<p>Have you ever been frustrated with that IT system at work that does not behave the way you expect it to? Or had problems with using the features on your new mobile phone? When systems and appliances do not support us in what we are doing, and do not behave the way we expect them to, then usability is neglected. Poor usability may be frustrating and irritating when trying out your mobile phone, but in a critical work situation poor usability may be disastrous.</p><p>In this thesis, user-centred systems design (UCSD) is advocated as an approach for facilitating the development of usable interactive systems. Systems that suit their intended use and users do not just “emerge”. They are the result of a UCSD <i>process</i> and a user-centred <i>attitude</i> during the development. This means in short that the real users and their needs, goals, context of use, abilities and limitations, drive the development – in contrast to technology-driven development. We define UCSD as: a process focusing on usability throughout the entire development process and further throughout the system life cycle. I argue that this definition along with a set of key principles do help organisations and individual projects in the process of developing usable interactive systems. The key principles include the necessity of having an explicit focus on users and making sure that users are actively involved in the process.</p><p>The thesis provides knowledge and insights gained from real-life situations about what UCSD is and how it can be put into practice. The most significant results are: the proposal of a clear definition of UCSD and a set of key principles encompassing UCSD; a process for usability design and the usability designer role. Furthermore, design cases from different domains are provided as examples and illustrations.</p>

<p>Computer users often suffer from poorly designed support systems that hinder them from performing their work efficiently and with satisfaction. The evidence is found in observations of users at work, interviews, evaluations of systems, and numerous reports of systems with poor usability that fail from start. </p><p>Those who use the systems are proficient in their work, and those who develop systems are proficient in software engineering. These two groups have often little knowledge and understanding of each other’s worlds and their vocabularies are quite different. In systems development projects, users are often confronted with representations of their work that they hardly recognize. Systems designers compose these representations in an attempt to reduce the complexity of the work practices in a way that is appropriate for systems development. It is very difficult for users to appreciate the consequences fully on their future work situation from such representations, since they are removed from the social setting and often describe work in a fragmentized way. The unfamiliar view of their work may make the users less inclined to participate in the forthcoming design process. </p><p>This thesis presents research performed to increase the usability of systems in working life and to explore conditions that facilitate the design of systems that really support the users work. The research comprises field studies in different work contexts, e.g. health care, dentistry, public service, and transportation. Information on the essentials of work has been gathered and analyzed to learn how such findings can be translated into systems design. Another goal has been to explore how to make the most of users’ experiences and skills to assure systems that better fit their work. Along with a growing awareness of the importance of user involvement in design, a participatory design process including the analysis and design of work has evolved.</p>

<p>Examining how our basic values affect development processes is the overall theme of this thesis. In practice, the question is investigated in relation to software development and organizational change and in research, in relation to science and its relationship to common sense, specifically within the area of Human Computer Interaction. The thesis discusses how it might be possible to discover what is essential for development processes and why the essential may be interpreted as something other than the simply obvious. This thesis examines ways of studying and understanding our social environment and development processes, particularly those concerning people, organizations and software. The empirical examples deal with a software development project and a project that scrutinized the strategy for a governmental authority’s business and information technology. Attitudes are discussed in terms of how they view the user, the customer, the software developers, the software, organizational and implementation processes, organizational management, aesthetic values, functionality and use, research, methods, paradigmatic approaches, ethical issues, psychological reactions, sociological prerequisites, categorizations of people and stress-related health consequences. One particular prerequisite for developing superior computer-supported office work has repeatedly presented itself: an open, questioning attitude towards the software development process, towards organizational change and towards the people working in the organizations. A similar attitude towards research and its design can be crucial to the development of new knowledge. This circumstance can be interpreted as an indication of how important it is that we be aware of and question our preconceived notions, in order to develop an autonomous behavior where we take responsibility for our actions. By doing so, we can avoid misinterpretations and not get trapped into making categorizations that are simply obvious. This is essential and must be emphasized in our search for the path to »healthy work«.</p>

Avsikten med uppsatsen är att ta reda på om det skapats ett nytt radiolyssnarmönster i och med att Sveriges Radios (SR) erbjuder tjänsten on demandradio, det vill säga möjlighet att lyssna på radioprogram som redan har sänts på vanlig radio eller webbradio. John Fiske Kommunikations teorier har använts samt Walter Benjamin teorier som behandlar förändringar som sker vid reproduktion. Historiska teorier av Marshall McLuhan och Tony Schwartz har även använts. Författarnas metod består av tre delar där en jämförelse genomförts mellan olika sekundära data från SR, Radioundersökningar AB (RUAB), Nordiskt informationscenter för medie- och kommunikationsforskning (Nordicom), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) samt Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR). Därefter har insamling av kvantitativa data gjorts via enkät som publicerats på SR:s hemsida samt via utskick till en referensgrupp. Författarna har gjort längre telefonintervjuer om cirka 35-45 minuter vilka spelats in och delvis transkriberats för att få in data med mer kvalitativ tyngd. Resultaten från enkäterna och intervjuerna pekar på att det finns ett nytt aktivt sätt att lyssna på radio i och med att man använder sig av on demandradiotjänsten. Man lyssnar när man har tid, man lyssnar när man missat något och man lyssnar när man vill höra ett program ännu en gång. Det är svårt att se ifall tiden för lyssnandet har ändrats, men tidpunkten för att lyssna på program som kräver mer uppmärksamhet verkar enligt telefonintervjuerna ha förflyttats till kvällstid när det för lyssnaren finns en ledig ”lucka” i tiden att lyssna på on demandradio. De siffror och speciellt den ökning i dessa siffror som BBC presenterar när det gäller on demandradiolyssnare visar på att denna ökning sannolikt kommer att ske även här i Sverige när folk upptäcker tjänsten. / The aim of the thesis is to study if new radio listening patterns have been created since Swedish public radio Sveriges Radio (SR) began offering radio repeats on demand via its website. Communication theories written by John Fiske have been used and theories by Walter Benjamin concerning how things change when reproduced. Marshall McLuhan and Tony Schwartz historic theories have also been utilized. The method used has been divided into three sections, where a comparison has been made between various secondary data from SR, Radioundersökningar AB (RUAB), the Nordic Information Center for Media and Communication Research (NORDICOM), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR). Quantitative data was collected via a questionnaire that was published on the SR website and through emailing the questionnaire to a reference group. The authors have carried out 35-45 minute telephone interviews which were recorded and partly transcribed to collect more qualitative data. Results from the questionnaires and interviews suggest that listeners to on demand radio services use a new, more active way of listening to the radio. People listen to on demand radio when they have time, listen when they have missed something in a programme, or choose to listen to a programme again. It is however difficult to see if the time for listening has changed, but the time for listening to radio programmes that require more concentration seems to have moved to evenings, and when listeners have an available “window” for concentrated on demand radio listening. It is nevertheless clear from the BBC figures and the growth in on demand radio listening at the BBC that this growth is also likely to take place in Sweden once the public becomes more aware of the availability of this service.

The aim of this thesis is to study a number of standards and theories, from the two research areas human-computer interaction and psychology, about how a graphical user interface (GUI) should be composed in order to facilitate interaction between humans and computers. Special emphasis is put on how the GUI should take into consideration the strengths and limitations of human cognition and perception. A study of three web catalogues shows how these theories appear when concretised. The following questions are answered in this thesis:What guidelines and styleguides can be found that specify the design of a user-friendly GUI?How do a few library catalogues on the web match a selection of these design principles?The guidelines are extracted from literature concerning human-computer interaction, psychology, automated library systems and web design. The standards are ISO 9241 Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals, and standardised icons from the International Federation of Library Associations. The web catalogues were studied through a questionnaire handed to five people. These catalogues belong to Lund University Library, Frank L. Cubly Library and Spencer Library Media Center. The different aspects studied were icons, information, terminology, orientation, graphics, colours and moving objects. In some cases the catalogues match the guidelines studied, in some cases they do not. Reasons affecting the choice of guidelines are the application, the users and their work, and the hardware. Reasons why guidelines are not used can be that designers do not understand or know them, or that they have found better solutions. / Uppsatsnivå: D

Syftet med studien är att genom en kombination av ett statistiskt experiment samt ett par kvalitativa intervjuer undersöka hur variabler såsom radlängd och typsnittstorlek påverkar läsbarheten vid läsning på liten skärm. Med liten skärm avses skärm tillhörande så kallade mini-PC och avser en tumstorlek mellan approximativt 7-9. Undersökningen tar sitt ursprung i en webbaserad kontext, vilket motiveras med det faktum att många läsprocesser på skärm härrör från webbaserad läsning. Använda mått i studien är läshastighet, läsförståelse samt subjektiva preferenser, mätt med hjälp av likertskala mellan 1-5 i ett frågeformulär.Studiens teoretiska basis är tämligen bred och berör flertalet områden såsom människa-dator interaktion, interaktionsdesign, grafisk design, informationsdesign, webbdesign samt även områden så som kommunikationsteori samt informationsbeteende, även om de två sistnämnda berörs tämligen perifert.Det statistiska experimentet genomfördes med 21 personer som sammantaget läste fyra webbaserade texter. Texternas inbördes svårighetsgrad, med avseende på texternas språkliga innehåll, mättes med hjälp av måttet Läsbarhetsindex (LIX) och bedömdes enligt dessa vara likvärdiga. En statistisk prövning med hjälp av hypotestestning genomfördes, vilken visade signifikanta samband mellan läshastighet och läsning av texter utformade i en spalt, samt mellan läshastighet och texter utformade i 12 punkters storlek. Några signifikanta resultat mellan läsförståelse och radlängd samt mellan läsförståelse och typsnittstorlek kunde inte påträffas. Däremot fanns ett signifikant samband mellan subjektiv preferens med avseende på textens innehåll och radlängd, men dock ej mellan samma variabel och typsnittstorlek. Samma förhållande påträffades mellan variabeln subjektiv preferens med avseende på layout och radlängd, samt subjektiv preferens med avseende på layout och typsnittstorlek. Något signifikant resultat kunde inte upptäckas mellan subjektiv upplevelse gällande radlängd och typsnittstorlek, men däremot mellan subjektiv upplevelse av radlängd och spaltindelning.Tillsammans indikerar detta resultat en tydlig trend att texter utformade i en spalt, med längre radbredd, samt text utformad i 12 punkter var att preferera. Detta resultat framkommer också i de kvalitativa intervjuer som genomfördes där dock en något mer nyanserad bild kring hur läsupplevelsen upplevdes framkommer, än vad det kvantitativa experimentet ger utrymme för.Kombinationen av forskningsansatser ansågs fungera tämligen väl och tillsammans med ett väl operationaliserat experiment ger detta studien tämligen hög reliabilitet och validitet, även om brist på sannolikhetsurval sänker båda dessa något. Ett viktigt resultat som framkom i studien är dock att textens utformning i hög grad påverkar hur denna uppfattas, vilket är av stor vikt att ta hänsyn till i en designsituation. Även om 10 punkter innebär att mer information kan få plats på en liten skärm, är inte detta det mest optimala valet utifrån ett läsbarhetsperspektiv.

I dagsläget finns det allt för många odugliga biljettautomatsystem som inte bidrar till annat än missnöjda kunder och användare. Resenärerna ökar och kräver fler användarvänliga biljettautomatsystem. I denna studie har vi lagt användarna i centrum under hela processen. Dagens system saknar viktig feedback från användarnas perspektiv därför har vi lagt all fokus på det när vi intervjuat och observerat användarna när de interagerar med biljettautomatsystemen. Den här studien syftar till att ta fram designprinciper för utveckling av användarvänliga gränssnitt. Det bästa med denna studie är att vi har lagt all vår fokus på användaren och verkligen strävat efter att lyfta fram honom/hennes perspektiv. Vi har till en början sammanställt en bakgrundsbeskrivning där vi har diskuterat olika problem och begrepp som finns i dagens IT-utveckling, sedan går vi vidare med att diskutera problemområdet där vi bl.a. Presenterar ett scenario om hur det kan se ut när någon integrerar med ett biljettautomatsystem. För att avgränsa studiens omfattning har vi valt att avgränsa oss till biljettautomatsystem där man kan köpa och beställa resor. Vi har alltså inte undersökt alla system. Vi har även valt att avgränsa oss till interaktionen mellan användaren och systemet. Den teoretiska delen har legat som grund för den empiriska undersökningen där vi har använt en kvalitativ metod och gjort både observationer och intervjuer med användare. Vidare i analysen har vi gjort en jämförelse mellan teorin och empirin och har haft det som utgångspunkt när vi utvecklat designprinciperna.

Master thesis studying the use of multimedia on CD-ROM in a library setting by analysis ofqualitative interviews with nineteen persons.The thesis relates the study to some relevant issues in human-computer interface (HCI) researchand to the commercial market for multimedia CD-ROM products. Three main types ofuse were described by the persons interviewed: recreational, information seeking and usingmultimedia to learn more about using computers. Children and young people interviewed mademost use of the multimedia provided, whereas adults thought it to be less valuable as a sourceof knowledge for them personally.HCI research shows various results of using multimedia for educational purposes. Thecommercial market is dominated by American products which can have a negative effect onthe use of multimedia in Swedish public libraries.

<p>This work is about supporting user interface design by means of explicit design representations, in particular models.</p><p>We take as a starting point two different development traditions: the formal, analytic, topdown engineering approach and the informal, synthetic, bottom-up designer approach. Both are based on specific design representations tailored to the respective approaches, and are found to have strengths and weaknesses. We conclude that different representations should be used during user interface design, based on their specific qualities and the needs of the design process.</p><p>To better understand the use of design representations a framework for classifying them is developed. A design representation may be classified along three dimensions: the perspective (problem- or solution-oriented) of the representation, the granularity of the objects described and the degree of formality of the representation and its language. Any design approach must provide representation languages that cover the whole classification space to be considered complete. In addition, the transitions between different representations within the representation space must be supported, like moving between task-based and interaction- oriented representations or up and down a hierarchic model. Movements between representations with different degrees of formality are particularly important when combining user-centered design with a model-based approach.</p><p>The design representation classification framework has guided the development of diagrambased modelling languages for the three main perspectives of user interface design, tasks, abstract dialogue and concrete interaction. The framework has also been used for evaluating the languges. A set-based conceptual modelling language is used for domain modelling within all these perspectives. The task modelling language is designed as a hybrid of floworiented process languages and traditional hierarchical sequence-oriented task languages.</p><p>Key features are tight integration with the domain modelling language, expressive and flexible notation and support for classification of task structures. The language for modelling abstract dialogue is based on the interactor abstraction for expressing composition and information flow, and the Statecharts language for activation and sequencing. Parameterized interactors are supported, to provide means of expressing generic and reusable dialogue structures. Modelling of concrete interaction is supported by a combination of the dialogue and domain modelling languages, where the former captures the functionality and behavior and the latter covers concepts that are specific for the chosen interaction style.</p><p>The use of the languages in design is demonstrated in a case study, where models for tasks, dialogue and concrete interaction are developed. The case study shows that the languages support movements along the perspective, granularity and formality dimensions.</p>

<p>We have, within the last years, witnessed horrifying tragedies within the transportation domain. Planes fall down, trains crash, boats sink, and car accidents are one of the most frequent causes of death throughout the world.</p><p>What is more, technology seems also to fail in settings that are more mundane. In his book "the trouble with computers: Usefulness, usability, and productivity", T.K. Landauer shows that the productivity has, within the western world, decreased by about 50% from the period 1950-1973 to the period from 1973 to 1993, and claims that this effect is mostly due to the introduction of technology. Even closer to home, technology is still anxiety provoking for most people. One of many everyday observations to support this fact can be seen at the airports. Have you wondered why most people line up, even for hours, without daring to go near the automatic check-in machines?</p><p>What has become of the grandiose promises from the heydays of artificial intelligence? What happened to the mind-machines of Newell and Simon? Where is HAL 9000? The distance between the massive technology positivism observed in the west, and the contemporary role of technology in the society, is, I believe, one of the largest paradoxes of our time.</p><p>What is particularly interesting to note, is that the parody of the AI of the 60s, seems to be recycled every now and again, both within entertainment, the financial world, and within academia. At the turn of the century, we have seen the popularity of movies like The Matrix, we have seen high hopes become sober reality at NASDAQ, and the reductionism of Newell and Simon is alive and well, in disguise of the magic buzzword connectionism. Universities around the world are now buying MRI – scanners on the thousands. We are, yet again (!), on the verge of discovering the mysteries of the mind.</p><p>The slogan "Vorsprung Durch Technic" used by Audi displays something that lies deep within the western mind, namely the tendency to define ourselves and our culture in terms the inherent qualities of technology; precision, logic, rationality, reliability, punctuality, determination and power. Technology is, in many respects, the totem of the western culture. Maybe this thesis should have been about Techno-Totemism. But it is not.</p><p>This thesis, on the other hand, attempts to explore what technology might have looked like, had it not been for techno-totemism, i.e. the prevailing idea within western culture and sciences, that humans are literally machines. This notion makes engineers design technological products as if humans actually were machines, or worse imperfect machines. The imperfect machine metaphor leads directly to the notion of "human error", which is often used in a particularly stupid fashion.</p><p>In this work I lean, on the contrary, on aspects of human cognition that are not machine-like whatsoever, and advocate a change in design focus, from an emphasis on technology to an emphasis on ecology. I have attempted to present my programme positively; that is, to give indications on how, in practical, real life settings, such an approach might be carried out. At certain points, however, it has been necessary to point out the difference of my approach from the traditional cognitive-based Human Factors tradition, to make my points explicit. I apologize to cognitivists and human factors specialists for occasionally making a straw man of their theory. There are many excellent contributions made by these traditions, which are not reflected in this thesis.</p>