To evaluate the effectiveness of a rapid prototyping into a curriculum, a study was conducted requiring students to conceive a design and create a model. Students were randomly selected to be given access to the rapid prototype or to create the models by hand. The students' models were evaluated on scale, design, and craftsmanship. Students participated in a survey consisting of perceptions of design feedback and difficulties as well as interests and affective traits. The study utilized qualitative data investigating the instructors' perceptions prior to implementing rapid prototyping into the curriculum and its correlation to observed events. The study found statistical differences in scale and craftsmanship scores, as well as monetary and time investments with rapid prototyping producing better models at a higher cost with less time invested. The data also suggested rapid prototyping changed the design process as well as shifting affective dispositions within the project.

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The project began with a simple question: In a future where the Internet has the ability to connect everything digitally, will the need to move physically still exist? To answer this question, we need to reconsider the far-reaching effect that online service has brought to our everyday lives. And based on the current trend of Internet development, the author focuses to predict the challenges and opportunities for people’s daily life brought by the future internetization trend.Instead of designing another vehicle which moves from A to B , the author rethinks the mobility as a unit of service connection in 15-minutes urban life circle in 2035. Redesigning the form and boundaries of the mobility based on the future working and living needs, this project envisions such a mobility to inspire more sparks and discussions about the subject. _Inspiration Inspired by the idea of merging the architecture principles and mobility interior design, the author aims for creating a mobility which enables people to work from anywhere in future cities.With help of Internet and new technologies, population density starts to act as a solid base for boosting of urban life services. And this emerging industry is deeply reshaping the urban lifestyle in the future, which has shown the urban people have new needs to get emotionally attached and have face-to-face teamwork from time to time.The aim of this project is to reconsider the core of mobility - not as a simple transportation platform anymore, but as a mobile space for multi-using. _Process Starting M mobile service, Volvo is a Scandinavian tech-driven brand which envisions a future to enable more people to move freely, meaningfully and sustainably.In order to design a mobility to ease people’s everyday life which also aligns with Volvo value, the author took a speculative approach based on research about the Volvo brand and relevant social trends. And the author starts interviews with people to gather more detailed info and pain-points after desktop research. Based on that, the author included the design opportunities of this project and step into the design process, which includes loops of ideation, sketching, modelling and evaluating with in Volvo team. These steps were not in linear order as the author as the project aims for really challenging the traditional structure and boundaries of the vehicle. _Result The result of this project is Volvo M-office and Volvo Working hub, which together form a systemic workspace solution beyond the concept of vehicle design.The design principle of the project is based on the prediction and research about future working method in urban area. The mobility is designed a open-able mobile space which can interact with other mobilities and facilities.Volvo M-office provides a flexible way of anywhere office life, With the mobility the people can choose the working locations they want, so as to connect the leisure time and working time in a smart way. In addition the mobility will also help the user to rebuild the work-life balance and emotional window in the context of Internetization future.

RELEVANCE AND INSPIRATION Traditional urban planning prioritizes motorized vehicles as the main transport solution, taking away green areas and space from pedestrians and citizens. Today there is an ongoing urbanization which creates increased demands in transportation of both goods and people. As a result of this traffic congestion as well as greenhouse gas emissions are increasing.One already established, and sustainable, solution to ease pressure on the roads and transport people is public road transport. However, studies have shown that there has been a steady decline in usage of public road transport through the years, not the least during the pandemic in 2019. During the last years there has been an increase in E-commerce, which put new pressure on both logistics and traffic in traditional urban environments due to a heavy increase in last mile deliveries.Today there is an ongoing shift towards more sustainable cities, to reduce emissions and create more livable areas, taking away space from traditional vehicles and giving it back to pedestrians and citizens.To be able to create future livable urban environments and reach specified environmental goals, a sustainable transport solution of both people and goods must be developed. PROCESS The purpose with this project is to investigate how the border between transport of people and goods in urban environments can be blurred and create a more attractive and sustainable transport solution.Research according to existing transport solutions in city environments and user needs and wishes has been analyzed in order to create a transport solution that would be suitable for both companies and people in a future 15-minute city. Different design methods were used in order to find a suitable solution to the identified problem. The creative process started with gathering of inspiration. Vehicle package, seating layout, suitable size, and capacity as well as future technologies were studied. A lot of sketching and renderings was done and then used as a foundation for 3D development. An imaginative future vehicle system was developed in order to create a plausible and holistic transport solution.Within the project, focus is mainly on vehicle exterior, creating a package suitable for transport of parcels as well as people in an environment that prioritise pedestrians and cyclists. RESULT The result of this degree work is Scania Combi, a compact, agile, and flexible transport solution. A multipurpose vehicle being able to transport both people and goods, within and between 15-minutes cities.

Inspiration The very first idea starts from the author’s life experience when urbanization in China shows great impact on everyone’s daily life that the social transport resources are often distributed unevenly during the day. It’s common to find no available shared bikes around metro station in the morning, or find no metro to go back home from the airport during the mid-night; Personal travelling experience with public system usually lacks privacy and comfort with many people in a carriage, while private mobility leads to congestion, parking and refueling headaches. In addition, the national goal for the future public transportation development is another story background. Public transit is strongly encouraged in China in the near future. To develop with this social need potential, the concept aims at exploring a flexible public transport system which remains both transport and energy efficiency, and also on-board experience as good as individual vehicles. Process The initial concept is based on the logic of rail transit system, which runs on dedicated tracks. Accordingly, Urban planning interview with professionals is conducted to learn more about the influence the future city layout may bring to the system design. All information gathered during research finally form the logical base. Once the system frame is set, more flesh is added such as brand identity, design aesthetics and related accessory design. The project mainly focuses on exterior which directly connects to the context, yet a hint of interior is also considered to provide persuasive illustration on user experience. In parallel to the vehicle design, context design (the hub) is as well part of the design list. The final outcome is to visualize a big picture of the whole system, not only a single unit. To test out the practicality, 3D modelling of architecture and vehicles with VR test are utilized to help optimize. Result ZEEKR 00M is not just the name for the pod running on the track, but also the whole system which can be called as ZEEKR line too, similar to the existed metro lines’ name that help users get familiar quickly. The system operates as a public resource which basically covers the new district areas surrounding the busy city center, where wide-spread transport infrastructure web is strongly needed in the near future. With separated pods running continuously on the track instead of a long carriage leaving a waiting queue at the platform after departure, individual travelling is independent with each other which improves the steadiness and efficiency of personal mobility experience. Meanwhile, these small pods can be kept in dynamically equal number at each hub with Internet-of-Vehicle assist, which helps feed the uneven rush hour need in different districts or emergent mobility need at any time.

An essential area within every store's environment is the cash wrap area. This study was conducted to identify user needs and expectations of the cash wrap area in retail stores and to develop design recommendations. Women's apparel specialty stores in vicinity of Virginia Tech, and two women's groups at Virginia Tech were selected for the study. The study consisted of (1) a survey to assess employee perceptions of the cash wrap area; (2) a survey to assess the customer perceptions of the cash wrap area; and (3) field measurements of cash wrap areas in participating stores. The surveys were divided into the following four sections: (1) environmental dimensions, (2) ideal conditions for the cash wrap area, (3) open ended questions on the cash wrap area design, and (4) demographic information. Respondents were asked to divide 100 points among the environmental dimensions (ambient conditions, space and function, and signs, symbols and artifacts) to indicate their relative importance; and to agree or disagree on a six - point Likert scale. Mean values for the variables were calculated separately for both employees and customers. Field measurements of the cash wrap areas were documented in seven of the participating women's apparel specialty stores. The data were analyzed descriptively and statistically. A significant finding was that customers regard the environmental dimension of space and function to be most important. Ideal conditions identified by customers and employees were itemized. The results indicated that employees have high expectations about their work environment and what they hope to accomplish within it. Responses to the open-ended questions were categorized and prioritized. Design recommendations were developed and categorized into: general recommendations, cash wrap area size recommendations, design feature recommendations, design recommendations specific to employee needs, and ADA design recommendations. / Master of Science

Procedurell generering är en teknik som används inom dataspel och annan programvara för att generera innehåll algoritmiskt snarare än manuellt. I detta projekt utökas metoden av Kán och Kaufmann (2018) för att procedurellt generera trovärdiga, virtuella scenlayouter till att använda reflekterande symmetri för syntes [14]. Den ändrade metoden utvärderas av dess uttrycksfulla räckvidd, beräkningsprestanda och förmåga att generera realistiska layouter. Metoden är en girig sökalgoritm som styrs av en kostnadsfunktion av matematiskt uttryckta riktlinjer för inredning baserad på etablerad litteratur i ämnet. Det uttrycksfulla utbudet av en generativ metod är mängden av stilar och varianter i utdatan som den kan skapa. Att undersöka det uttrycksfulla omfånget för en metod görs genom att visualisera en metods utdata som relaterar till en uppsättning utvärderingsmått [30]. Denna avhandling använder sig av uttrycksomfång för att utvärdera den förändrade metoden, bättre förstå fördelarna med reflekterande symmetri och nackdelar med hjälp av de föreslagna designriktlinjerna av Kán et al. som mått. Mätningar av antalet millisekunder som krävs för att generera en layout samlas också in för den utökade metoden för att bestämma beräkningskostnaden. Detta ger en indikation på vilket sammanhang metoden är möjlig att köra i. Slutligen genomfördes en tvåalternativs användarstudie med liknande metodik som i Yu et al. 2011 för att undersöka om den ytterligare användningen av reflekterande symmetri förbättrar metodens förmåga att generera realistiska layouter [37]. Resultaten från utvärderingen visade att den ytterligare användningen av reflekterande symmetri hade en marginell effekt på uttrycksomfånget, beräkningskostnaden och förmågan att generera realistiska layouter. Denna slutsats har dock en viss osäkerhet då användarstudien hade vissa brister. Vidare har ett fel i implementeringen av metoden inneburit att TV:n i scenen ibland blev placerad på ett konstigt sätt, användarna i studien märkte tydligt detta vilket tyder på att TV-placeringen har stor betydelse för den upplevda realismen. / Procedural generation is a technique used in video games and other software to generate content algorithmically rather than manually. In this thesis, the method by Kán and Kaufmann (2018) for procedurally generating plausible and virtual scene layouts is extended to use reflective symmetry for synthesis [14]. The altered method is evaluated by its expressive range, computational performance and ability to generate realistic layouts. The method is a greedy search method guided by a cost function of mathematically expressed guidelines for interior design based on established literature on the subject. The expressive range of a generator is the range of styles and varieties of output that it can create. Examining the expressive range of a level generator is done by visualizing a generator’s output as it relates to a set of evaluation metrics [30]. This thesis makes use of expressive range to evaluate the altered method, better understanding benefits of reflective symmetry and drawbacks using the proposed design guidelines by Kán et al. as metrics. Measurements of the number of milliseconds required to generate a layout is also collected for the extended method in order to determine the computational cost. This gives an indication of which context the method is possible to run in. Finally, a two-alternative forced user study was performed using similar methodology as in Yu et al. 2011 in order to examine if the additional use of reflective symmetry improves the method capabilities to generate realistic layouts [37]. The results from the evaluation showed that the additional use of reflective symmetry had a marginal effect on the expressive range, computational cost and ability to generate realistic layouts. However, this conclusion has some uncertainty as the user study had some shortcomings. Furthermore, an error in the implementation of the method had the implication that sometimes the TV in the scene got placed in a strange way, users in the study clearly noticed this which indicates that the TV placement has a high importance for the perceived realism.

Den här uppsatsen behandlar unga vuxnas miljömässigt hållbara konsumtion i relation till livsmedel och inredning. Miljömässig hållbarhet innebär att hänsyn tas till vilka effekter en vara eller tjänst har på ekologin och naturens framtida förmåga att frodas. samtidigt som efterfrågan på miljömässigt hållbara produkter växer och utbudet ökar förekommer en viss skepsis gentemot de certifieringar hållbara produkter får. Fler hinder för en hållbar konsumtion är bland annat att många köpbeslut sker på vana, att priset mellan ekologiska och icke-ekologiska livsmedel skiljer sig åt samt att det saknas information om vad som faktiskt är det mest miljömässigt hållbara alternativet. För att ta reda på uppsatsens syfte intervjuades sex unga vuxna i Västra Götalandsregionen och deras konsumtionsmönster. Resultatet visade att hållbara köpbeslut som tas  i många fall har andra grundläggande anledningar som ekonomiska eller är helt omedvetna. Det visade sig även att konsumenter i stor utsträckning använder sig av ett kompensatoriskt konsumtionsmönster. Slutsatser som dragits är att miljöengagemanget mellan deltagarna i intervjuerna var varierande och att ett större miljöengagemang leder till fler hållbara beslut hos konsumenter. Pris är också en bidragande faktor till ett hållbart konsumtionsmönster tillsammans med en bred kunskapsbas hos konsumenten. För att hållbarhetscertifieringar ska få önskvärd effekt krävs tydligare information riktad till konsumenterna, både från företagen och organisationerna samt i butikerna. / The essay will examine how young consumers make environmentally sustainable decisions when they buy groceries and home decor. Enviromental sustainability means taking into account the effects that a product or service has on the ecology and the future's ability to flourish. At the same time as demand  for environmentally sustainable products is growing and supply increases, some skepticism rises over the certifications of sustainable products. Other barriers for sustainable purchasing decisions include, among other things, the fact that many purchase decisions are made out of habit, that the price between organic and non-organic foods is different paired with the fact that there in no information about what actually is the most environmentally sustainable alternative. To answer the purpose of the paper, six young adults in Västra Götaland, Sweden were interviewed about the pattern of their purchase decisions. The results showed that sustainable purchasing decisions in many cases have other basic reasons, such as economic, or that the consumer is completely unaware. It was also found that consumers use a compensatory consumption pattern to a large extent. Conclusions are that the environmental engagement of the participants in the interviews varied and that a greater environmental commitment leads to more sustainable decisions by consumers. For sustainability certifications to have the desired effect, clearer information is required for consumers, both from companies and organizations, as well as in the stores.

This paper presents a project done within the field of office interior design, which aims to create an efficient set of services that caters to the needs of the interior designer while procuring and implementing used furniture in their projects. The project was conducted in collaboration with Plym Projekt AB, an interior design company who introduced the thesis topic, and Easy Steps, sustainability-focused consultancy company. The collaboration involved regular sessions throughout the course of the thesis, including feedback, guidance and co-creation. During the past two years, the Plym has seen an increase in the demand for sustainable furniture options in the office interior design field. Since then, the company has been attempting to update its business model to provide its customers with a sustainable alternative, encountering obstacles along the way. In addition to a literature review, primary research was conducted, including stakeholder interviews and an end-user questionnaire. Upon empirical data, the authors identified a gap in the industry that is ideally suited for a new actor. The project results in the development of this new actor and its business activities through service design, proposing a set of services that will not only benefit the interior designer, but also its clients, furniture suppliers, and other stakeholders in the office furniture industry. Finally, the service is partially demonstrated through the prototype of a digital platform.

Approximately 300 years ago, French astronomer, Jean Jacques became the first individual to scientifically observe circadian rhythm. Since then, a great deal of study has been conducted, and its findings demonstrate that every human action, including digestion, sleep and waking hours, hormone release, blood pressure, and body temperature, is controlled by a physiological mechanism. More critically, any modification to this clock may have an impact on a person's immune system. The sun's rays are diffused in the sky and contain all the required wavelengths to enable the regular stimulation of the circadian rhythms of humans, animals, and plants. People's health and well-being will be supported if they have adequate access to daylight. However, given the changes in the way of life of modern humans, this is not possible. Additionally, as the human circadian rhythm is greatly influenced by the short wavelengths of the visible light spectrum, the process of LEDification would increase human exposure to LEDs blue light, which might negatively affect their health and well-being. This research involves the development of a new architectural design framework to evaluate and support the process of creating lighting systems that maintain human healthy circadian rhythm. This process develops a model consisting of key decisions made in each stage of the design process and related knowledge domains to successfully integrate dynamic lighting techniques into the building design. The process explains the role of each member, the essential tools, and the flow of the decision-making process. / Doctor of Philosophy / Approximately 300 years ago, French astronomer, Jean Jacques became the first individual to scientifically observe the natural 24-hour cycle in plants. Since then, a great deal of study has been conducted, and its findings demonstrate that every human action, including digestion, sleep and waking hours, hormone release, blood pressure, and body temperature, is controlled by a physiological mechanism. More critically, any modification to this clock may have an impact on a person's immune system. The sunlight provides enough light for the natural stimulation of the human circadian rhythm. However, modern humans spend a lot of their time indoors and under electric light sources. These light sources might have negative impacts on human circadian rhythm and health. This research has developed a new design framework that architects and lighting designers can use to ensure a lighting system that would support occupants' health and well-being.