Our climate is undoubtedly changing, and the climate issue has generated a lot more attention in both media and politics. This is a complex question that affects all sides of society and requires that everybody takes well-informed decisions. SMHI, The Swedish national weather and climate service, has an important role to play, since they can contribute with their weather and climate expertise, to increase the citizens’ knowledge in this area. This work examines how different interaction design solutions with nudging can influence the user’s behavior in its desire to investigate weather and climate processes. Our tests show that when users want to know if today’s weather is usual or not, e.g. the amount of precipitation, he or she is motivated to read more about how climate and weather work. Then the user is guided to a page where they can explore more about the climate and weather. / Vårt klimat förändras onekligen och klimatfrågan har fått ett allt större fokus inom både media och politik. Det är en komplex samhällsfråga som kräver att alla tar väl informerade beslut. SMHI har en viktig roll att spela genom att bidra med sin expertis inomväder och klimat för att öka medborgarnas kunskap inom detta område. I detta arbete undersöks hur nudging kan användas i interaktionsdesign för att påverkadet vardagliga beteendet hos webbplatsbesökarna så att de inspireras till att vilja undersöka väder och klimatprocesserna ytterligare. Nudging definieras initialt som åtgärder som omärkligt påverkar individen till beteendeförändring. Två snarlika designlösningar utvecklas för hur webbplatsbesökarna som besöker SMHI:s 10-dygnsprognos ska uppmuntras till att vilja utforska väder och klimat. Designlösningarna utgår från intresset som funnits i intervjuer och enkät, till att vilja förstå hur realtidsvädret förhåller sig till vad som är ”normalt” eller extremt (historisk väderdata). Utifrån användartesterna som genomförs, framgår det att det finns en positiv attityd och beteendeintention till att vilja utforska väder när testpersonerna använder sig av designlösningarna.

This report presents a development of an analytic tool for advisors, developed with a usercentred design process. The tool is developed to help advisers enhance profitability in a company in a simple and flexible way, and to convey the knowledge to their customers. The report focuses on usability and visual representations to present data from an analysis of the operating branches as well as key performance indicators. The work has a usercentered design process divided into four steps and performed by a pre-study and two iterations. The prestudy was the basis of the project, which included a literature study, interviews compiled to two persons and an effect map. The first iteration began with exploring different visual representations for an analysis of the operating branches and key performance indicators. The visual representations were user-tested through a questionnaire. The second iteration developed the tool by designing and implementing a prototype in the program React in order to be user-tested. The test focused on the visual representations and was performed through task-based questions, Likert-questions about the visual representation and the standardized questionnaire System Usability Scale. The report concluded that users thought that bar graphs, tables and texts are the easiest tools to use. The visual representations can therefore be used to visualize economic values. However, a bullet graph was more likely to be chosen in order to visualize key performance indicators. Bullet graphs contain a lot of information, which makes the diagram complex for the user to understand. A simple and fast tool should therefore be limited and use the details-on-demand of the information visualization mantra to enable the user to obtain more information when needed. The tool is not fully developed and more iterations are needed to complete a final product. / Denna rapport presenterar utvecklingen av ett analysverktyg för ekonomiska rådgivare med inriktning på lantbruk, utvecklat genom en användarcentrerad designprocess. Verktyget är utvecklat för att hjälpa rådgivare att förbättra lönsamhet i ett företag på ett en-kelt och smidigt sätt, samt förmedla kunskapen till sina kunder. Examensarbetet fokuserar på användbarhet och visuella representationer för att presentera data från en driftsgrensanalys samt nyckeltal. Arbetet använder en användarcentrerad designprocess uppdelat i en förstudie och två iterationer. Förstudien låg till grund för projektet och innehöll en litteraturstudie, intervjuer sammanställt till två personer och en effektkarta. Första iterationen utforskade olika visuella representationer för en driftsgrensanalys och nyckeltal. De visuella representationerna användartestades genom en enkätundersökning. Den andra iterationen utvecklade verktyget genom att designa och implementera en prototyp med React för att användartestas. Användartestet fokuserade på de visuella representationerna av resultatet och utfördes genom uppgiftsbaserade frågor, Likert-frågor om den visuella representationen och en standardiserade enkäten för att undersöka användbarheten (System Usability Scale). Resultatet visade att användare tycker att stapeldiagram, tabeller och texter är de enklaste verktygen att använda. De visuella representationerna går därför att använda för att visualisera ekonomiska värden. Visualiseringen för nyckeltal gjordes med ett nysansdiagram vilket fungerade bra med förklaring. Visualiseingen innehöll mycket information vilket gjorde den komplext vid första anblick för användaren att förstå. Ett enkelt och snabbt verktyg bör därför begränsas och använda sig av informationsvisualiseringsmantrats detaljer vid efterfrågan (details-on-demand) för att ge användaren möjlighet att få mer information vid behov. Verktyget är inte färdigutvecklat och fler iterationer behövs för att färdigställa en slutlig produkt. / <p>Examensarbetet är utfört vid Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap (ITN) vid Tekniska fakulteten, Linköpings universitet</p>

The design of smart, interactive, computational, and electronic textiles involves working with unknown variables that expand the tangible dimensions of textiles. Non-visual concepts such as electromagnetic fields, electrical current, computational code, and the temporal attributes of materials that exhibit dynamic qualities require that textile designers be able to perceive and manipulate domains of the textile that extend beyond its conventional forms of expression. Through these qualities, the textile becomes an interface to otherwise imperceptible phenomena of electromagnetism and thereby opens up to new textile design expressions. However, to do so requires a shift in the understanding of how fundamental textile concepts such as material, form, and expression interrelate to affect the expressive domain of the textile itself. This research aims to describe the material attributes, characteristics, and expressions of electromagnetic phenomena as explored through experimental research methods and suggests ways in which electromagnetic phenomena can be worked with as a design material for smart textiles. Further, it seeks to expand upon conventional design variables of textiles to include its electromagnetic domain. The experiments presented in this thesis suggest a framework for working with magnetic, dielectric, and conductive materials through textile techniques of weaving and knitting. The experiments point to the interrelationship between the textile material, structure, and form, identifying this triad as the key influencers that determine how textile expressions can embrace electromagnetic phenomena. The results of the experimental work are methods that show accessible ways for textile designers to visualize and perceive electromagnetic fields in textiles, such as sensing the impressions of textile structures on the magnetic field using a method of scanned-surface imaging; perceiving electromagnetic fields using textile antennas and spatial exploration, resulting in sonic expression; and kinetic textile behaviours at the yarn level through magnetic interactions. Furthermore, the design possibilities of the materials, methods and tools suggested in this thesis are demonstrated through examples of interactive artefacts, e.g., in the form of ambient energy harvesting forest mobiles and radio-frequency (RF) body extensions. The results suggest the variety of electromagnetic textile expressions that can be created when methods and tools to perceive and manipulate electromagnetic phenomena in textiles are consciously utilized.

This thesis aims to analyse the behaviour of an “analogue search engine”, created by the romance novel community. The existing commercial recommendation systems for romance novels are found lacking, as they fail to fill the requirements of the user group. The user group fills this need by creating separate communities, where they use their expertise in the genre to create a more accurate recommendation system.  Using ethnographic research over a long period of time allowed the behaviours and habits of the group to be catalogued. Using that framework and interaction design practises, several design proposals were created showing how the findings can be used to add nuance to recommendation system interfaces.

In our relationship with the world around us, emotions play a vital role. As technology has become increasingly integrated and influential in our daily lives and activities, the design of systems that can support the human experience is of high interest.  This thesis explores how the emergence of emotional response in sound- based interaction can be facilitated. Through an exploratively based design process three affectively inspired soundscapes are designed. The states they relate to are Happiness, Sorrow and Fear. The experience of interacting with the soundscapes through ultrasonic distance sensors is then evaluated through three user testing sessions. The findings from this points to potential in the use of affectively aimed soundscapes to facilitate emotional response. Further, the findings indicate that levels of abstractions in subjective experience allow space for personal interpretation making for a more involving experience. The importance and potentials of contextual influences are also highlighted.

This project explores the building of a positive and engaging online virtual community on a mobile platform to better support experiencers of chronic mental conditions such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and learning disabilities. The research aims to answer two questions: how to build such a community and whether different conditions require different communities and have different needs in peer-to-peer online health platforms. The design concept builds upon previous studies of engagement and connection correlating with “positive psychosocial outcomes”, and the rise of online healthcare. This paper describes the design process, explains the reasoning behind the design decisions, and showcases the resulting mobile platform prototype. Outcomes from this exploration contribute to the field of interaction design in furthering understanding in both designing workshops for more sensitive and personal demographics, and in building the beginnings of a supportive online virtual community.

As growing environmental concerns reshape our view on planetary resources, including energy generated from them, it opens an exciting space for design interventions. This study applies Research through Design methodology and series of Participatory Design activities to explore how IxD may address human relations with energy and which characteristics of the interactive artefact might foster playful exploration of energy sources. The design process consisted of two main phases — design space exploration and final design development. The design concept emerging from this study is an interactive installation for public space meant to encourage more personal relationships with water.

In ubiquitous environments, users are exposed to public spaces and places where they are supposed to interact and provide also private information. In order to enhance user acceptance of such ubiquitous appliances they have to be designed to consider trust and trustworthiness already in the design phase. We focus on regarding trust in early phases and provide tools for designers by describing trust issues through patterns which are made available through design repositories. Such patterns help designers of ubiquitous applications to create designs quicker based on the availability of already proven solutions they can rely on.

This study was conducted to explore the design of an application in the collaborative consumption area. To explore this, different factors that motivate users to participate in collaborative consumption were investigated. From these factors, User Experience (UX)-attributes were generated as a starting point for the researcher to create concepts and design a digital prototype. The usability of the prototype and whether the UX-attributes had been achieved were later evaluated. On the basis of the usability and interview results, the intent to use the application was explored. Five participants took part in the usability test. This test included measuring task success, user expectation measure and a SUS-questionnaire, after which an interview was conducted to explore the achievement of these attributes. The interviews were analyzed using the thematic analysis method, and the results showed that the UX-attributes that were chosen were sufficient in generating a concept for collaborative  consumption that could communicate these important factors. The results from the usability tests show that the design has well above acceptable usability, and although the interview results show that the UX-attributes were fulfilled in varying degrees, they were all fulfilled. Furthermore, by examining the usability and interview results an intent to use the application was discovered.

Due to the increased use of Internet among children, developers have realized that digital environments need better usability, especially to give children the opportunity to handle digital interfaces on their own. This paper investigates how children handle and navigate the online streaming service TV4 Play. The aim of this study was to understand the children’s moves and actions for further development of a more child-centered site that should make it easier for them to handle. The study was based upon a Usability Evaluation Method (UEM) called Peer-Tutoring, where pairs of children cooperated and taught each other, one by one, to solve tasks based on navigation through the interface. This method was also combined with a method called Active Intervention, where questions were added to the Peer-Tutoring in order to invite the children to talk and reflect on their actions. The participants were 4-6 year old children from a preschool in Danderyd, Stockholm. The results show difficulties of navigating and understanding the structure of the site, which is closely related to children’s limited cognitive ability, for instance, adults have superior capacity to handle drag and drop compared to children. These results led to recommendations that the TV4 Play team can take into account when they optimize usability for children. For example, they should implement one-click buttons instead of drag-and-drop functions, and list the available TV shows in a horizontal overview. / På grund av den ökade användningen av Internet bland barn, har utvecklarna insett att digitala miljöer behöver bättre användbarhet, särskilt för att ge barnen möjlighet att hantera digitala gränssnitt på egen hand. Denna uppsats undersöker hur barn hanterar och navigerar på streaming tjänsten TV4 Play. Syftet med denna studie var att förstå barnens rörelser och åtgärder för vidareutveckling av en mer barncentrerade webbplats, som ska göra det lättare för dem att hantera. Studien baserades på en användbarhets utvärderingsmetod, som kallas Peer-Tutoring, där barnen i par samarbetar och lär varandra, en efter en, för att lösa uppgifter baserade på navigering via gränssnittet. Denna metod kombinerades med en metod som kallas aktivt ingripande (Active Intervention), där frågor ställdes för att bjuda in barnen till att prata och reflektera över sina handlingar. Barnen var 4-6 år gamla från en förskola i Danderyd, Stockholm. Resultaten visar svårigheterna att navigera och förstå strukturen på webbplatsen, vilket är nära relaterat till barnens begränsade kognitiva förmåga, t ex har vuxna överlägsen kapacitet att hantera dra-och-släpp jämfört med barn. Dessa resultat har lett till rekommendationer som TV4 Play teamet kan ta hänsyn till när de optimerar användbarheten för barn. Till exempel bör de implementera klickknappar istället för dra-och-släpp-funktioner och lista tillgängliga TV-program i en horisontell översikt.