Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital assets that exist in the blockchain with a unique signature that has been gaining significant attention starting from the early 2021. While NFTs can be anything stored digitally from text to music, since these digital tokens enable artists to democratize their works, there has been a particular rise in using them to promote digital art which has long been undervalued. With NFTs’ potentially holding the power to transform the art world and imminent Web 3.0, the lack of women representation in NFT space and blockchain has started to occupy the agenda of mission-driven artists, sparking conversations around the issue that has led some female artists to begin strategically taking up their space in a male-dominated market with different initiatives and projects. World of Women (WoW) and Women Rise are two separate NFT art projects that aim to diversify and balance the NFT space. They put emphasis on increasing the representation of women while empowering them to participate in blockchain and NFT space by using the tools of Web 3.0 to challenge gender biases and ‘decentralize’ power structures. Herewith, this research by examining these NFT projects will explore how exactly NFT art projects can culminate a more inclusive environment towards Web 3.0, the future of internet. The project will try to uncover the mechanisms and strategies of these NFT art projects through the themes of voice, agency, and representation by using a case-study approach. The project will be analyzing the findings with the guidance of the conceptual framework that is operationalized though Roberts’ ICT4D Intent and Practice Matrix. The data used for this research consists of chosen web pages of the websites of these projects and media texts that feature the projects and the artists who founded these projects. The findings will in the end reveal through what types of practices these projects unlock social change and enable representation based on their conformist, reformist, and transformist inclinations.

This bachelor's thesis explores the integration of digital technology in elderly care, specifically nursing homes, within a medium-sized municipality in Sweden. The aging global population presents significant challenges, notably in elderly care where digital technologies are increasingly being utilized to enhance residents' quality of life and streamline operations. This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with municipal employees to examine how digital technologies are utilized, the attitudes of decision-makers towards these technologies, and the challenges and opportunities associated with their implementation. Findings indicate that digital technologies can potentially improve mental health, social interactions, and the overall well-being of elderly residents. However, the study also identifies significant barriers, including insufficient training of staff, procurement issues, and the lack of robust infrastructure, which hinder effective implementation. The results underscore the need for strategic planning and further research to effectively integrate digital solutions in elderly care settings, aligning technological advancements with the practical needs and capabilities of the elderly population.

Approximately 20–25 percent of the Swedish population experience difficulties with reading and writing, and 5–8 percent have dyslexia. Despite this and the widespread use of mobile phones, research on typographic design is primarily focused on the general population, creating a knowledge gap regarding how design decisions can affect individuals with dyslexia. Therefore the purpose of this study was to deepen the understanding of how different fonts and typographic elements on mobile screens affect readability for people with dyslexia. Participants were recruited from various Facebook groups using a subjective and snowball sampling method, including a group of individuals with dyslexia and a comparative control group. The survey was designed based on previous research and was conducted online, including a readability test. The readability test consisted of nine images with short texts presenting different typographic conditions, and respondents assessed the readability on a five-point scale. Subsequently, the data were processed to identify patterns and correlations. The study was based on theoretical perspectives on typography, dyslexia, and cognitive load theory. The results showed that sans-serif fonts, especially Verdana, performed bestand were considered the most readable by both respondents with and without dyslexia. Additionally, the study found that custom fonts designed for dyslexia do not necessarily improve readability. This underscores the importance of choosing simple, well-known fonts to facilitate reading for people with dyslexia. The conclusions emphasized the need to minimize cognitive load and select fonts with a simpler design to promote readability. Lastly, the study also identified increased letter spacing as a strategy to improve readability on mobile screens for people with dyslexia. / Cirka 20–25 procent av Sveriges befolkning upplever läs- och skrivsvårigheter, och 5–8procent har dyslexi. Trots detta och den breda användningen av mobiltelefoner är forskningen om typografisk design främst inriktad på den generella allmänheten, vilket skapar en kunskapslucka för hur designbeslut kan påverka personer med dyslexi. Syftet med studien är att fördjupa förståelsen för hur olika typsnitt och typografiska element på mobilskärmar påverkar läsbarheten för personer med dyslexi. Genom ett subjektivt och snöbollsurval rekryterades deltagare från olika Facebookgrupper, både personer med dyslexi och en jämförande kontrollgrupp. Enkäten utformades med hjälp av tidigare forskning och genomfördes online, vilken inkluderade ett läsbarhetstest. Läsbarhetstestet bestod av nio bilder med korta texter med olika typografiska förhållanden, där respondenterna bedömde läsbarheten på en femgradig skala. Därefter bearbetades data för att identifiera mönster och samband. Studien utgick från teoretiska perspektiv om typografi, dyslexi samt kognitiv belastningsteori. Resultaten visade att sans-serif typsnitt, särskilt Verdana, presterade bäst och ansågs vara mest lättlästa av både respondenter med och utan dyslexi. Dessutom visade studien att specialanpassade typsnitt för dyslexi inte nödvändigtvis förbättrar läsbarheten. Det understryker vikten av att välja enkla och välkända typsnitt för att underlätta läsning för personer med dyslexi. Slutsatserna betonade behovet av att minimera den kognitiva belastningen och att välja typsnitt med en enklare design för att främja läsbarhet. Slutligen identifierade även studien ökat bokstavsavstånd som en strategi för att förbättra läsbarheten på mobilskärmar för personer med dyslexi.

This study leverages a critical provocation design approach to examine user interactions with intelligent agents, specifically focusing on how non-conventional agent behaviours impact user perceptions. By embedding playful, challenging, and mischievous elements into the user experience, the research aims to uncover insights that traditional methods might miss. The experimental design involved participants interacting with a trivia game agent named Trivia Friend, which intentionally provided false feedback to provoke reactions and gain insights on user perceptions. Key findings highlight the emotional spectrum elicited by the agent’s behaviour, ranging from frustration and mistrust to amusement and engagement. The study reveals that user perceptions of fairness and communication style are influenced by the agent’s provocations. Furthermore, the research underscores the importance of managing user expectations. A provocative design can stimulate engagement. However, real world implementations of intelligent agents must be designed with fairness and transparency to ensure positive user experiences. The study calls for incorporating efforts towards emotional understanding, clear communication, and ethical considerations when implementing socially capable intelligent agents. This research contributes to the development of adaptive, user-friendly, and ethically sound intelligent AI based agents by offering valuable insights into the complex dynamics of human-agent interactions.

My thesis project explores a new paradigm of mood board tool that challenges the current paradigm of confining everything to 2D, flat interfaces. while investi- gating how AI can inspire and assist industrial designers during the form explora- tion process. Using a human-centered design approach, the project led to the development of COSMO, an AI-integrated, inspiration-triggering mood board tool for industrial designers. It addresses the issue of limited variety in current digital inspiration platforms, where similar content is often suggested due to AI algorithms. COSMO encourages using a variety of inspiration sources, including digital visuals and real-life experiences. This approach fosters creativity and personal connection, helping designers deeply resonate with the inspiration they collect and retrieve it at a more profound level. COSMO also utilizes Mixed Reality technology to offer an immersive, distrac- tion-free experience when organizing and internalizing inspiration sources. It offers a virtual meditative space that uses AI-assisted association loops to build associations. These loops create multiple layers of associations, assisting human designers in widening their initial associations. This leads to inspiration sources that are semantically different but insightful.

Even though most of our life happens in the physical world, most applications of AI are digital. We have to explain our intention and context to chatbots for them to support us with things happening in the world around us. Archetype AI, the collaboration partner of this thesis, is developing a Large Behavior Model (LBM) that perceivesand reasons about the physical world in real time by fusing multimodal sensor data and natural language. This thesis is a side track to the technical development of this LBM, exploring the landscape of interactions enabled when AI understands the world around us. A series of interventions with physical AI as a design material is presented to illustrate what the relation with such intelligent systems could look like in the future. The research also highlights the evolving role of designers, which transitions from crafting explicit interactions to shaping the behaviour of intelligent and context-aware environments. Lastly, the research raises questions to start asking as AI, and its role in our lives is evolving.

This project looks at the future of play. Technology currently dominates kid’s leisure time. Digital distractions contribute to decreasing playtime, emphasizing passive media consumption over active engagement in play. The project proposes integrating digital interactivity into physical toys to enhance active play. Doing so by expanding play possibilities and inspiring purpose. Simultaneously it is addressing the challenges of designing toys for diverse preferences by designing adaptive play elements. This project is exploring what is important for a regulating entity in Digi-physical play experiences. Calling for a conceptual solution named a Play agent. The report dives into various prototypes exploring what a play agent could be, what its roles are and what aspects could make them successful in creating sustained play patterns. It proposes two play types synced to the use of a play agent.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation become more intertwined, understanding their impact on user control is essential. This study investigates dynamic user control in AI-driven automated systems, particularly in work environments. While adaptive automation (AA) has been extensively studied, there's a gap in research on adaptable and hybrid automation, where users control the level of automation (LOA). We bridge this gap with a design-oriented case study structured into three phases, evaluating one adaptable and one hybrid prototype. By understanding real-world perspectives of users and providers of an AI-driven automation system, we address the question: "How can we support users with dynamic control when designing for human-centred automation?”. Our findings are synthesized into insights that suggest a preference for a hybrid approach; one that balances user and AI-system collaboration, providing adaptive and personalized support, without overwhelming adaptability. Overall, our results conclude the importance of human involvement in the automation process, underscoring the need for "human touch” in the design of humancentred automation (HCAI).

The increasing energy consumption of ICT technologies, driven by the rise in AI and data processing, requires the development of low-dissipation interconnects. This thesis addresses the challenge of increased resistivity in chip interconnects due to miniaturization, which stems from enhanced electron scattering at the boundaries. The study focuses on the anisotropy in the Fermi surface as a strategy to mitigate resistivity increase. Experimental methods, including the fabrication of devices made from niobium phosphide (NbP) using focused ion beam (FIB) techniques, are employed. Theoretical models predict that materials with an anisotropic Fermi surface can minimize resistivity by aligning electron velocities with the transport direction. Experimental results confirm significant anisotropy in the transport properties of NbP at reduced dimensions, validating the theoretical predictions. The findings suggest that exploiting Fermi surface anisotropy is a promising approach for developing low-dissipation interconnects, potentially contributing to the continued scaling of integrated circuits and reducing power consumption in ICT applications. / Den ökande energiförbrukningen hos IKT-teknologier, driven av ökningen inom AI och databehandling, kräver utvecklingen av lågförlustiga förbindelser. Denna avhandling tar upp utmaningen med ökad resistivitet i chipförbindelser på grund av miniatyrisering, vilket beror på ökad elektronsspridning vid gränsytorna. Studien fokuserar på anisotropin i Fermi-ytan som en strategi för att minska resistiviteten. Experimentella metoder, inklusive tillverkning av enheter gjorda av niobiumfosfid (NbP) med hjälp av fokuserad jonstråleteknik (FIB), används. Teoretiska modeller förutspår att material med en anisotrop Fermi-yta kan minimera resistiviteten genom att anpassa elektronernas hastigheter med transport riktningen. Experimentella resultat bekräftar betydande anisotropi i transportegenskaperna hos NbP vid reducerade dimensioner, vilket validerar de teoretiska förutsägelserna. Resultaten antyder att utnyttjandet av Fermi-yta anisotropi är ett lovande tillvägagångssätt för att utveckla lågförlustiga förbindelser, vilket potentiellt kan bidra till fortsatt skalförändring av integrerade kretsar och minska energiförbrukningen i IKT-applikationer.

In response to the critical need for a national mass casualty triage system in Sweden, this design study presents an iterative approach to developing a cognitive support tool tailored for medical personnel. The study integrates user feedback garnered through interviews with potential end-users and thematic analysis to understand the needs, preferences, and challenges in triage situations. The themes derived work to inform the creation of two distinct design proposals, with one of them based on existing support material to support the recognition primed decision making (RPDM) theory. Subsequently, these proposals undergo rigorous evaluation via a questionnaire designed to assess various criteria crucial to effective decision-making in such high-pressure scenarios. This questionnaire measures multiple design criteria essential for effective decision-making, including clarity, ease of use, comprehensiveness, and usability. Participants also provide qualitative feedback, offering insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each design proposal.  Analysis of the questionnaire data reveals a clear preference for specific aspects of each proposal. Specifically, participants favour the front side of Proposal 2 for its simple design of the triage algorithm. The back side of Proposal 1 received higher scores for its recognition primed design and intuitive portray of the triage system. The findings of this study underscore the importance of iterative design processes informed by user feedback in the development of decision support tools for high-stakes scenarios such as mass casualty triage. Future iterations of the design will integrate these preferences to refine the tool further, ultimately aiming to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of medical personnel in responding to mass casualty incidents and to investigate the cognitive theories supporting design.