The research in this dissertation developed and evaluated a new method for menuing interaction that is intended to be better suited than current methods with respect to mobile eyes-free scenarios. The earPod prototype was developed and then evaluated in a series of four experiments. In the first two experiments, earPod was first compared against an iPod-like (visual) interface and then against a fuller set of competitive techniques that included dual vs. single modality presentations, audio vs. visual modalities, and radial vs. linear mappings. The third experiment consisted of a longitudinal study designed to understand the learning patterns that occurred with these techniques. The fourth experiment examined performance in a conventional (single task) desktop setting and in a driving simulator (i.e., a dual task situation where participants carried out the driving task while interacting with the mobile device). The results of these experiments, comparing earPod with an iPod-like visual linear menu technique on fixed-sized static menus, indicated that earPod is comparable both in terms of speed and accuracy. Thus it seems likely that earPod should be an effective and efficient eyes-free menu selection technique. The comprehensive 3x2 study implemented in Experiment 2 showed that the benefit of earPod was largely due to the radial menu style design. While performance using it was comparable in both speed and accuracy with the visual linear menus, its performance was slower than for a visual radial style menu. In the multi-task simulated driving condition in Experiment 4, where concurrent tasks competed for visual attention, the eyes-free earPod interface was found to be beneficial in improving performance with respect to the safety related driving parameters of following distance and lateral movement in the lane. Thus auditory feedback appears to mitigate some of the risk associated with menu selection while driving. Overall, the results indicated that not only should earPod menuing be able to provide safer interaction in dual task settings, but also that, with sufficient training, audio only menu selection using innovative techniques such as those employed by earPod can be competitive with visual menuing systems even in desktop settings.

The general problem of application development of interactive GUI applications has been addressed by toolkits, libraries, user interface management systems, and more recently domain-specific application frameworks. However, the most sophisticated solution offered by frameworks still lacks a number of features which are addressed by this research: 1) limited functionality -- the framework does little to help the developer implement the application's functionality. 2) weak model of the application -- the framework does not incorporate a strong model of the overall architecture of the application program. 3) representation of control sequences is difficult to understand, edit, and reuse -- higher-level, direct-manipulation tools are needed. We address these problems with a new framework design called Oregon Speedcode Universe version 3.0 (OSU v3.0) which is shown, by demonstration, to overcome the limitations above: 1) functionality is provided by a rich set of built-in functions organized as a class hierarchy, 2) a strong model is provided by OSU v3.0 in the form of a modified MVC paradigm, and a Petri net based sequencing language which together form the architectural structure of all applications produced by OSU v3.0. 3) representation of control sequences is easily constructed within OSU v3.0 using a Petri net editor, and other direct manipulation tools built on top of the framework. In ddition: 1) applications developed in OSU v3.0 are partially portable because the framework can be moved to another platform, and applications are dependent on the class hierarchy of OSU v3.0 rather than the operating system of a particular platform, 2) the functionality of OSU v3.0 is extendable through addition of classes, subclassing, and overriding of existing methods. The main contribution of this research is in the design of an application framework that uses Petri nets as the computational model of data processing in the synthesized application. OSU v3.0 is the first framework to formalize sequencing, and to show that complex GUI applications can indeed be quickly and reliably produced from such a framework. / Graduation date: 1992

L'industrie des traitements de surface fait intervenir de nombreux processus complexes. De plus, elle est soumise aux dispositions des nombreux textes de loi dans le domaine environnemental. S'ajoutent à cela, les contraintes économiques imposées par la concurrence qui, dans la majorité des cas, s'opposent aux efforts de l'industriel de mettre en application ces textes de loi. En conséquence, ce secteur économique est naturellement considéré comme une boîte à questions très riche pour les scientifiques. A l'image de la diversité des processus utilisés, ces questions sont très diverses et variées. Elles nécessitent les compétences, les connaissances et les approches des chercheurs venant de différents horizons comme la physique, la chimie, la thermodynamique ou encore l'automatique. Les deux points que nous souhaitons aborder dans le cadre de cette thèse sont : la modélisation d'un système de rinçage et celle des processus de traitements des eaux usées à la sortie de la chaîne de production. L'intérêt et l'originalité de ce travail se situent dans la diversité des approches proposées. Le couplage des études théoriques avec les expériences au laboratoire ou sur le terrain, des modèles physiques et expérimentaux a permis de modéliser ces processus malgré leur complexité. Ces modèles servent, ensuite, au développement d'un outil de simulation qui peut être utilisé comme un outil pédagogique ou un outil d'optimisation auprès des industriels.

The research in this dissertation developed and evaluated a new method for menuing interaction that is intended to be better suited than current methods with respect to mobile eyes-free scenarios. The earPod prototype was developed and then evaluated in a series of four experiments. In the first two experiments, earPod was first compared against an iPod-like (visual) interface and then against a fuller set of competitive techniques that included dual vs. single modality presentations, audio vs. visual modalities, and radial vs. linear mappings. The third experiment consisted of a longitudinal study designed to understand the learning patterns that occurred with these techniques. The fourth experiment examined performance in a conventional (single task) desktop setting and in a driving simulator (i.e., a dual task situation where participants carried out the driving task while interacting with the mobile device). The results of these experiments, comparing earPod with an iPod-like visual linear menu technique on fixed-sized static menus, indicated that earPod is comparable both in terms of speed and accuracy. Thus it seems likely that earPod should be an effective and efficient eyes-free menu selection technique. The comprehensive 3x2 study implemented in Experiment 2 showed that the benefit of earPod was largely due to the radial menu style design. While performance using it was comparable in both speed and accuracy with the visual linear menus, its performance was slower than for a visual radial style menu. In the multi-task simulated driving condition in Experiment 4, where concurrent tasks competed for visual attention, the eyes-free earPod interface was found to be beneficial in improving performance with respect to the safety related driving parameters of following distance and lateral movement in the lane. Thus auditory feedback appears to mitigate some of the risk associated with menu selection while driving. Overall, the results indicated that not only should earPod menuing be able to provide safer interaction in dual task settings, but also that, with sufficient training, audio only menu selection using innovative techniques such as those employed by earPod can be competitive with visual menuing systems even in desktop settings.

Expressing the individual personality with the help of the products, people use, and the mass customization are getting closer to our daily life. As a result, more and more companies have begun to implement mass customization in different industries. Also, flexible production becomes a key factor to win the market after more online customization appear and connect different demanders across the borders. Between companies and customers, there exists an important connection which is the interactive process influencing mass customization. An interactive process consists of three parts which are named: information about customers, trans-formation of data and use of information to produce more products. However, there are a lot of factors that will affect the interactive process and finally set thereby requirements for mass customization. During this research, the authors use a qualitative case study and deductive ap-proach to obtain a theoretical model. Through interviewees with two managers of Dooria AB and a visit of the factory in Kungsätter, the authors identified high quality approach, experienced employees, high loyalty of employees, flexibility of human capital, flexibility of production, feedback of customers, education information flow and interaction as important factors which influence the interactive process. Hence, this investigation provides insights about the interrelations between these factors. So, manager in similar industries can identify the situation of their own company and improve the efficiency mass customization.

The convergence of traditional and electronic commerce practices is being driven by the need for businesses to keep up with the ever increasing competition of online retailing. This thesis aims to examine and analyze the possible benefits that may arise via the use and development of rapidly evolving mobile technology, through analyzing the benefits of each of the forms of commerce during outlined stages of retail process, in order to evaluate to what extend the benefits can be combined. The benefits of each form of commerce were studied by observing existing theories and validated as perceived benefits through consumer surveys and management interviews.The theoretical part of this thesis is based on academic literature in the subject of Traditional commerce, Electronic commerce and Mobile commerce. The empirical studies were conducted as both qualitative and quantitative research, with a consumer survey conducted with 350 students, as well as two interviews with managers of retail stores in Västerås, Sweden.Results of the analysis shows that Mobile commerce has a role to play in better combining the benefits of traditional and electronic commerce and results in a combined figure implementing the findings into a working model, which we have dubbed ‘the four I’s of commerce’. The results are aimed at aiding retail managers in determining whether or not to implement a revised business model including the aspect of mobile commerce.

Global illumination algorithms are used to render photorealistic images of 3D scenes taking into account both direct lighting from the light source and light reflected from other surfaces in the scene. Algorithms based on computing radiosity were among the first to be used to calculate indirect lighting, although they make assumptions that work only for diffusely reflecting surfaces. The classic radiosity approach divides a scene into multiple patches and generates a linear system of equations which, when solved, gives the values for the radiosity leaving each patch. This process can require extensive calculations and is therefore very slow. An alternative to solving a large system of equations is to use a Monte Carlo method of random sampling. In this approach, a large number of rays are shot from each patch into its surroundings and the irradiance values obtained from these rays are averaged to obtain a close approximation to the real value. <br /><br /> This thesis proposes the use of a Monte Carlo method to generate radiosity texture maps on graphics hardware. By storing the radiosity values in textures, they are immediately available for rendering, making this algorithm useful for interactive implementations. We have built a framework to run this algorithm and using current graphics cards (NV6800 or higher) it is possible to execute it almost interactively for simple scenes and within relatively low times for more complex scenes.

Since McClelland and Rumelhart (1981) introduced the concept of interactive activation (IA) to the field of visual word recognition, IA has been adopted by all of the major theoretical models of reading aloud. This widespread adoption of IA has not been met with a close examination of the need for the principle features of this processing approach. In particular, IA assumes feedback from later processing modules to earlier processing modules. Though there exist data that can be explained by such feedback mechanisms, and indeed IA may be an intuitive approach to complex tasks like reading, little effort has been made to explain these same phenomena without feedback. In the present study I apply Occam’s razor to the most successful model of reading aloud (CDP+; Perry, Ziegler, & Zorzi, 2007) and test whether feedback is needed to simulate any of the benchmark phenomena identified by Perry et al. (2007) and Coltheart, Rastle, Perry, Langdon and Ziegler (2001). I find that the data currently do not require any feedback mechanisms in reading aloud, and thus conclude that modelers in reading aloud have been too quick to adopt the principles of IA.

Purpose: The aim of this Bachelor Thesis is to explore what makes an interactive viral marketing campaign effective in terms of Word-of-Mouth. Background: With the growth of Internet, a new force of marketing has developed where the consumer is more involved in the marketing process. This thesis studies the underlying emotions and motivations of consumer incentives to engage in positive Word-of-Mouth, regarding an interactive viral marketing campaign. Method: In order to fulfil the purpose of this study a case study is performed. An inductive approach is followed and qualitative research in the form of a netnography and interviews are used to collect the empirical material that is required in order to answer the given research questions. The netnography was performed on Facebook and ten respondents from the netnographical study were invited to participate in interviews. Conclusion: Based on the frame of reference, a strong relationship was expected between certain emotions and the willingness to share or discuss Tipp-ex’s campaign. However, the results indicate that other variables such as Comprehension and Personalisation might have a greater effect on Word-of-Mouth incentives. Regarding motivations, Message- involvement was found to be the motivation that triggers a consumer to engage in Word-of-Mouth.

This essay examines the narrative aspect of interactive fiction. The study uses Janet H. Murrays analysis of the digital environment and the properties of it as procedural, participatory, spatial and encyclopedic. From this, her three characteristic pleasures in digital narratives - immersion, agency and transformation - are examined from the perspective of interactive fiction. The study also examines Nick Montforts analysis of interactive fiction as a potential narrative and a simulated world or environment. His comparison of interactive fiction with the literary riddle is also used in regards to puzzles and other game-related aspects in interactive fiction as a part of storytelling. Furthermore, the essay uses Espen J. Aarseths analysis on ergodic text and non-linearity to place interactive fiction in a tradition of participatory texts not necessarily bound to the computer. The essay show how the repeated and sudden nature of death in interactive fiction poses a potential problem in its aspiration to create a cohesive storytelling experience. Death can however be used as an aid in other narrative aspirations, such as humour. Furthermore, the participatory aspect of interactive fiction can create a meaningful and strong emotional response to the death of non-player characters. The essay also show how interactive fiction may use puzzles and other challenges as a method to create suspense and drama. The quality of interactive fiction as a simulated world enables it to create mazes and related experiences based on spatial navigation. Especially it underlines its capacity to in this manner portrait abstract concepts such as bureaucracy in a convincing and literal way. Finally the essay proposes that interactive fiction can be viewed as a bridge between traditional literary texts and the new digital texts of computer based entertainment. The essay therefore suggests that interactive fiction, with its expressed literary ambitions, is especially qualified as a starting point for understanding computer games as a capable storytelling tool. Further studies on interactive fiction may help reach a deeper understanding of the narrative qualities of computer games.