Waterworks typically refer to a system or facility for supplying, storing, and treating water. It encompasses the infrastructure and machinery used to collect, purify, and 
distribute water to homes, businesses, and other users. The term can also mean starting to cry, especially to gain sympathy or attention. Additionally, it can refer to the organs of the body through which urine is passed. The climate crisis presents significant challenges to water filtration. Extreme weather events can contaminate sources. Harmful algal blooms, saltwater intrusion and toxins further complicate filtration. We might have to rethink how we take clean tap water for granted. This home water filtration unit that via acoustics filters the water, reimagines our relationship to drinking water and the habits around it, and the new behaviors and rituals that would emerge from this new normal. / Waterworks avser vanligtvis ett system eller en anläggning för att tillhandahålla, lagra och behandla vatten. Det omfattar infrastrukturen och tekniken som används för att samla in, rena och distribuera vatten till hem, företag och andra användare. Termen kan också betyda att börja gråta, särskilt för att få sympati eller uppmärksamhet. Dessutom kan det referera till kroppens organ genom vilka urin passerar. Klimatkrisen innebär betydande utmaningar för vattenfiltrering. Extrema väderhändelser kan förorena dricksvattentäkter. Skadlig algblomning, saltvattenintrång och gifter försvårar filtreringen ytterligare. Vi kanske måste tänka om kring hur vi idag tar rent kranvatten för givet. Denna filtreringsenhet, som via akustik filtrerar vattnet, belyser vårt förhållande till dricksvatten och de nya beteenden och ritualer som skulle uppstå ur en ny klimatmässig normalsituation.

Syftet med denna masteruppsats var att undersöka skillnaden i Game User Experience Satisfaction (GUESS) vid användning av SimProv, både i VR (Oculus Rift) och på skärm. SimProv är en spelliknande klassrumssimulation. Studien avsåg även finna potentiella problem som användaren kunde stöta på under testsessionen. För att kunna undersöka och utvärdera detta behövde SimProv vidareutvecklas. Vidareutvecklingen utfördes genom att använda spelmotorn Unity med PlayMaker, som är ett visual scripting språk, tillsammans med att följa rekommendationer som finns för UI- och User experience-design för VR-spel. Inomgruppsdesign med 30 deltagare användes som testmetod. Hälften av deltagarna fick antingen börja med att spela på skärm eller i VR med Oculus Rift. Efter varje spelsession fick deltagarna fylla i den nya psykometrisk validerade skalan Game User Experience Satisfaction Scale (GUESS), som består av nio subskalor. Avslutningsvis kunde deltagarna fylla i två fritextfrågor genom ett digitalt formulär, om de potentiella problem de stött på vid respektive spelsession. Då GUESS är en ny skala har få studier av denna typ utförts. De få studier som har utförts pekar åt olika håll i frågan om spel bör utvecklas i VR eller inte. Resultaten från denna studie, som utfördes med tvåsidig hypotesprövning med t-test, visade inga signifikanta skillnader mellan VR och skärm. Endast en subskala, Play Engrossment, visade signifikant skillnad för VR. De textbaserade resultaten som analyserades med tematisk analys visade att majoriteten av deltagarna föredrog VR, men att alternativen i spelet upplevdes som begränsande. / The aim of this Master’s Thesis was to find out the difference in Game User Experience Satisfaction (GUESS) when using SimProv, both in VR (Oculus Rift) and on monitor. SimProv is a game-like classroom simulation. The purpose of this thesis was also to find potential problems that users may encounter during the test sessions. To assess and evaluate this, SimProv had to be furthered developed. This development was done using the game engine Unity and the visual scripting language PlayMaker in combination with following UI and UX design recommendations for VR games. A within subjects design with 30 participants was conducted. The users played either the monitor version or the VR version first, with no particular order. After each play session participants were asked to fill in the GUESS-scale, which is a newly developed and psychometrically validated scale that consists of 9 subscales. At the end of the play sessions participants could choose to answer two questions, through a digital form, about potential problems they may have encountered in both modalities. Since GUESS is a new scale few studies of evaluating VR versus monitor, using GUESS, have been conducted. The few studies that have been conducted showed no consensus in whether games should or should not be developed for VR. The inferential analysis with two-tailed paired samples t-tests in this study showed no significant difference between VR and monitor. The subscale Play Engrossment showed significant differences for VR. The text-based questions, that were analyzed with a thematic analysis, showed that the majority of the participants preferred VR. However, many participants felt that the answer options in the game where restricted.

In Sweden, there are students who live in small student apartments. These apartments can be called compact living as a student apartment can be as small as 16 square meters. To take advantage of the place that is in small homes, it would be good if larger furniture could be combined into a piece of furniture. On behalf of Husmuttern AB, this work has been aimed at exploring furniture concepts with sleeping and their functions in a compact living environment for students. The issues being examined are: -          What functions are desirable in a multifunctional seating and sleeping furniture for students and people living in compact living environments? -          How can a multifunctional seating and sleeping furniture be designed, that is applied to students living in a compact-living environment? Human Centered Design was used as a method and thus a qualitative data collection was carried out in the form of observations. The respondents were in the primary target group and were observed in their everyday lives in their homes. A focus group was involved in generating ideas and concepts. Functional prototypes were built, and 3D models were created in SolidWorks. Digital testing of the concepts was carried out and the development of the Generation Sofa Bed was realized. There is a discussion about how reliable this study is, when the results became situational. However, the respondents were from a limited audience and had different views on what they wanted from a sofa bed, which provided rewarding information for the development of the furniture. The conclusion is that while the Generation Sofa Bed needs to be further developed through testing and evaluation of storage facilities, it has great potential to become a finished product. / I Sverige bor det studenter i små studentlägenheter. De lägenheterna kan kallas för compact living då en studentlägenhet kan vara så liten som 16 kvadratmeter. För att ta vara på den plats som finns i små hem vore det bra om större möbler kunde kombineras till en möbel. På uppdrag av Husmuttern AB har detta arbete haft som syfte att utforska möbelkoncept med sov- och sittfunktioner i en compact living miljö för studenter. De frågor som undersöks är: 1.      Vilka funktioner är önskvärda i en multifunktionell sitt- och sovmöbel för studenter och personer som bor i compact living miljö? 2.      Hur kan en multifunktionell sitt- och sovmöbel konstrueras, som är tillämpad för studenter som bor i compact-living miljö?  Human Centered Design användes som metod och därmed genomfördes en kvalitativ datainsamling i form av observationer. Respondenterna var med i den primära målgruppen och observerades i sin vardag i sina hem. En fokusgrupp var med och genererade idéer och koncept. Funktionsprototyper byggdes och 3D modeller skapades i SolidWorks. Digital testning av koncepten genomfördes och utvecklingen av Bäddsoffan Generations blev förverkligad. Det finns en diskussion om hur pålitlig denna studie är, då resultaten blev situationsbaserade. Dock var respondenterna från en begränsad målgrupp och hade olika syn på vad de ville ha av en bäddsoffa, vilket gav givande information till utvecklingen av möbeln. Slutsatsen är att medan Bäddsoffan Generations behöver vidareutvecklas genom testning och utvärdering om förvaringsmöjligheter, så har den stor potential att bli en färdig produkt.

This thesis work has been the result of a five-year Industrial Design Engineering education at Luleå University of Technology. The project has investigated the possibilities of teleoperating forest machines using a human-centered design approach. The work has been conducted for Skogforsk, which is the Swedish institute for forestry. The project’s objective was to present ideas on how future teleoperation can improve the work as a forwarder operator. The aim was to identify the forwarder operators’ specific needs and explore how the development of a teleoperated workstation can address those needs. The project has been carried out using three phases; Inspiration, Ideation, and Impleentation. During the first phase, the project investigated how the work is carried out today and what needs a forwarder operator has. The operators’ needs can be summarised in three different areas; transporting the machine, loading and unloading, and planning. Two kinds of operators can be seen today, the ones who are motivated primarily by working in the forest, and the ones who are motivated by the production and self-competitiveness. During the Inspiration phase, the project also tested what problems exist today with operating a forwarder using teleoperation with the system implemented in the Truedsson Forestry Lab in Uppsala. It was identified that screens are an essential complement to using head-mounted displays such as VR-goggles while not offering the same amount of precision and presence in work as the goggles. It was also identified that the operators did not feel that the machine being an extension of them due to lost feedback of motion and sound. Perceived and actual control of the machine differed, and the operators did not identify the machines’ behavior during transportation. Apart from these issues, the current view did not offer a complete overview of the area around the machine. Neither did it offer visuals on the sides of the machine, and the logs sortings. Along with the identified issues, opportunities for improvement guided the explorational work through creative workshops to solutions presented and tested in either an operational test or in a video test. The ideas included the implementation of sound focusing on the gripper, which was appreciated by the operators. The precision using screens was improved by projecting the gripper’s position on the ground plane. For control of the transportation work, the project proposed solutions for indicators on tilt, roll, and the wheels of the machine. Nevertheless, it proposed an idea of projected tracks improving the work to become more proactive by highlighting obstacles and the near term position of the machine. The project also tested overview improving ideas such as drone views, and a 360 degrees view which may have potential in the future teleoperation work. Several other ideas were tested and can be seen in the Results chapter. For future work, the project proposes more tests of various ideas in a more reality-based setting. The project also proposes future work focusing on defining the future user better. For the individual operators reading this thesis work, I hope this paper can show the potentials of teleoperation, as well as prove that the development is aware of both the difficulties and the possibilities with teleoperating forest machines. For the forestry industry, I hope this paper can inspire future work to use the technology to favor the operators’ needs, and not only adapt the current cabin to work being carried out remotely. It is important to note that work in the cabin and work carried out remotely will have a significant difference in what advantages to offer. We will most definitely see operators working in the forest for many years ahead, and the future operators of teleoperation will probably not be the ones that are motivated by work in the forest today. This means that a new kind of user will emerge supplementing the current users rather than replacing them. / Detta examensarbete är resultatet av en femårig civilingenjörsutbildning inom Teknisk Design på Luleå Tekniska Universitet. Projektet har utforskat möjligheter för fjärrstyrning av skogsmaskiner genom en användarcentrerad designprocess indelad i tre faser; Inspiration, Ideation, och Implementation. Arbetet har genomförts på uppdrag av Skogforsk som är det svenska forskningsinstitutet för utveckling av det svenska skogsbruket. Målet med projektet har varit att presentera idéer kring hur framtidens fjärrsyrning kan förbättra arbetet som skotarförare. Syftet med projektet har varit att identifiera skotarförarens behov och utforska hur utvecklingen av fjärrstyrning kan ta hänsyn till dessa behov. Under den första fasen undersöktes arbetet som det ser ut idag och skotarförarens behov fastställdes genom intervjuer och observationer. Behoven kan sammanfattas till tre huvudsakliga delar; transport av maskin, av och pålastning, samt planering av arbete. I dagsläget kan två olika användare ses, de vars största motivation är arbetet i skogen, och de som motiveras främst av hög produktion och egenutveckling. Under första fasen så undersöktes problem med fjärrstyrning genom test med en fjärrstyrd skotare i Truedsson Forestry Lab i Uppsala. Det identifierades att skärmar är ett nödvändigt komplement till VR-glasögon trots att de idag inte erbjuder samma precision och närhetskänsla. Det identifierades också att förare uppgav att de inte fick samma koppling till maskinen som ljud och vibrationer annars erbjuder i hytten. Uppfattad och verklig kontroll över maskinen skiftade mellan styrning i maskin, och på distans. Förarna uppmärksammade inte slirning, glid, eller lutningsförändringar vid fjärrstyrning. Förutom dessa problem så erbjöd det befintliga systemet inte kontinuerlig överblick runt om maskinen. Lastens uppbyggnad saknades och inte heller visuell blick av området nedanför lastutrymmet kunde erhållas. Med utgångspunkt ur identifierade problem med fjärrstyrning och möjligheter för utveckling av dagens arbete, utforskades idéer genom kreativa workshops under andra fasen. Under tredje fasen valdes idéer ut, utvecklades, och testades genom antingen ett fysiskt operatörstest, eller ett videotest. En av idéerna testade implementering av ljud med fokus på gripen vilket uppskattades av alla testförare. Skärmarnas precision förbättrades genom projicering av gripens position på horisontella ytor. För att förbättra kontroll av maskin utforskade projektet implementering av olika indikatorer kring lutning och hjulbeteende. En idé kring projicerande hjulspår med fokus på proaktivt uppmärksammande av maskinens position och potentiella hinder, utforskades i syfte att förbättra arbetet. Projektet undersökte även diverse vyer för överblick, som drönarvyer, och en 360 graders vy som kan ha potential för framtida fjärrstyrningsarbete. Andra idéer som testades kan ses i Resultat kapitlet. För framtida arbete rekommenderas fler, och mer verklighetsbaserade tester. Det rekommenderas även att framtidens användare definieras bättre för att styra utvecklingen i rätt riktning. För den individuella föraren som läser detta arbete hoppas jag denna examensrapport kan visa på potential för framtida fjärrstyrningsarbete. Jag hoppas även att rapporten kan visa på att utvecklingen är medveten om såväl svårigheter som möjligheter. För skogsindustrin hoppas jag denna rapport kan inspirera framtida arbete att fokusera på fördelar med fjärrstyrningstekniken med utgångspunkt i förarnas behov, och inte bara anpassa dagens arbete i hytten att ske på distans. Det är viktigt att märka på att arbete på distans och i hytten kommer erbjuda olika fördelar. Vi kommer antagligen se förare i skogen i många år framöver och det är troligt att framtidens operatörer inte är de som motiveras av arbete i skogen. Det innebär att en ny typ av användare kommer växa fram som kommer komplettera dagens förare snarare än att byta ut dem.

Examensarbetet handlar om att utforska och utveckla det framtidsvisonära transportsystemet ”GTS Transportsystem” framtaget av GTS Stiftelsen. Detta med hjälp av frågeställningen: Hur ser framtidens GTS Transportsystem ut i ett användarcentrerat perspektiv? Inom en designprocess genomfördes ett omfattande researcharbete för att skapa en förståelse för vilka behov och krav som borde tillgodoses i det framtida transportsystemet. GTS studerades och analyserades för att få en djupare förståelse kring deras visioner, idéer, tekniska lösningar och hur väl genomtänkt de olika delarna var. Intervjuer med målgruppen människor med funktionsnedsättning, synliggjorde olika typer av problem som uppstår i dagens jämförbara transportsystem. Med hjälp av intervjudata och en analys kunde tre fiktiva personas skapas med tillhörande scenarier. En analys av ett framtida GTS scenario ledde till att problem kunde identifieras som sedan låg till grund för vidare arbete med framtagning av olika problemområden. Problemområdet som sedan valdes var stationer och hållplatser (i uppsatsen benämnd Terma). En idégenereringsfas ledde till nya idéer kring flöden, funktioner, gates och arkitektur. Det slutliga resultatet blev ett framtida Terma-koncept med en genomgående utformning för tillgänglighet, trygghet och innovation. I konceptet skapades en gate med fokus på säkerhet, en funktionell och öppen planlösning som förenklar resandet, samt en ny lösning kring kabinernas flöden runt och över byggnaden. Allt detta för att en framtida resa i GTS skall fungera säkert och smidigt. / The research was conducted in order to contribute to the general body of knowledge regarding the prospective transport system GTS Transport System developed by GTS Foundation. This dissertation will explore and further develop the GTS system. This was achieved with the research question: How does the future GTS Transport System look in a user-centered design perspective?   In a design process, a deep and comprehensive research laid the foundation in order to create an understanding of the needs and demands that would need to be fulfilled for the future transport system. The GTS Transport System was carefully studied and analyzed in order to reach a deeper understanding around its visions, ideas and technical solutions. Further it was studied in order to determine how well thought through the different feature where.   Interviews were conducted with a target group of people having a disability; this disclosed certain problems with today’s transport systems. With the support of the data gathered and an analysis, three fictive personas where created with associated scenarios.   An analysis of a future GTS scenario led to the discovery of certain problems and laid the foundation for further establishing areas in need of improvements. The areas that were chosen where stations and stopping places (in the dissertation called Terma).   An idea-generating phase led to new ideas about flow, functions, gates and architecture.   The results of the dissertation led to a concept about how the future transport Terma may be designed. With secure available and innovative gates, a well thought through layout that is available and safe for the people using the transport system. A new concept of flows where created which enabled the vessels to move around and over the building. This results in a smooth and safe travel experience.

This report describes an independent design-project with the purpose of designing a board game design process and as a result a re-design of anindependently developed board game named Northern Star, which under-gone development for three years prior to the project as a hobby-project (and may be subject to a Kickstarter at a later date).Northern Star was initially based on a competitive, strategic, card- and dice-based elements which evolved into a thematic, narrative and semi-cooperative game as a result of the project. Initially this game was developed outside the project in two prior courses (D0046A: Usability and D0051A: Context & Analysis) in which all results can be found in appendix 1). The target-group of the project were groups consisting of social circles with relatively long experience in regards to (mainly thematic) board games. The process used were mainly an agile project plan and weekly design sprints based around an iterative design process (much alike IDEOS (2015) three linear phases of inspiration, ideation and prototyping). However it was used in a non-linear way where the designer freely choose of which of the three phases that was to be used. During the inspiration-phase substantial amounts of data were recorded in a pre-study (see appendix 1) as well as user-needs (see appendix 2) were a benchmark led the designer to a design-specification (which also resulted in a new method in regards to board game design processes) were the projects core-values were defined guiding further development of Northern Star. This was followed by a cyclic process in which a concept were generated for Northern Star which led to rapid prototyping and the realization of a physical product, tested duringworkshops. Here the participants gave feedback in the form of discussions, surveys and video-footage for later analysis which added for additional inspiration in which the cyclic process began anew.This process lead to a re-design of Northern Star (briefly mentioned above) were an interactive board game box allowed for an organic game-play system evolving over time with a lot of focus given on player-interaction, meaningful choice, few components as well as immersion in the form of a graphically rich representation of the theme.A new design-process were developed and given the name: Exit: A board game design process in which a lot of focus was given human-centered and participatory design (supported by the theoretical framework and the project-results). This was realizedas a board game where the designers goal is to get from the beginning step - start (inspiration phase) to exit (end of the implementation phase) in which the designer was given choice of free movement between different phases through a field given the name “warp”. Lastly two questions were answered:•How can participatory and human-centered design (also in regard to research) as well as relevant theory contribute to a redesign for Northern Star as well as a better design-process for those involved in similar fields? •How can norms be identified and used in regards to making a more competitively successful product? Answers revolved around how human-centered design have a lot of similarities to board game design supported by exploration of different perspectivesand gave rise to opportunities for normative design(decreasing stigmatization around board games and resulting in unique solutions).

Pessoas com tetraplegia possuem controle sobre poucas partes do corpo, por isso têm grande dificuldade de interação com o mundo ao seu redor. Interfaces humano-computador que utilizam a capacidade de controle muscular remanescente podem promover um acréscimo importante na autonomia do usuário com tetraplegia. Uma nova forma de interação com o computador é proposta: controle de um dispositivo de entrada por meio do lábio inferior. A ideia não foi partir da tecnologia e agregar recursos, mas sim, partir da pessoa e entender suas necessidades e potencialidades para pesquisar, propor, desenvolver e avaliar alternativas tecnológicas. Com o intuito de investigar se o lábio inferior seria capaz de controlar uma interface de maneira eficiente e precisa, foram desenvolvidos protótipos de um dispositivo de entrada vestível que pudesse ser acionado pelo lábio. Considerando o estado da arte, foi avaliada a capacidade do lábio inferior controlar esta interface proposta como um mouse de computador. Também foi realizada a comparação do controle pelo lábio inferior e pelo polegar utilizando o mesmo dispositivo sob as mesmas condições. O objetivo foi estabelecer referências sobre a capacidade do lábio inferior de controlar uma interface. Foram realizados e analisados os resultados de testes com sujeitos de pesquisa, mensurando e comprovando a capacidade tanto do lábio inferior, como parte do corpo capaz de controlar um dispositivo de entrada, quanto do próprio dispositivo. / People with tetraplegia control few body parts; therefore, they have great difficulty to interact with the environment. Human-computer interfaces that explore the residual muscular control capacity can provide the user with tetraplegia with an important autonomy increase. I propose a new form of interaction, a input device controlled by the lower lip. The idea was not starting from the technology and aggregate resources, but starting from the user needs to research, to propose, to develop and to evaluate technological alternatives. In order to investigate the lower lip ability to efficiently and precisely control an input device, prototypes of a wearable device were developed. I presented an evaluation of the lower lip potential to control a pointing input device, according to the state of the art. The lower lip throughput was compared with the thumb throughput using the same input device under the same conditions. The objective was to establish the baseline for future researches about the lower lip capacity to operate a computer pointing device. The results proved and measured the capacity of the interface as well as the lower lip as a body part able to control a input device.

Pessoas com tetraplegia possuem controle sobre poucas partes do corpo, por isso têm grande dificuldade de interação com o mundo ao seu redor. Interfaces humano-computador que utilizam a capacidade de controle muscular remanescente podem promover um acréscimo importante na autonomia do usuário com tetraplegia. Uma nova forma de interação com o computador é proposta: controle de um dispositivo de entrada por meio do lábio inferior. A ideia não foi partir da tecnologia e agregar recursos, mas sim, partir da pessoa e entender suas necessidades e potencialidades para pesquisar, propor, desenvolver e avaliar alternativas tecnológicas. Com o intuito de investigar se o lábio inferior seria capaz de controlar uma interface de maneira eficiente e precisa, foram desenvolvidos protótipos de um dispositivo de entrada vestível que pudesse ser acionado pelo lábio. Considerando o estado da arte, foi avaliada a capacidade do lábio inferior controlar esta interface proposta como um mouse de computador. Também foi realizada a comparação do controle pelo lábio inferior e pelo polegar utilizando o mesmo dispositivo sob as mesmas condições. O objetivo foi estabelecer referências sobre a capacidade do lábio inferior de controlar uma interface. Foram realizados e analisados os resultados de testes com sujeitos de pesquisa, mensurando e comprovando a capacidade tanto do lábio inferior, como parte do corpo capaz de controlar um dispositivo de entrada, quanto do próprio dispositivo. / People with tetraplegia control few body parts; therefore, they have great difficulty to interact with the environment. Human-computer interfaces that explore the residual muscular control capacity can provide the user with tetraplegia with an important autonomy increase. I propose a new form of interaction, a input device controlled by the lower lip. The idea was not starting from the technology and aggregate resources, but starting from the user needs to research, to propose, to develop and to evaluate technological alternatives. In order to investigate the lower lip ability to efficiently and precisely control an input device, prototypes of a wearable device were developed. I presented an evaluation of the lower lip potential to control a pointing input device, according to the state of the art. The lower lip throughput was compared with the thumb throughput using the same input device under the same conditions. The objective was to establish the baseline for future researches about the lower lip capacity to operate a computer pointing device. The results proved and measured the capacity of the interface as well as the lower lip as a body part able to control a input device.

A literatura de design e de arquitetura sugere a necessidade de realização de estudos mais aprofundados e capilares junto a usuários de baixa renda a respeito da realidade material interior de suas residências, de como se daria a efetiva utilização de bens e objetos pessoais, além de suas aspirações e preferências quanto aos produtos de uso doméstico. Vários autores, neste sentido, ressaltam que a produção brasileira de mobiliário residencial industrializado, também denominado móvel seriado, sobretudo no segmento do consumo popular, não atenderia, integralmente, a seu público principal, concentrado nestas duas faixas socioeconômicas da população. Este alegado descompasso existiria, parcialmente, em razão de designers e fabricantes de móveis populares seriados supostamente desconhecerem as necessidades efetivas dos usuários e as maneiras de interação com seus bens domésticos. Nesta pesquisa, foram investigadas várias situações de uso do referido mobiliário popular industrializado em moradias de usuários selecionados residentes na Grande São Paulo, abordando aspectos tais como: percepções, significados, preferências, avaliações, apropriações, formas de utilização e adequação aos ambientes. Em termos metodológicos, este estudo qualitativo, de caráter essencialmente fenomenológico, mas também observacional, foi constituído pela sistematização e análise associativa de dados obtidos por meio de entrevistas em profundidade semiestruturadas conduzidas com quarenta usuários e doze vendedores. O trabalho de campo foi complementado por observações diretas, produzidas pela pesquisadora, de móveis, objetos e demais arranjos físicos e visuais encontrados nas moradias visitadas e em lojas de móveis populares, com auxílio de registros fotográficos e gravações em áudio. Na análise do conjunto de dados coletados, foram identificados elementos semióticos, estéticos, funcionais, socioculturais e psicológicos, entre outros. Os resultados obtidos permitem iluminar questões efetivas de uso do mobiliário popular, além de hábitos, costumes, preferências estéticas e condições internas das moradias dos usuários participantes. Observou-se, por exemplo, neste sentido, reduzida adequação de parcela significativa do mobiliário às habitações visitadas, bem como presença de improvisações e adaptações a que os usuários comumente recorrem, mesmo em móveis com pouco tempo de aquisição, para que voltem a desempenhar adequadamente suas funções, além de certa resignação de parte dos usuários quanto a deficiências de projeto e de produção verificadas nos móveis, por vezes justificadas, por eles, pelos baixos preços que pagaram. Tais percepções e outros achados disponibilizam, assim, um corpo de insumos para designers e indústria moveleira em geral, sobre necessidades específicas de famílias de baixa renda que encontram, neste mobiliário popular industrializado, sua principal ou única, mesmo que, em casos, precária, opção de compra para atendimento de necessidades básicas de armazenamento de objetos pessoais e de apoio a tarefas domésticas. Espera-se, com esta pesquisa, contribuir para que o projeto e a produção desta classe de produtos ofereça maior adequação ao efetivo modo de vida e necessidades de seus usuários no interior de suas moradias. / The design and architecture literature suggests the need for more in-depth studies with low-income users regarding the material in their homes and how belongings and personal objects would actually be used, as well as what their aspirations and preferences are with regard to domestic products. Several authors in this context emphasize that Brazilian industrial residential furniture production, also called furniture in series, especially in the budget furniture segment, does not entirely meet the needs of its main public, concentrated in these two socio-economic groups. This alleged misalignment would exist partially because of designers and manufacturers of low-cost furniture supposedly being unaware of users\' real needs and ways of interacting with their domestic objects. In this research, several ways of using industrial low-cost furniture in selected users\' homes in Greater São Paulo were investigated, looking at aspects such as: perceptions, meanings, preferences, evaluations, appropriations, forms of use and adequacy of the environments. In methodological terms, this essentially phenomenological, but also observational qualitative study was done by the systematization and associative analysis of data obtained through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with forty users and twelve salespeople. The field work was complemented by the researcher\'s direct observation of furniture, objects and other physical and visual arrangements in the homes visited and in budget furniture stores, and also with the aid of photographs and audio recordings. In the analysis of the collected data set, semiotic, aesthetic, functional, sociocultural and psychological elements were identified, among others. The results obtained provide information about the use of low-cost furniture, and also about habits, customs, aesthetic preferences and internal conditions of the participating users\' homes. It was observed, for example, that much of the furniture in the homes visited was of limited adequacy, and there were often user improvisations and adaptations, even in furniture purchased recently, so that it would more adequately fulfill its function. In addition, the users had a certain feeling of resignation about the furniture\'s design and manufacturing deficiencies, sometimes justified, for them, by the low price they had paid. These perceptions and other findings make available, then, input for designers and the furniture industry, in general, on specific needs of low-income families that have, in this industrialized low-cost furniture, their main or only, though sometimes precarious, purchase option to meet their basic needs for storage of their belongings and support for domestic tasks. It is hoped that this research will contribute to the design and production of this class of products becoming more suited to the lifestyles and needs of users in their homes.

This master thesis presents an exploration of participatory workshops. It focuses on how these may involve a design project’s various stakeholders, and take the design process further by joint activities of mutual learning. The main concern addressed in the thesis is how participatory workshops may be designed and carried through, together with companies working with design. The aim of the exploration is to gain an understanding of the various steps of the design and implementation of workshops, and also how these steps interact during the process. The exploration is mainly based on the design and implementation of three different workshops: One workshop was designed on behalf of a design consultancy as part of the phase of concept, in an ongoing design project about cleaning products. Afterwards the team worked on ideas based on the winning concepts from this workshop. A second workshop was designed for a working team at a company of wood floor production, in order to identify what future steps to take. The outcome emphasized what the team needed as well as desired to be working on next. In collaboration with the same wood floor producer, a third workshop was also designed as a part of the company’s design competition. This workshop aimed to making the competitors share their personal experiences of the theme of the competition. The workshop resulted in a joint creation of understanding and knowledge about the company’s demands and desires of the new product. In order to broaden my perspective on the method, I carried out a number of interviews, for example with MiL Institute, who is working with management training and coaching, and with Ordrum, who offers training in communication. To support mutual learning in the workshops, aspects of knowledge and learning are additionally included in the study. The exploration shows the advantage of using prepared ambiguous materials as part of the framework of a workshop, for supporting divergent thinking; individual and collective storytelling; diversity of ideas; and collaboration between people. Additionally the exploration indicates that people’s involvement in participatory workshops may create more responsibility of the design, through the experience of a shared ownership of the process. Moreover, it points out the challenge of working co-creationally in design work, also through the design process of workshops.