In many small to mid-size nonprofits, a large amount of knowledge and information is confined to local folders, hard copy formats or even specific people, making it inaccessible to those who could benefit from it. This informal practice causes duplication of efforts and prevents the organization from maintaining critical knowledge and learning from past experience. Partnering with The Center for Victims of Violence and Crime (CVVC), a Pittsburgh-based human services nonprofit organization, I applied human-centered design methods to identify their specific informal knowledge and information processes and structures. Using the research findings, I developed a sustainable and systematic knowledge management practice that also takes into account the constraints of funding and time, which many nonprofits face. To support this practice, I created a system with a hierarchical information architecture that is able to expand overtime to accommodate the growth of the organization and its programs. It enables clear organization, storage and retrieval of explicit knowledge documents as well as the related tacit knowledge, creating the necessary basis for sharing and collaboration. By simplifying and formalizing major administrative tasks, the system also streamlines organizational processes, allowing the staff to work more effectively. Implemented with Microsoft SharePoint 2010, the system creates a trustworthy environment that is necessary to facilitate organizational learning and maintain critical knowledge, leading to sustainability and innovation.

A bachelor thesis conducted over the spring term of 2018, the final exam of the Innovation and Design Engineering program at Karlstad University. The contractor of this thesis project was Parfum Lombard AB in Svedala, Sweden, a market leading within the hairdressing equipment industry in Sweden. They provide a high level of innovation and product development to improve its assortment.   The project of this thesis will focus on the frequent used shampoo units at the hair salons in particular. The shampoo units will be analyzed from an ergonomic point of view, because the current sitting position can cause discomfort and pain for customers with neck problems. Today, neck and back pain are amongst the most common chronic pains issues, which requires further development of this type of equipment in order to make it more suited for the end-user. The chosen target group for the project are people with neck-related disabilities as the starting point for formulating the design problem and developing the solution.   The main objective of the project is to develop a concept that offers the customer a more ergonomic position, while washing the hair at the salon. By following a user-centered product development process, the problem will be addressed in the following parts: Pre-study, product specification, idea generation, concept development and finally construction in the layout design phase. The product specification forms a key part, which as a dynamic document links together both customers, clients and professionals perspective of the issue, and underlines the final concept selection.   Key findings: To improve the current washing position the sharp angle between the upper body and the head needs to be reduced. That could be solved in two ways; The backboard of the upper body leans back even further to accomplish a more recumbent position or by an additional support to the neck in order to gain a more up-right position. The last mentioned, which also represent the final concept ensures that not only the neck is supported but also the head. This means that the heavy load that the head’s own weight previously caused has now been drastically reduced.   The presented concept in the report differs from the similar existing product by its support surface. It provides a wider support area to the customer’s neck and head. With a slim design that only depends on a few centimeters of the basin´s geometry, the chances of matching as many models of shampoo units as possible increases. The developed concept are presented in both CAD- and mock-up models.

abstract: Overview: Transition from the pediatric to adult care setting for 'emerging adults' (ages 18- 26) continues to develop as a growing concern in health care. The Adolescent Transition Program teaches chronically ill 'emerging adults' disease self-management skills while promoting a healthy lifestyle. Transferring this knowledge is vital for successful health care outcomes. Unfortunately, patients who have been transferred to the adult care setting, report that they felt lost in the system due to lack of communication between care teams, inadequate support systems, and insufficient disease management knowledge. To address these gaps, the design of the physical environment must adapt to these challenges while also meeting the needs of various chronic illnesses. Methodology: Design thinking or human-centered design was utilized as the vehicle to discover unmet 'emerging adult' and adolescent health clinician needs. Ethnographic research methods involved observations at adolescent health clinics and in learning environments outside of the healthcare setting as well as interviews with 5 outpatient adolescent clinicians. A survey was also conducted with 16 'emerging adults' to understand how they learn. Lastly, a literature review explored the history of the adolescent, adolescent development, adolescence and chronic illness, and The Adolescent Transition Program. Results: Findings revealed that physical environment must be conducive to meet a variety of clinical and education activities such as chronic disease management, support adolescent development, and should be more human-centered. The space should transform to the patient education or clinical activity rather than the activity transforming to the space. Five design recommendations were suggested to ensure that the outpatient clinic supported both clinician and 'emerging adults' needs. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.D. Design 2014

The aim of this thesis is to identify innovation opportunities, which will serve to encourage individuals with inborn metabolic disorder phenylketunuria (also PKU) to comply with their strict dietary restrictions. The theoretical part of the thesis is devoted to the definition of basic concepts of innovation and techniques of Design thinking focusing on the Human-centered design approach. Futhermore the reader will find introduction into inborn metabolic disorder phenylketonuria. The practical part contains a plan of research, description of the current situation on the Czech market, outputs of research with experts, outputs of the workshop with individuals with PKU and the identification of innovation opportunities and recommendations.

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Today the building sector is focused on improving the energyefficiency in order to meet climate and financial business goals.Technical facility managers work with indoor energy use and oneaspect of their work is to optimize the facility performanceaccording to goals set by the company. Their work role involvestechnical and financial facility management, covering for absentcolleagues by acting as back-up support, as well as managing tenantrelationships. To perform their work, they must be able to accessdisparate digital tools, facility information and automatic controlsystems across various facilities.The purpose of this thesis was twofold. The first was to evaluate thepotential need of a portal that connects various systems and supportsinformation exchange among technical facility managers. The secondwas to disclose what this portal should include and from thatformulate a design solution.A contextual design approach was used to investigate the work domainof the technical facility managers through interviews andobservations. A first insight from the interviews was that technicalfacility managers had to navigate a broad range of tools, accessedfrom separate platforms. Importantly, their automatic control systemswere provided by various suppliers and accessed in disparate ways.Vital information was scattered in different systems, supportingneither daily work nor efficient retrieval of information.Additionally, much information was kept in individual records, whichmade back-up supporting more difficult. The interviews andobservations uncovered 7 user requirements that concerned 1) aholistic view, 2) easy access to automatic control system, 3)customization, 4) information creation 5) information retrieval, 6)statistics and analytics and 7) structure.

Life for a hearing-impaired person can be difficult in many ways. Having a hearing lossinvolves an increased risk of loneliness and exhaustion symptoms due to bad hearing. Not being able to hear everything, while talking with colleagues and eventually missing the punch line of a joke can lead to the feeling of social exclusion and not fitting in.The only thing that helps to restore the hearing of a hearing impaired is through hearing aids. But in many cases, even hearing aids do not help to cope with everyday life and in most cases, additional aids are needed. But does today's market for hearing aids solve the problems and needs of the user? How will a product work and look like to improve the life of a hearing-impaired?This project was about understanding how the hearing disorder affects daily life andidentifying the problems and needs of a hearing-impaired person.The project is based on a general design process and includes background studies on hearing impairment, questionnaire studies, interviews with the hearing impaired, market research, creative methods and analyses, and evaluation methods of ideas and concepts.The goal was to create a product that improves the everyday life of a hearing-impaired person.

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No description available.

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) plays a vital role in restoring grasslands by removing highly erodible land from production; however, landscape-scale conservation success depends on participation. Fluctuating trends in participation suggest a need to better understand landowners' motivations for enrolling. Since participation hinges on agricultural producers' perceptions of programs, there is utility in understanding programs through their lens to ensure program design accounts for their needs. To understand what drives enrollment, I conducted immersive ethnographic fieldwork in farming and ranching communities of southwest Kansas and southeast Colorado. Through interviews and participant observation, I examined producers' reasons for participating, program perceptions, and the degree to which CRP fits with their lived experiences. I also explored challenges faced by field staff of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in working within the program structure. I used open coding to identify common themes and quotes to capture producers' and field staff's points of view. I identified several frames through which producers think about CRP and themes related to how CRP fit well or poorly with producers' and field staff's lives. Frames characterized producer perceptions of CRP as a financial savior, a way to maintain financial solvency, and to gain leverage for their operation. Additionally, CRP was framed as a retirement fund and a conservation program that provides a solution for erodible land. Lived experiences related to wind erosion and the Dust Bowl, perceived community impacts of CRP, and the cultural and economic history of the region, also influenced how producers make sense of and 'frame' the program. Guaranteed payments to maintain cover incentivize participation, especially for land which some producers believe should have never been farmed, or 'broke out', in the first place. Even so, the economic and cultural aspiration to farm may prompt program avoidance or re-cultivation of prior CRP land. In identifying program fit, many felt the program serves a noble purpose but is complicated by rules which lack 'common sense'. While producers valued the program's role in soil stabilization and increased wildlife habitat, CRP requirements during the grass establishment phase and mid-contract management do not always align with producer and field staff visions. Mixed opinions existed around suitable grass species and management practices such as disking, interseeding, and grazing. A dominant theme emerged from producers, echoed by field staff, in the benefits of grazing and need for CRP to increase flexibility to maximize grazing compatibility. Broader program concerns included a shifting program focus, inconsistent enforcement of rules, and one-size-fits-all management. Personal relationships between FSA, NRCS, and producers were generally regarded as positive, and staff members value their role in working with producers to harmonize program requirements with producer needs, within the bounds of the program. Juggling various programs with limited time and other procedural issues leave many field staff feeling overwhelmed and understaffed. Field staff expressed a desire for greater one-on-one time with producers to better communicate program requirements or amend management plans. Both producers and field staff felt CRP could be enhanced to achieve a greater conservation benefit, alleviate staff burdens, and improve overall satisfaction if program rules had both greater flexibility and regional tailoring to correlate with the variable climate and local conditions. In exploring CRP 'frames' and 'fit', this case study provides a window into the interplay of producers' lived experiences in the shadow of the Dust Bowl, and a ubiquitous conservation program's impact on the way land is used. / Master of Science