Despite the influential impact of knowledge transfer in success of industrial domains, organizations still struggle to manage and maintain their experts’ knowledge and expertise. In this work, I target remote support engineers, and propose a model that supports them in capturing, visualizing, validating and sharing their knowledge in a way that is easily replicable in the future as well providing the means to access the right expert with the required expertise in case of shortage on documented knowledge. Based on field studies conducted, I identified remote support engineers’ needs for exchanging their knowledge and experiences gained during troubleshooting tasks. The design of the model was achieved by combining the theories of knowledge acquisition and applying HCI visualization tools. Finally, I conducted a participatory evaluation with experts from industrial sites to evaluate the model. The results of the evaluation indicate positive feedback towards the model presented and potential for improving the efficiency of troubleshooting procedures.

I dagens samhälle finns en allmänt negativ inställning till klimakteriet som grundar sig i genusnormer. Majoriteten av de metoder som finns för att behandla klimakteriebesvär är medicinska och de personer som av olika anledningar inte använder dem lämnas utan alternativ.Den här studien undersökte hur produktdesign kan användas för att underlätta klimakteriebesvär och samtidigt synliggöra klimakteriet. Syftet var att synliggöra klimakteriet och genom det bidra till en positiv inställning till det. Det konkreta målet var att ta fram ett förslag på en produkt som i största möjliga mån uppnår syftet. Studien vilar på en teoretisk grund av genusvetenskap, historisk syn på gynekologin och kvinnosyn, normkritik, normkreativitet samt normkreativ- och användarcentrerad design. Den empiriska insamlingen bestod huvudsakligen av intervjuer och diskussioner med representanter för målgruppen (personer med klimakteriebesvär) samt undersökningar av den befintliga marknaden för klimakterieprodukter och varför den ser ut som den gör.Studiens slutsats visar att en produkt som ska kunna underlätta klimakteriebesvär och samtidigt synliggöra klimakteriet måste uppfylla tre kriterier; underlätta besvären rent praktiskt, vara uppseendeväckande samt vara något som målgruppen är bekväm med att använda bland folk. Den produkt som har tagits fram i den här studien ses enbart som ett av många möjliga lösningsförslag då det inte finns ett korrekt svar på hur en klimakterieprodukt kan se ut eller fungera. Genom att se bortom de normer som vanligtvis styr hur klimakteriebesvär behandlas går det att ta fram nya innovativa alternativ. / Due to gender norms, the general attitude towards menopause in today’s society is negative. The majority of available methods to ease menopause symptoms are medical alternatives and the ones who choose not to use those, for different reasons, are left without an option.This study examined how product design can be used to ease menopausal related problems and contribute to put focus on menopause. The purpose was to make menopause more visible and by that contribute to a positive attitude towards it. The overarching goal was to develop a proposal for a product achieving that. The study relies on a theoretical foundation of gender studies, a historical view of gynecology and perception of women, norm criticism, norm creativity, norm creative design and human-centered design. The empirical evidence consisted mainly of interviews and discussions with representatives from the target group (people with menopausal related problems) and market research of existing menopausal products.The conclusion of the study shows that for making it possible for a product to both ease menopausal problems and make menopause more visible it needs to fulfil three criteria; in a way practically ease the symptoms, be eye-catching and be something the target group are comfortable using around other people. The product that has been developed in this study is only to be considered as one of many possible solutions since there is no correct answer to how a menopausal product should look or function. By moving beyond the norms, that usually control how menopausal problems are treated, it is possible to develop new and innovative alternatives.

The project was carried out as a master’s thesis at Royal Institute of Technology, in collaboration withthe kitchen designer Lucks by Robo in Stockholm, Sweden. The purpose of this project was to analyze new demands on office furniture due to hybrid work & homeworking, a result of the covid-19 pandemic. The project was also to apply findings in some type of furniture for the home. Using a human-centered design process the project was to answer the following research questions; (1) What may the future of homeworking look like? (2) What are some common challenges people have when integrating part of their office into their homes and what furniture related needs or desires have emerged? and (3) What are some new characteristics needed to consider when designing furniture for the home office and how can they be applied in the product design? The project carried out a literature study of the hybrid work structure and its future, an extensive userstudy and a brand identity analysis. The project resulted in four main insights where one of the most crucial was the product system needed for an optimal home working environment. Five different groups who represent different levels of needs were identified. Application of the findings were also made through the product development of a piece of furniture for the work environment in the home in a Scandinavian and contemporary style. With a product focus, a height adjustable table was designed to fulfil the identified, functional and aesthetic needs and characteristics for the home office. The product was adapted for the manufacturing and production of Lucks. This resulted in a height adjustable table made of HDF, using four gas springs for the height adjustable mechanism. / Projekt är ett master examensarbete utfört på KTH, Kungliga Teknisk Högskolan, i samarbete med köksföretaget Lucks by Robo, i Stockholm Sverige. Syftet med projektet är att analysera nya krav som ställs på möbelmarknad i samband med den hybrida arbetsstrukturen, mer specifikt den kraftiga ökningen av hemarbete som påverkats av covid-19 pandemin. Arbetet ska också applicera resultat i form av en möbel anpassat för hemarbetet. Med en människocentrerad designprocess skall projektet besvara följande forskningsfrågor; (1) Hur ser framtiden för hemarbete ut? (2) Vilka utmaningar uppstår då hemmet omvandlas till ett deltids kontor för hemarbetet och vilka möbelrelaterade behov och krav uppstår i samband med detta? och (3) Hur kan dessa krav och behov appliceras på en möbel för hemarbetet?Projektet utförde en litteraturstudie kring den hybrida arbetsstrukturen och dess framtid, en omfattande användarstudie och en analys av varumärkets identitet. Projektet resultera i fyra insikter, där en av de viktigaste var behovet av ett produktsystem för att optimera ett hemmakontor. Fem olika behovsgrupper av olika magnitud identifierades. Projektet applicerade även resultatet i ett produktutvecklingsarbete kring möbler för hemarbete. Detta resultera i ett produktfokus på ett höj och sänkbart bord designad föratt uppfylla identifierade krav som berörde både funktion och estetik för ett hemmakontor. Bordet är anpassad till Lucks by Robo’s produktion och tillverkning. Detta resultera i ett höj och sänkbartbord i HDF som använder sig av fyra gasfjädrar för dess höj och sänkbara funktion.

This thesis examines the presence of ergonomics in the design process at IKEA of Sweden. It also attempts to describe how IKEA of Sweden can implement more ergonomics in their development process of new products. The study is based on interviews with employees at IKEA of Sweden and with an employee at the design bureau Veryday.  The thesis also includes a design process that has been conducted using a given brief by IKEA of Sweden with a predetermined way of production. The purpose of the design process should have an overall ergonomic perspective. The interviews were analysed using the theory presented which includes the perception and fallacies of ergonomics, anthropometrics and universal design. The result shows that ergonomic aspects are not included in a structured way common for all areas when developing products at IKEA of Sweden. The study also points to a need of information about ergonomics, like a guideline. Access to an expert as an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist would also improve the design process. The analysis of the design process and the products Höghult shows the importance of preparation in the design process using functional analysis, specifications and analysis of the way of production. To proceed with the implementation of the overall ergonomic perspective in the design process, it is important to test and evaluate the prototype using an expert and a test panel representing the potential customers. / Den här uppsatsen undersöker förekomsten av ergonomi i designprocessen på IKEA of Sweden. Den försöker även beskriva hur IKEA of Sweden kan föra in mer ergonomi i deras arbete med att ta fram nya produkter. Studien är baserad på intervjuer av medarbetare på IKEA of Sweden samt av företrädare för designbyrån Veryday. Parallellt med intervjustudien genomfördes en designprocess efter given brief av IKEA of Sweden med angivet produktionssätt där processen ska ha ett övergripande ergonomiskt perspektiv. Intervjuerna analyserades utifrån den teori som presenterats om bland annat föreställningar om ergonomi, antropometri och universell design. Resultatet visar att det inte finns ett strukturerat arbetssätt för ergonomiska frågeställningar gällande produktutveckling på IKEA of Sweden. Studien visar också på att det finns behov av information om ergonomi som t ex en guideline. Att ha tillgång till en expert, såsom t ex en arbetsterapeut eller fysioterapeut, skulle också berika designprocessen. Analysen av designprocessen och produkterna Höghult visar betydelsen av att noga förbereda designprocessen med hjälp av funktionsanalys, kravspecifikation samt analys av produktionssättet. För att komma vidare med implementeringen av det övergripande ergonomiska perspektivet i designprocessen är det viktigt att testa och utvärdera prototypen med hjälp av exempelvis en expert samt en testgrupp som representerar kundgruppen.

String trimmers or weed cutter or strimmer is one of the inevitable tool for a professional gardener. They are helping gardeners for maintaining the lawn and farmland. These machines have been used by human for a quite long time. Professionals normally uses the bike handle type string trimmer and the amateurs who has small gardens normally uses loop handle one. The bike handle models are more powerful and gives more comfort for long time working. While performing the trimming process users are using the handles to steer and control the machine. Handle is the main touch point of the machine and it needs to provide enough comfort and assist the functions.Cramer, a German garden tools brand owned by The Globe Group, is focusing on researching and developing Garden power tools for amateurs as well as professional users. For them it is important to satisfy the customer and improve the user experience of their products.This project is focused only on the handle of the string trimmer to improve the overall user experience. This project mainly deals with the ergonomic aspects of the handle for a larger percentile of population. It is very important to make a handle were the professional users are going to use longer period of time. Along with the comfort this project put stress on increase the user experience by giving modern, friendly and premium expression visually as well as physically. Even though the project is to develop a handle concept, it needs to go along with the overall brand language.

Esta investigação tem o objetivo de apresentar as contribuições do Design Thinking para concepção de interfaces de Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVA) centradas nas necessidades e expectativas do usuário. A literatura aponta que o Design Thinking utiliza a sensibilidade e os métodos dos designers para catalisar a colaboração, a criatividade e a busca por soluções inovadoras pela observação empática e a partir da prototipagem rápida, com análise de diferentes realidades. Assim, partiu-se do pressuposto que a adoção do Design Thinking poderia contribuir para a concepção de interfaces de AVA centradas em fatores humanos, mas que também atendessem a demandas educacionais dos sujeitos envolvidos no ensino e na aprendizagem do Curso de Licenciatura em Ciências (CLC) da Universidade de São Paulo/Universidade Virtual do Estado de São Paulo. A pesquisa, de abordagem qualitativa, foi realizada com 21 estudantes, duas professoras e 16 tutores que participaram de Grupos Focais e entrevistas para discutir, propor soluções e melhorias para as interfaces do AVA do CLC. Pela compreensão de suas necessidades, criou-se um protótipo composto por interfaces alternativas para o AVA investigado. O protótipo foi apresentado para os participantes da investigação que deram novas sugestões para aperfeiçoá-lo. Tais sugestões subsidiaram a elaboração de um segundo protótipo, cujas interfaces foram consideradas inovadoras e de implementação viável por especialistas entrevistados que o avaliaram. Os resultados deste estudo demonstraram que a adoção do Design Thinking apresentou relevantes contribuições para a concepção de interfaces de AVA, tendo em vista que o processo, plano de pensamento (mindsets), métodos e ferramentas da abordagem levaram à criação de interfaces de AVA que atendem às necessidades e expectativas dos seres humanos envolvidos no processo educacional do CLC no que tange à proposta de usabilidade, design gráfico, organização dos conteúdos, ferramentas pedagógicas, de interação/comunicação e de gestão. / This research aims to present Design Thinking contributions for the design and development of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) interfaces focused on users needs and expectations. Literature suggests that Design Thinking uses the sensitivity and methods of designers for catalyzing collaboration, creativity and the search for innovative solutions through empathic observation, rapid prototyping and analysis on different realities. This study was based on the premise that the adoption of Design Thinking could contribute to the design and development of VLE interfaces centered on human factors, and would also meet the educational needs of those involved in teaching and learning at the undergraduate Teaching Science program (Curso de Licenciatura em Ciências - CLC), offered by the University of São Paulo / Virtual University of São Paulo. The research adopted a qualitative approach, and was carried out with 21 students, two teachers and 16 tutors who took part in focal groups and interviews to discuss, propose solutions and improvements to the programs VLE interfaces. Understanding the participants needs led to the creation of a prototype consisting of alternative interfaces for VLE. The research participants were presented to the prototype and offered suggestions to improve it. Such suggestions supported the development of a second prototype, whose interfaces were considered innovative and feasible for implementation by the experts interviewed. This studys results have shown that the adoption of Design Thinking presented outstanding contributions to the design and development of VLE interfaces, given that the approachs process, mindsets, methods and tools led to the creation of interfaces that meet the needs and expectations of people involved in the educational process at the CLC program in regards to the interfaces usage proposal, graphic design, content organization, educational, interaction/communication and management tools.

Cette thèse en Cognitique se focalise sur la « Conception Centrée sur l'Humain » (Human Centred Design) de futures assistances à la conduite automobile, adaptées aux conducteurs âgés (ou Elderly Adapted Driver Assistance Systems).Pour ce faire, la démarche proposée repose sur une approche et une méthodologie pluridisciplinaire. Sur le plan ergonomique, il s'agit de mieux connaître les spécificitésde la population des conducteurs âgés, dans le but d'identifier des difficultés et des besoins en assistance. A cette fin, 76 conducteurs âgés (de 70 à 87 ans) ont conduitun véhicule instrumenté, immergé dans le trafic. Le corpus de données comporte2100 kilomètres de conduite et 1400 situations de conduite autoévaluées par lesconducteurs, complétés par 6 Focus Group (30 conducteurs âgés).Le second volet, relevant d'une démarche d'Ingénierie Cognitive, vise à concevoir et développer des fonctions de « monitorage » à partir du corpus de données. L'objectif est de disposer de modèles et de fonctions d'analyse temps-réel capables (1) de superviser l'activité de conduite des conducteurs âgés (2) en regard du contexte ou des risques situationnels, afin de (3) diagnostiquer des difficultés ou erreurs de conduite, à des fins d’adaptativité des assistances. Des fonctions de monitorage en lien avec les contrôles de base du véhicule (gestion de la vitesse, positionnement dans la voie et la gestion de l'espace inter-véhiculaire avant) sont développées. Sur cette base, des fonctions de monitorage plus intégrées pour l'aide aux franchissements d'intersections (Tourne-à-Gauche) et l'assistance à l'insertion sur voies rapides (et au changement de voie) sont également proposées. / This thesis in Cognitics presents a Human Centered Design approach for thedevelopment of future driving assistance systems dedicated to elderly drivers orElderly Adapted Driver Assistance Systems (E-ADAS).To do so, this work relies on a multi-disciplinary approach for data collection andanalysis. Regarding Ergonomics, the aim is to better understand the specificrequirements of this population in order to identify their actual difficulties and actualneeds of assistance. In this frame, 76 drivers (aged from 70 to 87 years old) took partto an on-the-road experiment, driving an instrumented car. The dataset includes2100 km of ecological driving data and 1400 auto-evaluated driving situations,completed by 6 Focus Groups (involving 30 elderly drivers).The second part of this research, relying on Cognitive Engineering, explores thedesign and implementation of monitoring functions based on the aforementioneddataset. The objective is to have real-time models and analytical functions, able to:(1) supervise the driving activity as realized by an elderly driver, (2) taking in toconsideration the driving context or situational risks (3) in order to detect difficulties ordriving errors. Beyond this thesis, these diagnostics will have to be integrated inassistive systems to better adapt their support to the specific needs of elderly drivers.Specific monitoring functions related to basic vehicle control (speed management,lane positioning and headway regulation) are presented. Based on these results,integrated monitoring functions for intersection crossings in Left-Turn manoeuver,highway merging assistance, and, more broadly, lane change assistance areintroduced.

Mobile e-commerce is an increasing trend. Still, many sales sites are not adapted to mobile interfaces. Important factors in the design of successful e-commerce applications are trust, high quality graphics, and easy navigation. However, a typical design approach is to strip down functionality and this can have a negative impact on the user experience. The goal of this thesis was to create a style guide that can be used to develop responsive e-commerce sites through a mobile first implementation strategy. A style guide was created by applying modern design theory and by investigating existing e-commerce solutions. Moreover, a prototype of an e- commerce solution was developed using the style guide. This prototype was evaluated by an expert group of usability professionals. The study indicates that the style guide is a useful and effective tool in the design and development of e-commerce systems. We conclude that a mobile first strategy needs to be combined with subsequent traditional desktop design.

Esta investigação tem o objetivo de apresentar as contribuições do Design Thinking para concepção de interfaces de Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVA) centradas nas necessidades e expectativas do usuário. A literatura aponta que o Design Thinking utiliza a sensibilidade e os métodos dos designers para catalisar a colaboração, a criatividade e a busca por soluções inovadoras pela observação empática e a partir da prototipagem rápida, com análise de diferentes realidades. Assim, partiu-se do pressuposto que a adoção do Design Thinking poderia contribuir para a concepção de interfaces de AVA centradas em fatores humanos, mas que também atendessem a demandas educacionais dos sujeitos envolvidos no ensino e na aprendizagem do Curso de Licenciatura em Ciências (CLC) da Universidade de São Paulo/Universidade Virtual do Estado de São Paulo. A pesquisa, de abordagem qualitativa, foi realizada com 21 estudantes, duas professoras e 16 tutores que participaram de Grupos Focais e entrevistas para discutir, propor soluções e melhorias para as interfaces do AVA do CLC. Pela compreensão de suas necessidades, criou-se um protótipo composto por interfaces alternativas para o AVA investigado. O protótipo foi apresentado para os participantes da investigação que deram novas sugestões para aperfeiçoá-lo. Tais sugestões subsidiaram a elaboração de um segundo protótipo, cujas interfaces foram consideradas inovadoras e de implementação viável por especialistas entrevistados que o avaliaram. Os resultados deste estudo demonstraram que a adoção do Design Thinking apresentou relevantes contribuições para a concepção de interfaces de AVA, tendo em vista que o processo, plano de pensamento (mindsets), métodos e ferramentas da abordagem levaram à criação de interfaces de AVA que atendem às necessidades e expectativas dos seres humanos envolvidos no processo educacional do CLC no que tange à proposta de usabilidade, design gráfico, organização dos conteúdos, ferramentas pedagógicas, de interação/comunicação e de gestão. / This research aims to present Design Thinking contributions for the design and development of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) interfaces focused on users needs and expectations. Literature suggests that Design Thinking uses the sensitivity and methods of designers for catalyzing collaboration, creativity and the search for innovative solutions through empathic observation, rapid prototyping and analysis on different realities. This study was based on the premise that the adoption of Design Thinking could contribute to the design and development of VLE interfaces centered on human factors, and would also meet the educational needs of those involved in teaching and learning at the undergraduate Teaching Science program (Curso de Licenciatura em Ciências - CLC), offered by the University of São Paulo / Virtual University of São Paulo. The research adopted a qualitative approach, and was carried out with 21 students, two teachers and 16 tutors who took part in focal groups and interviews to discuss, propose solutions and improvements to the programs VLE interfaces. Understanding the participants needs led to the creation of a prototype consisting of alternative interfaces for VLE. The research participants were presented to the prototype and offered suggestions to improve it. Such suggestions supported the development of a second prototype, whose interfaces were considered innovative and feasible for implementation by the experts interviewed. This studys results have shown that the adoption of Design Thinking presented outstanding contributions to the design and development of VLE interfaces, given that the approachs process, mindsets, methods and tools led to the creation of interfaces that meet the needs and expectations of people involved in the educational process at the CLC program in regards to the interfaces usage proposal, graphic design, content organization, educational, interaction/communication and management tools.

The aim of this thesis is to define the concept of the career opportunity map. This map shows first-year students at economic universities the real functions at selected positions in companies. Profiles positions should also point out where management skills are applied in practise. The theoretical part of the thesis is devoted to the definition of basic concepts and techniques of Design Thinking. The next step is to outline methods that are used in the practical part. Likewise, the reader will find here the selected management approach by various authors. The practical part presents a plan of research, outputs of research with experts, outputs of the workshop with the students and the samples of profile jobs. Result of this work will define specific forms of the concept and recommendations for future extension.