumption. Through the literature review it was seen that sustainable consumption requires a multitude of changes, which have to occur at a systems level. In response to this, user-centred design (UCD) principles were seen as a valuable approach to give a broader account of the complexities around consumption and consumer's behaviour that could be communicated to higher management. A series of interviews, a focus group and a document analysis was undertaken to collect qualitative data. The findings led to the construction of a theoretical framework supported by UCD principles. The theoretical framework was then translated into the Sustainable Consumption Leveraging (SCL) Model and its toolkit. The SCL Model is a mechanism that takes into account the interaction of elements in a specific business context to identify areas of opportunity to leverage sustainable consumption through a consumer-focused approach. During a series of workshops, the SCL Model and its toolkit were tested to distinguish further opportunities of improvement and to understand where global companies stand with regards leveraging sustainable consumption. The research concludes by saying that companies need to work in collaboration with other actors to build a strong sustainability and innovation strategy that could help them to find new ways of doing business that can enhance more sustainable lifestyles.

Detta arbete handlar om att utforma en mötesplats för aktivitet i ett utvalt område i stadsdelen Sätra, Gävle. Som metod används participativa designmetoder som handlar om att involvera människor så mycket som möjligt. Participativa designmetoder är  socialt hållbara metoder för att utveckla stadsmiljön bl a därför att den tillkännager vikten av att engagera de personer som är närmast berörda. Metoderna tar också fasta på mjuka värden såsom platsidentitet, människors personliga drivkrafter och vilja att tillsammans etablera ett gemensamt område för alla. Sätra är en stadsdel i Gävle med över 10 000 invånare. I denna stadsdel finns ett område mellan Gråstensvägen och Jökelvägen som håller på att rustas upp av Gavlegårdarna. Lekplatserna och utomhusplatserna är i nuläget föråldrade samtidigt som det i området bor mycket barn och ungdomar som skulle kunna tänka sig att nyttja dessa om de var mer anpassade efter deras behov. I arbetet har jag därför undersökt denna problematik med hjälp av frågeställningen: Hur kan man med en designprocess som involverar medborgare utforma en plats? Hur kan man utforma denna plats på ett sådant sätt så att det lockar de boende att vistas och mötas och skapa inkluderande och trivsam miljö där platsidentitet uppehålls? I arbetet genomförs participativa designmetoder utefter frågeställningen på så sätt att djupintervjuer genomförs med de människor som bor i området för att få en djupare inblick i behov och problematik. Dessa leder i senare fas till workshops där mjuka värden etableras för att kunna jobba vidare med koncept. Platsobservationer och studie av relevant litteratur från både design och arkitekturområdet har använts för att utveckla syfte och metoder för workshops under arbetets gång.  Arbetets resultat är i form av en planlösning och en klätterställning som har utformats efter behov samt workshopmodeller som utformats och testats.

This thesis is an inquiry that documents, identifies and assesses the effectiveness, circumstances, and potential resources related to addressing the gap between social needs and higher education as stated in the National Development Strategy 2011-2016. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate the response of the students on the collaborative, human-centered, result-oriented aspects of design thinking while addressing the eating experience topic, an articulated theme from the wicked problem of obesity. The eating experience theme provided students from design, business and engineering majors a contextualized topic to test design thinking in a series of workshops conducted in three different universities. Quantitative research methods were used to test the students’ feedback on design thinking, map their reactions during the process and rate the workshops. The later served as a recruitment channel to bring interested students from design, business and engineering majors in a last workshop. Participants develop one of the previously generated seed concepts and reflect on the multi-disciplinary experience. Results have shown that students successfully articulated the method, focused on the user-needs, collaborated with each other and generated tangible seed concepts to address the social topic. The interior design students assessed the method with an average rating. They were the least comfortable with the ambiguity level of the topic and with the user-centered approach of design thinking. Whereas the engineering and business students rated the method with high scores and were comfortable in the workshops. Furthermore, 22% of the students involved in the study were interested to enroll in the last multi-disciplinary workshop yet 5% participated due to their workload and the lack of incentives. In conclusion, the inquiry engaged students in a transformative academic experience that impacted their cognitive and ethical capacity. It also revealed new opportunities that can bridge the gap between higher education and social needs.