This thesis analyzes data collection tools and methods in domestic environments for smart product development processes. The aim of the study is to create a method for supporting data collection studies in user research of smart products at domestic environments. The study examines the utilization of information and communication technologies in ethnographic data collection methods at domestic environments with a qualitative approach. Two case studies are conducted to understand and analyze the effects of custom designed data collection tools in user research studies conducted at domestic environments. The results of the study revealed that utilization of data collection equipment and methods that are customized to the characteristics of aims and objectives of user research studies, product characteristic and study participants&rsquo / own environment might lead to the possibility to increase number of study participants and decrease researchers&rsquo / presence in domestic environments. Additionally, it was found that, sensor kits and internal device logs are capable of supporting user research studies for the evaluation of products, however due to technical complexity and unpredictable contextual factors, triangulation of data collection methods and redundancy of data collection equipment are necessary.

Computers are used in sociable situations, for example during customer meetings. This is seldom recognized in design, which means that computers often become a hindrance in the meeting. Based on empirical studies and socio-cultural theory, this thesis provides perspectives on sociable use and identifies appropriate units of analysis that serve as critical tools for understanding and solving interaction design problems. Three sociable situations have been studied: customer meetings, design studios and domestic environments. In total, 49 informants were met with during 41 observation and interview sessions and 17 workshops; in addition, three multimedia platforms were also designed. The empirical results show that people need to perform individual actions while participating in joint action, in a spontaneous fashion and in consideration of each other. The consequence for design is that people must be able to use computers in different manners to control who has what information. Based on the empirical results, five design patterns were developed to guide interaction design for sociable use. The thesis demonstrates that field studies can be used to identify desirable use qualities that in turn can be used as design objectives and forces in design patterns. Re-considering instrumental, communicational, aesthetical, constructional and ethical aspects can furthermore enrich the understanding of identified use qualities. Witha foundation in the field studies, it is argued that the deliberation of ynamic characters and use qualities is an essential component of interaction design. Designers of interaction are required to work on three levels: the user interface, the mediating artefact and the activity of use. It is concluded that doing interaction design is to provide users with perspectives, resources and constraints on their space for actions; the complete design is not finalized until the users engage in action. This is where the fine distinctions and, what I call 'shades of use' appear.

Overlooking the important role materials, in relation to light, have in interior design and architecture is not so uncommon. However, materials are not only important for understanding light in architecture, but also in product design since all objects within a space contribute to its visual character and spatial appearance. This study investigates differences in optical properties of a selection of materials often found in Scandinavian domestic environments. It also explores and discusses the main question of how, in the process of designing a luminaire, product and lighting designers could make use of the visual quality differences between the selected materials, and when put in a spatial context how their properties can be used as a tool to create different lighting scenarios. In order to answer the main question, the study applied a practical approach including a small scale and full-scale laboratory, in which the investigation was based on testing and experimenting with light and material and where qualitative and quantitative aspects were observed, measured, and consolidated.

Esta pesquisa tem como tema de estudo as relações interpessoais no cotidiano e o uso das tecnologias de informação e comunicação no fomento de experiências. Seu objetivo é desenvolver um quadro teórico em torno de uma área do design intitulada de design para a experiência. Para tal, a metodologia da pesquisa fundamenta-se na seleção de propostas de design que exploram questões ligadas ao comportamento no espaço doméstico e às tecnologias de informação e comunicação. Em seguida é realizada uma análise qualitativa dessas propostas a partir de alguns critérios também desenvolvidos pela pesquisa. / This research studies the daily interpersonal relations and the information and communication technologies usage to stimulate experiences. The goal is to develop the theoretical references around a design area identified as experience design. In order to achieve that the research methodology is based on the analysis of some design proposals, which explores issues related to the peoples behavior inside the domestic environment and to the information and communication technologies. These proposals are investigated according to principles also developed during the research.

Esta pesquisa tem como tema de estudo as relações interpessoais no cotidiano e o uso das tecnologias de informação e comunicação no fomento de experiências. Seu objetivo é desenvolver um quadro teórico em torno de uma área do design intitulada de design para a experiência. Para tal, a metodologia da pesquisa fundamenta-se na seleção de propostas de design que exploram questões ligadas ao comportamento no espaço doméstico e às tecnologias de informação e comunicação. Em seguida é realizada uma análise qualitativa dessas propostas a partir de alguns critérios também desenvolvidos pela pesquisa. / This research studies the daily interpersonal relations and the information and communication technologies usage to stimulate experiences. The goal is to develop the theoretical references around a design area identified as experience design. In order to achieve that the research methodology is based on the analysis of some design proposals, which explores issues related to the peoples behavior inside the domestic environment and to the information and communication technologies. These proposals are investigated according to principles also developed during the research.

This research focuses on the emergence of 'digital walls' that can project images onto almost all or even the entirety of interior (and perhaps exterior) walls, and what implications this might have for how we arrange our rooms. It demonstrates the arrangement, i.e., the way that domestic products are arranged physically, of rooms changes in the domestic environment in a complex scenario when using large screens. Due to the fast-growing demand for large screens, this product could potentially be available to be used by people in their home environments; however, it does not yet exist in reality at this scale. Constructing large screens can be carried out using different production methods. Here, this concept is called the digital wall, a very thin wall-sized interactive screen. The characteristics of the digital wall will vary to be able to create different scenarios. One such scenario is a space in the home where the surface of the wall is covered with screens, which allows multiple possibilities to experience and interact with digital content.  In this research, the social gathering space of homes, nowadays called the living room, is considered as a highly relevant space for installing the digital wall. In this space, the conceptual framework outlines the basic elements of the research and demonstrates the relationships between people’s interactions with the digital wall and domestic products in the domestic environment. I show two examples from design history to understand how arrangement changes impact the home environment: the transformation of the parlor to the living room, and entry of the television into the living room. These two examples are focused on the place in the home where people gather for socializing. The discussion of these examples led to the elaboration of the relationships between the elements in the conceptual framework. I explored relevant design research methodologies to bring this future scenario into the present to understand the relationships between people and the digital wall. I applied research through design and the constructive design research approaches to frame the design research methodology. In this thesis, I set up seven series of design studies in two cluster groups: Supportive studies and Main studies. All of the design studies were conducted in the Design Research Lab, the actual space for carrying out the design experiments, prototyping the digital wall, and the setting of the experiments for user participation. The Lab was fully equipped with relevant technology and allowed me to use multiple methods to collect data while people were experiencing the design study sessions. The Lab was useful as a platform to understand user experiences, barriers for interactions as well as people's experiences in a simulated space of a domestic environment.  The main contribution of this research is to understand the forms of arrangement changes when people use the digital wall in homes. The research demonstrates two significant implications that are seen in two forms of arrangements: tangible arrangement and imperceptible arrangement. These findings are useful for both designers and users of the elements of domestic contexts and the relations that can be shaped by the presence of a digital wall in home environments. This understanding may provide design guidelines in future scenarios in which the digital wall is used in homes. The findings are also beneficial for designing the domestic environment, improving the arrangement of space, and raising the requirements for designing domestic products.