Nowadays technologies such as the wireless connectivity, embedded devices and MEMS provide a possibility to build tiny compact devices which have sensing, computing and networking capabilities. The sensors connected to the embedded devices give new possibilities and environments for collecting sensor data and passing it to the networks or other devices. Wireless sensor node technology, as the name suggest, is purposely designed to collect sensor data from the sensor network cluster(s) or a single sensor. “The Internet of Things” defines the systems that consist of networks and networks of sensors, actuators, and smart objects which are interconnected together allowing communication with one another; some of which have decision making capabilities. The wireless sensor networks and the Internet of Things provide several data centric protocols to access sensor data of sensor networks and the embedded devices. Data centric protocols are based on two paradigms request-response and publish-subscribe. The Publish and subscribe is quite popular in today’s solution because the same sensor data can be routed and published to several final processing units or the devices which are connected to the router gateways. Sensor communication protocol with the connectivity bus adapter interfaces provides an easy and simple way to access sensor register over different kinds of connectivity. Protocol can be integrated to the embedded device which then provides the message passing with two connectivity adapter interfaces. A lower level connectivity interface provides a possibility to interact with the sensor via I2C of SPI buses. A high level interface provides a connection to and from the devices over the wired or wireless connections.

The primary objective of this study was to develop a novel artifact to provide categorized and ethical examples of design principles of Persuasive System Design (PSD) model. PSD model is considered as a fundamental design and analysis tool for creating systems that aim at behavior and attitude change ethically. With the increased attention in persuasive system design field and rise in Behavior Change Support Systems (BCSS), we can expect an in increase in adoption of PSD model in design and development of such systems. Despite these developments, examples of design principles from PSD model are neither readily available nor categorized. In response to this obstacle, we created and evaluated a support tool where users could share, obtain, and rate examples from each design principle. We utilized design principles from PSD model to implement the rating feature. We used Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) to create the artifact. We tested desirability using Product Reaction Cards to understand user’s feeling about the support tool. We also evaluated perceived effectiveness of both rating feature and app as a whole to identify the perceived effectiveness. From the results, we deduced intention to use and predicted actual usage in the future. The support tool may be useful for persuasive system designers, researchers or beginners on this field to see real life examples of design principles of PSD model. Hopefully, it could support them on designing more ethical persuasive system or contribute towards the persuasive system design area.

The concept of Living Lab has gained attention as a user-centered approach in ICT development, especially when talking about the innovation creation. Nowadays, social network has become part of the daily life for many people to share news, pictures, and stories. The earlier researches mostly see Living Lab as an approach for innovation with the supporting of social media in terms of user involvement. Considering the challenges of user commitment into the online Living Lab communities, and the insufficiency of social network approach, this paper is aiming to provide a guide for the development and improvement of online Living Lab community, with answering the research questions of the online Living Lab community characteristics towards social web, and the primary requirements of establishing such online community. The main research methodology applied in this paper is based on grounded theory. Through the case study of PATIO, the data was collected via various sources including user motivation survey, user modelling interview, participant-observation as system administrator, and utilizing of existing organizational documents. As the outcomes of the research, based on the personas and the scenarios generated through user interviews, the requirements of developing online Living Lab community were defined, which also served as the fundamental of the framework establishing. This research contributes to the Living Lab with the further analysis of the online community from different stakeholders’ points of view. The online Living Lab community framework associating with the characteristics social web, provides an overall picture of the whole Living Lab environment. This online community serves as a platform, which is targeting to the user-centered products and services testing in real-life contexts. The study in this paper has put more emphasis on the roles of end users and system administrator. Therefore, the direction for future research could be focusing on the needs and benefits to customers (e.g. SMEs) and researchers. In addition, the technologies for the system implementation (e.g. platform choosing, web 3.0) also have the needs to be further studied.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a clearer picture of how gamers view gaming as a social construct and how social interaction changes the gaming experience. Social interaction in games brings people together. Online games have been researched from many points of view. However, the research done from social perspective is relatively new and this is why I wanted to write my thesis from the social interaction perspective. Games are created more and more social. Gaming culture has changed from single player games to games where gamers interact with the world and each other with the help of different technologies. Social contacts from games extend outside the game world. Social media and gaming communities in the internet bring people together to share their experiences and find company to play with. The world of online games is not just playing games. Gaming has become a way of life and a culture. Gamers converse in their own communities about games, gaming related affairs and everything else. Even though most conversations in the communities relate to games, gamers exchange a lot of information about themselves and things related to them. The research utilizes scientific articles as a base for the theory and a questionnaire that has been distributed among Finnish gamers.

The privacy and security of communication in the Internet are gaining increased public interest. Highly popular Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology allows the use of easy, versatile and low-cost Internet communication solutions. There are, however, privacy and security concerns and threats related to VoIP-based communication, just like with any traffic transmitted over the public Internet. Possibility to integrate a VoIP solution as part of self-made applications is also important for many organizations. The problem is to find a low cost solution which provides possibility for integration, good level of security and privacy, and also acceptable service quality in varying wireless network conditions. This thesis examined the fundamentals of VoIP technology, reasons and background of security threats, and presented the ways to mitigate the risks. Based on this information, publicly available communication solutions were searched and evaluated using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) derived method. The products were compared from the perspective of privacy and security they provide, taking into account in particular the purchase and operating costs, and connectivity into self-made applications. The best solution from the comparison was also taken to further tests for service availability and video quality Mean Opinion Score (MOS) in the real-world mobile network. The measurements aimed to reveal how the solution performs in different radio network conditions, and what kind of video quality it can offer. The research results show that there were a few good solutions available based on search criteria. The best solution, Linphone, was taken to the further quality tests in the live 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Measurements revealed that Linphone can provide satisfactory quality and reliability even on poor network conditions, and also secure the traffic seemingly well. Only some minor problems with video stream starting were found during the tests. For the future work I would suggest more measurements using different wireless network technologies including Wi-Fi. The real protocol level security analysis of Linphone would also reveal if there are any security pitfalls in the current implementation.

Open source software is gaining more users outside of their own developers. This change brings with it a need for better usability development as well. Introducing usability activities to OSS projects has turned out to be a difficult task for several reasons. To find better ways to achieve this several case studies on OSS projects have been conducted. The four first of these studies were done between years 2007 and 2009. This longitudinal case study seeks to make an update to the situation in these projects by finding out how these OSS projects saw usability back then, now, and in between. The findings from the original case studies were analysed to set a starting point. The situation after the case studies was mapped through analysing mailing lists and discussion forums. Finally a questionnaire was conducted to see what the current situation in the projects is. The longitudinal case study in this thesis started by analysing what is known of the target OSS projects based on earlier UKKOSS papers. The development from this starting point was mapped through mailing list and discussion forum analysis. Finally the situation at the time of writing was found through a questionnaire that developers from each of the targeted OSS projects answered. The goal of the study was to see, if there had been changes in how the OSS projects see usability. The results showed that there has been some increased awareness of what usability is and why it is important, but there were very little concrete steps to bring usability activities into the project development. The findings were in line with earlier research about usability in OSS projects. The increased awareness is a promising starting point. It could be possible that as the awareness grows also the possibility of introducing usability experts and usability activities into the projects increases. The developers seem to care for the end user and some of the comments reflect a user-centered approach to software development. These aspects suggest that there could be an increasingly fertile ground for any usability experts who are interested in giving their time and effort to OSS projects.

The original purpose of a mobile phone was designed for basic communication. Today, phones are used to perform different advanced activities, for example, to access location via GPS, to take photos, as media players, and to access the internet. The growing usage of smartphones highly contributed to the emergence of advanced mobile applications. In developing countries mobile phones are the most common device used to access the Internet. This study aims to provide train timetable mobile application for the new developed Addis Ababa light rail transportation system. The purpose of developing a train scheduling app is to help users find train timetables easily and to improve time efficiency. Technology and mobile usage in Ethiopia are assessed to understand the current Information and Communication Technology (ICT) situation in Ethiopia. The study utilized the lean startup method for designing and developing the mobile application. In addition, the PSD model and a system’s self-referential persuasion concept provided the theoretical framework. Persuasive system design’s primary task support principles are utilized strongly in the design and development of the app by reducing complexity and providing a meaningful content. Design science research integrated with lean software development principles was used to carry out this research. A literature review was conducted to support the thesis with background knowledge. Interviews were also conducted to gather user feedback with regards to the process of designing and developing the app. The study found that waiting for public transportation is time-consuming. The mobile application improves time efficiency and enhances punctuality. Evaluating the mobile application on the actual market is one of the limitations of this study as the developed app was only evaluated between test groups. The newness of the train system in Addis Ababa and bureaucratic management has limited the present study’s ability to gain accurate information about the train schedule and related information.

Some online games are prosperous and have attracted a large number of players, while others cannot sustain. Both technical and social factors likely affect a player’s satisfaction with an online game. However, there is a clear dearth of studies in which have investigated online games from a socio-technical perspective. This article seeks to address this gap through an empirical study on technical factors (manifesting as game attractiveness) and social factors (manifesting as gaming climate) influencing a player’s satisfaction in an online game. Specifically, game balance and technical quality are manifestations of game attractiveness, while pro-gaming norms, integrity and active participation reflect internal gaming climate. Using online questionnaires, field data were collected from two research sites relating to two online games respectively. The data were then analysed with PLS, revealing that game balance, technical quality, integrity and active participation are positively related to a player’s satisfaction in an online game. The findings suggest that both technical factors (game attractiveness) and social factors (gaming climate) impact a player’s satisfaction in an online game. This study contributes to the literature on online games, and also presents important implications for designers and operators of online games.

Inter-organisational trust is increasingly important among supply chain participants, where threats are building up from sources out of organisational control. The same problem is faced in the cyber security field, where threat level increases from the changes outside organisational boundaries. Each value chain participating in the supply chain must be secured. Trust building is mandated among all trust network members. The business interaction between supply chain participants is enabled by building inter-organisational trust first. This study provided ways to build this inter-organisational trust by considering steps to take in information security management system (ISMS) implementation. ISMS is set of processes, documentation, activities and resources that together secure assets within an organisation. It must be assembled to support strategic business goals and comply selected requirement criteria. Due to different ways and purposes, organisations implement ISMS’s and obtain the security standard certification; it is not a proof of secure business processes or trust per se. Instead, it is a good starting point for trust building. This study used narrative literature review to find supporting and resisting elements of inter-organisational trust that can consider in ISMS. The study limited the research into a very narrow area between information processing science, behaviour sciences and discipline of management. The research found several elements (102) that can be considered in ISMS to have the effect to interorganisational trust building. The findings were categorised using ISO/IEC 27001 (2013) ISMS implementation steps to provide concrete support for security professionals. There are none or very limited number of research literature on exact combined topic of inter-organisational trust building and ISMS. The multidisciplinary phenomenon of information security coupled with inter-organisational trust requires more attention from the research community. Schools teaching information security should develop their course coverage to support this multidisciplinary phenomenon in several view points, not just from their own discipline to achieve producing suitable resources for the industry. / Yritysten välinen luottamus on yhä tärkeämpää toimitusketjuihin osallistuvien organisaatioiden keskuudessa, missä uhat syntyvät yritysten tietoturvakontrollien ulkopuolelta. Sama ongelma kohdataan kyberturvallisuudessa, missä uhkataso kasvaa muutoksista organisaatiorajojen ulkopuolella. Jokaisen toimitusketjuun osallistuvan on suojauduttava. Luottamuksen rakentamisen tehtävä on kaikkien jäsenien yhteinen asia luottamusverkostossa. Toimitusketjuun osallistuvien on rakennettava organisaatioiden välinen luottamus ennen liiketoiminnan aloittamista. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarjotaan keinoja kehittää organisaatioiden välistä luottamusta tietoturvallisuuden hallintajärjestelmän toteuttamisessa. Tietoturvallisuuden hallintajärjestelmä koostuu prosessien, dokumentaation, toimintojen ja resurssien yhdistelmästä, mitkä yhdessä turvaavat tietovarannot organisaation sisällä. Se on koostettava tukemaan liiketoiminnan strategisia tavoitteita ja täyttää valitut kriteeristöt. Koska tietoturvallisuuden hallintajärjestelmiä sertifioidaan eri tavalla, sekä eri tarkoituksia varten, niin sertifioitu standardi ei itsessään takaa turvallisia liiketoimintaprosesseja, vaan se toimii hyvänä lähtöpisteenä luottamuksen rakentamiselle. Tässä tutkimuksessa sovellettiin kirjallisuuskatsausta yritysten välisten luottamusta edistävien ja estävien elementtien löytämiseksi, mitä tietoturvallisuuden hallintajärjestelmän toteutuksessakin voitaisiin soveltaa. Tutkimus toteutettiin rajatulla alueella tietojenkäsittely-, käyttäytymis-, sekä hallintotieteiden yhtymäkohdassa. Tutkimus löysi useita elementtejä (102), mitkä huomioimalla tietoturvallisuuden hallintajärjestelmässä voidaan vaikuttaa yritysten välisen luottamuksen rakentamiseen. Löydökset jaoteltiin ISO/IEC 27001 (2013) tietoturvallisuuden hallintajärjestelmän toteutusaskelien mukaisesti, jotta tulokset tukisivat parhaiten tietoturvallisuuden asiantuntijaa konkreettisella tasolla. Tutkimuspapereita ei ole yhtään, tai niitä on hyvin rajoitetusti missä tietoturvallisuuden hallintajärjestelmän ja yritysten välisen luottamuksen rakentaminen yhdistetään. Monitieteinen tietoturvan ilmiö yhdistettynä yritysten välisen luottamuksen rakentamiseen vaatii enemmän huomiota tiedeyhteisöltä. Tietoturvallisuutta kouluttavien oppilaitosten tulisi kehittää tietoturvallisuuden kurssitarjontaansa tukemaan monitieteellistä lähestymistapaa ei vain oman tutkimusalan näkökulmaa, jotta teollisuus saisi sopivampia resursseja käyttöönsä.

Databases have existed since 1960s. Relational databases came out in 1970s and they have been the most popular database technology ever since. However, non-relational databases came out in 2000s and have gathered popularity since then. This thesis studied different open-source database management systems including relational and non-relational systems. Prompt looks into data analytics and distributed databases were also taken. The main purpose of this study was to design, implement and evaluate a new database for the needs of a software testing team. In order to do that it was needed to find out a database management system that met the requirements best given by the case company. It was also needed to find out which database design principles and techniques should be followed to achieve a well-performing and easily maintainable database. After studying different database management system, MySQL was chosen for the database management system and a new database was designed, implemented and evaluated. It turned out that MySQL is still a relevant and successful database management system to meet the needs of a modern software testing team when optimization techniques such as indexing and normalization are applied. In the future it would be beneficial to study how a non-relational database management system could be combined with a relational database management system to meet the needs of different software testing teams.