<p>User onboarding for Graphical User Interface (GUI) applications usually involve walkthrough tutorials explaining various UI elements, functions, and navigation screens. These First-time User Experiences (FTUEs) are crucial in determining any subsequent user interaction. The purpose of this study has been explored by eliciting answers to two research questions in specific. The study primarily investigates a user's perception of a tailored onboarding experience. Following this, the impact of these tutorials on the user's performance has also been used as a way to verify their effectiveness.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The emergence of educational crowdsourcing platforms has revolutionized traditional models of teaching and learning by engaging students in collaborative, real-world problem-solving activities. However, the success of crowdsourcing platforms in education largely depends on their ability to provide a positive and engaging user experience, particularly for first-time users. As a part of another ongoing study, the need for an engaging onboarding tutorial to educate users on the concept of worked-out examples and peer evaluations was evident. Thus, the interventions developed in this study are built upon a crowdsourcing platform designed to collect worked-out examples from university students. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, this study seeks to provide insights into the design of effective onboarding tutorials in the context of crowdsourcing educational resources. There have been numerous attempts to devise effective onboarding strategies. For instance, the interplay of narration and animation has been utilized as a way to gamify and design engaging FTUEs. The design choices for tailoring the experience were hence determined through Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation (RITE) methods. Analysis of the experimental data shows that there is a statistically significant improvement in the FTUE when users are presented with a tailored onboarding tutorial. Their usage patterns also tend to improve post their interactions with the tutorials. These results hope to contribute to a better understanding of user engagement in FTUEs, thus paving the way for furthering product adoption and value metrics on a broad scale.</p>

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<p>Platforms are now everywhere in our society. Some platforms share real-time information such that people can refer to many aspects, i.e., transportation, weather, news, etc. For example, online learning platforms can play a significant role in accelerating learning through things like providing more real-time feedback loops. Due to the recent innovation in mobile devices as well as faster networks, live streaming platforms become a new trend. Several usages of live streaming platforms are gaming experience sharing such as Twitch, or shopping experience like Amazon Live. My dissertation studies the strategic designs of different online platforms, especially how information affects users’ strategic behaviors and how it creates<br> different market outcomes.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Recent advancements in large language models such as ChatGPT and AU Large allow for the effective integration and application of LLMs into network devices such as switches and routers in terms of the ability to play a role in configuration and management. The given devices are an essential part of every network infrastructure, and the nature of physical networking topologies is complex, which leads to the need to ensure optimal network efficiency and security via meticulous and precise configurations.</p><p dir="ltr">The research explores the potential of an AI-driven interface that utilizes AU Large to streamline, enhance, and automate the configuration process of network devices while ensuring that the security of the whole process is guaranteed by running the entire system on-premise. Three core areas are of primary concern in the given study: the effectiveness of integrating the AU Large into network management systems, the impact on efficiency, accuracy, and error rates in network configurations, and the scalability and adaptability to more complex requirements and growing network environments.</p><p dir="ltr">The key performance metrics evaluated are the error rate in the generated configurations, scalability by looking at the performance as more network devices are added, and the ability to generate incredibly complex configurations accurately. The high-level results of the critical performance metrics show an evident correlation between increased device count and increased prompt complexity with a degradation in the performance of the AU Large model from Mistral AI.</p><p dir="ltr">This research has significant potential to alter preset network management practices by applying AI to make network configuration more efficient, reduce the scope for human error, and create an adaptable tool for diverse and complex networking environments. This research contributes to both AI and network management fields by highlighting a path toward the “future of network management.”</p>

[pt] Os pontos de venda (PDV) de empresas de moda compreendem dimensões que se ampliam para além da venda de produtos ou das características do espaço físico. A presente pesquisa reafirma a dimensão social desses ambientes e ressalta que neles configura-se um tipo de experiência, de caráter tanto individual quanto social, também relacionada com a dimensão emocional e simbólica, dada pela construção/expressão de significados que se apresenta nas relações de valor dos indivíduos com as marcas em nossa sociedade industrial-capitalistacontemporânea. Soma-se ainda, a esse complexo contexto, o caráter interdisciplinar do Design do PDV (Saddi, 2008) identificado pelas interfaces entre um conjunto de projetos de várias áreas de conhecimento, tais como: design, arquitetura, publicidade, branding e marketing. O objeto da atual pesquisa consiste nas articulações e novos conhecimentos gerados no contexto interdisciplinar dos projetos para PDV, identificados em projetos para flagship stores, concept stores e pop-up stores de marcas de varejo de moda. Através de nossa pesquisa qualitativa, realizada por meio de entrevistas com especialistas e observações diretas, além da pesquisa bibliográfica e documental identificamos nesse contexto a presença de novos conhecimentos e práticas, tanto para o design quanto para a arquitetura que, por sua vez, apontam para a formação de uma nova área de conhecimento e especialização neste campo. / [en] Points of purchase (POP) for fashion companies comprise dimensions that extend beyond the sale of products or the characteristics of the physical space. This research reaffirms the social dimension of these environments and emphasizes that on them is configured a kind of experience, both individual and social character, also related to the emotional and symbolic dimensions, given by the construction/expression of meanings that appears in the value relations of individuals with the brands in our contemporary-capitalist-industrial-society. In this complex context, is added: the interdisciplinary character of the POP Design identified by the interfaces between a set of projects in various areas of knowledge, such as design, architecture, advertising, branding, management and marketing. The object of this research are the joints and new knowledge generated in the interdisciplinary context of projects for POP, identified in flagship stores, concept stores and pop-up stores for fashion retail brands. Through our qualitativeresearch, conducted by interviews with experts and direct observations, in addition to literature and documents, we identified that this context demonstrates the presence of new knowledge and practices, both for design and for the architecture, which indicates the formation of a new area of knowledge and expertise in this field.

Ce projet de recherche vise à explorer le rôle du design dans l’acte d’achat et l’évaluation des produits. L’hypothèse de recherche repose sur le fait que le design est un obstacle à la rationalité dans le choix d’un bien, car ce dernier est rattaché à des singularités qui lui sont propres, le rendant difficilement comparable aux autres biens d’un même marché. Les produits deviennent difficiles à évaluer et à classer parmi les autres biens similaires dans le marché. En soi, la finalité et les vertus du design permettent aux consommateurs d’avoir une plus grande liberté de choix, mais ce rôle dynamique et économique que peut prendre le design peut aussi confondre les consommateurs devenant brouillés par l’abondance de choix. En ce sens, le design serait la clé de la voûte d’une économie des singularités telle que proposée par Lucien Karpik dans L’économie des singularités. Avec une méthodologie ethnologique, cinq projets d’évaluation de produits au sein de deux organismes produisant des dispositifs d’aide à la consommation ont été observés sur une période de deux ans. À la conclusion de cette étude, il a été démontré que certaines améliorations pouvaient être apportées aux processus d’évaluation, plus particulièrement en ce qui concerne les facteurs qui ne sont pas pris en compte dans les dispositifs d’aide à la consommation actuels, comme l’évaluation de produits centrée sur l’usager à l’aide de scénarios d’usages, plutôt que l’évaluation de produits centrée sur l’objet, ainsi que la considération de l’expérience de l’usager dans l’évaluation des biens. / This research project aims at exploring the role of design within the act of purchasing and rating products. This premise is based on the fact that design is an obstacle to an individual’s rationality when choosing goods because they are multidimensional and of uncertain quality, as proposed by Lucien Karpik. This creates a difficulty faced by consumers when trying to find comparable products on the market. The research hypothesis of this project suggests that design is an obstacle to reason by offering multidimensional products to consumers. It then becomes harder for them to evaluate singular products available on the market, and to make wise consumption choices. One of the aims of design is to offer users freedom of choice, but this dynamic and economic role of design can also lead to confusion, where consumers become blinded by the abundance of choices. In this sense, design would be the keystone of a singularity-based economy. Five product rating projects were observed on a two-year period within two agencies involved in producing consumption aid devices by using an ethnological approach. The conclusion of this study has shown that some improvements could be made to the product rating processes, particularly for the facts that have not been accounted for in the actual consumption aid devices, such as user-centered product ratings based on user scenarios instead of object-centered product ratings, as well as considering user experience in product evaluation.

隨著文化創意產業的興起，傳統的宗教信仰如何結合數位互動科技，以輔助參與者加深對宗教信仰文化的理解與體驗，是數位內容產業值得研究的議題。月下老人是華人傳統信仰中的姻緣之神。本研究因此將針對月老文化內容，設計一多人互動體驗情境，以探究月老文化內容以傳統和數位化的形式呈現，對參與者體驗感受的影響程度。 在設計研究方法上，包括創作概念發想以及互動裝置雛型實作兩部分。首先透過文獻探討，歸納出互動體驗設計原則，接著針對月老文化進行數位化設計與互動體驗流程設計，並以Unity 3D遊戲引擎結合Kinect體感科技與Android系統平台，實作一數位化月老文化互動體驗情境，以兩大體驗主題：數位化月老之參拜體驗與體感互動之繡球牽線等情境，以呈現月老文化創意設計概念。 針對參與者對月老文化內容的理解程度與體驗感受，進行問卷與訪談分析後發現，本研究設計之互動體驗情境能有效提昇參與者對文化內容起源與意義的理解。再以Schmitt 提出之策略體驗模組（Strategic Experiential Modules, SEMs）進行分析，發現此體驗情境皆有助於提昇參與者於感官、情感、思考、行動、關聯體驗的感受程度與認同感，進而創造深刻的互動體驗感受。最後，期望此互動體驗情境的設計過程與雛形的實作經驗，能轉移到同性質的文化體驗情境設計的應用上，並提供建議給後續研究做參考。 / With the advent of the cultural and creative industry, it is worth to investigate the integration of traditional religious culture with the interactive technology to improve the participants' understanding of culture. The Matchmaker, the old man of the moonlight, is the god of marriage and love in Chinese traditional religious culture. In the thesis, the design of a multiplayer interactive experiential environment for the integration of the Matchmaker culture with the interactive technology is investigated and developed to improve the participants’ experience. For the design methodology, the creative concept design is performed and the interactive device prototyping is implemented. We draw out the related interaction design principles and used Unity 3D game engine along with the Kinect somatosensory Technology and Android platform to implement the Matchmaker interactive environment. Two themes of the developed environment are the digital prayer experience of the Matchmaker and the interactive embroidered ball throwing. To evaluation the user experience of the developed environment, the questionnaire analysis and interviews are performed based on the Schmitt’s strategic experiential modules. The result showed that the developed environment can enhance the participants' understanding of the culture of the Matchmaker and improve participants’ perception and recognition towards the experience of sensing, feeling, thinking, acting and relating.

Creating immersive experiences for virtual reality (VR) presents new design opportunities and challenges that do not appear when creating experiences on a screen. Creating prototypes and exploring concepts in VR is today limited to professionals with previous knowledge in 3D application development, and testing 3D experiences requires the usage of an Head-Mounted Display (HMD), which forces professionals to switch medium from the computer to an HMD. With new advances in this field, there have to be new solutions to these challenges. The goal of this thesis is to explore how VR technology can be utilized in the experience design process for VR. This is achieved through a literature study and conducting expert interviews, followed by a hardware evaluation of different HMDs and concept creation using rapid prototyping. From the interviews, a number of issues could be identified that correlates with the research from the literature study. Based on these findings, two phases were identified as suitable for further improvements; Concept prototyping and testing/tweaking of a created experience. Lo-fi and hi-fi prototypes of a virtual design tool were developed for HTC Vive and Google Daydream, which were selected based on the hardware evaluation. The prototypes are designed and developed, then tested using a Wizard of Oz approach. The purpose of the prototypes is to solve some of the issues when designing immersive experiences for HMDs in the suitable experience design phases that were identified by analyzing the interview results. An interactive testing suite for HTC Vive was developed for testing and evaluation of the final prototype, to verify the validity of the concept. Using Virtual Reality as a medium for designing virtual experiences is a promising way of solving current issues within this technological field that are identified in this thesis. Tools for object creation and manipulation will aid professionals when exploring new concepts as well as editing and testing existing immersive experiences. Furthermore, using a Wizard of Oz approach to test VR prototypes significantly improves the prototype quality without compromising the user experience in this medium.

Målet med detta praktiska examensarbete var att ta fram ett färdigt förslag på en ny startsida åt en idrottsorganisation för dess webbplats byggd på WordPress. Detta har åstadkommits genom att ha analyserat den befintliga startsidan samt fyra utomstående idrottsorganisationers webbplatsers startsidor. Analysen resulterade i en Low-Fidelity Wireframe över flödet på den nya startsidan, samt en hårdkodad High-Fidelity Prototyp. Det hela mynnade ut i ett WordPress Child-tema till idrottsorganisationens webbplats befintliga Parent-tema som var väl anpassad efter idrottsorganisationens önskemål och krav, samt byggd med responsivitet i åtanke för att möta den växande skara besökare på mobila enheter. / The goal with this practical thesis was to develop a finished proposal of a new home page to a sport organization for its website built on WordPress. This has been achieved by analyzing the existing home page, as well as the home page of four external sports organization’s websites. The analysis resulted in a Low-Fidelity Wireframe showing the main flow of the new home page, as well as a hard coded High-Fidelity Prototype. It all resulted in a WordPress Child-theme to the existing Parent-theme for the sport organization’s website that was well adapted to the organization’s wishes and demands, and built with responsive web design in mind to meet the growing group of visitors on mobile devices.