Ethics is an important issue in persuasive technology. Previous research indicates that the application areas for persuasive technology are many with evidence for use in health, education, e-commerce, and social media, which has further led to deeper research on ethics in these areas. However, in finance there is a lack of research of ethics combined with persuasive technology. This study therefore takes a closer look at which ethical factors the financial sector needs to keep in mind if they were to consider using persuasive technology in their services and/or products, to protect their own and their users’ integrity. Seven participants were invited and participated in a think aloud interview, as well as semi-structured interview and a questionnaire was also shared on social media platforms where responses were received from 41 participants. A thematic analysis was performed that showed contradictions in the participants' perception of persuasive technology that seems to be based on a lack of knowledge about the area rather than the technology itself. Consequently, it became clear that transparency was important and that this in turn could lead to increased trust. Trust was the aspect that the participants considered to be most important in the choice of financial institution and is therefore also the ethical factor that should be valued the most. / Etik är en viktig fråga inom övertygande teknologi, dvs. teknologi som utnyttjar övertygande strategier för att få ut det skaparen vill utav användaren. Tidigare forskning pekar på att applikationsområdena för övertygande teknologi är många med användning inom hälsa, utbildning, e-handel och sociala medier vilket vidare har lett till mer forskning kring etisk användning av övertygande teknologier inom dessa områden. Bristen på forskning inom etik, övertygande teknologi och finans tillsammans indikerar dock att det finns ett glapp mellan forskningsområdena som bör utforskas. Denna studie tittar därför närmare på vilka etiska faktorer finanssektorn behöver ha i åtanke ifall de skulle överväga att använda övertygande teknologi i sina tjänster och/eller produkter, detta för att skydda sin egen och sina användares integritet. Sju deltagare deltog i en ”tänka högt”-intervju samt semistrukturerade intervjuer och en enkätundersökning delades på sociala medier där svar kom in från 41 deltagare. En tematisk analys utfördes som visade på motsägelser i deltagarnas uppfattning av övertygande teknologi som verkar grunda sig i bristande kunskap om området än teknologin själv. Som konsekvens av detta blev det tydligt att transparens var viktigt och att detta i sin tur kan leda till ökat förtroende. Förtroende var den aspekt som deltagarna ansåg vara viktigast i valet av finansiellt institut och är därför också den etiska faktor som bör värderas högst.

This thesis sets out to answer the question “How does Persuasive Technology influence the User Experience in a Learning Management System?”. The aim was to further the understanding of Persuasive Technologies (PT) within Education and better the insights in how PT affects the User Experience (UX) due to the increasing number of online students in Sweden. By using a mix-method approach the thesis focuses on understanding how the Dashboard within Linnaeus University’s Moodle environment interacts with Persuasive Technology. By combining both quantitative and qualitative methods such as the System Usability Scale (SUS), Usability Testing with Concurrent Thinking Aloud as well as Retrospective Probing Questions the aim is to better understand the effect. The study indicated that PT has the possibility to affect the User Experience both positively and negatively. The results suggest that if the adaptation of persuasive elements have not been thoroughly thought through the LMS runs a risk of being seen as unlikable and untrustworthy. This thesis’s result shows that the Persuasive Design Principles Liking and Trustworthiness are key Principles when it comes to affecting the user’s experience.

I dagens samhälle är användningen av sociala medier större än någonsin och den ökar för varje år. Med den stora användningen följer många positiva effekter som till exempel sociala interaktioner, lättillgänglig information, samt nytta och nöje. Det finns också negativa effekter som till exempel att användarnas välmående påverkas. Tidigare forskning visar på att det finns både psykiska och fysiska negativa följder vid överdriven användning av sociala medier. Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar digital natives beteende och användarupplevelse vid användning av sociala medier, samt hur ett verktyg kan utvecklas för att öka användarens upplevda beteendekontroll. Studien grundar sig i ett teoretiskt ramverk bestående av användarupplevelse, Theory of planned behavior och Persuasive technology, vilka tillsammans bidrar till en djupare förståelse av användarna. Med ett kvalitativt arbetssätt genomfördes fyra dagboksundersökningar och sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med deltagare som identifierar sig som kvinnor. Tidigare forskning visar på att kvinnor i större omfång än män drabbas av negativa effekter vid användning av sociala medier, vilket är anledningen till att urvalet endast bestod av kvinnor i denna studie. Alla studiedeltagare var även digital natives, det vill säga personer som vuxit upp med teknologi och besitter stora tekniska kunskaper. Resultatet visade på att användning av sociala medier till stor del påverkas av attityder gentemot dem, subjektiva normer och av den upplevda beteendekontrollen. Den sociala pressen av användningen, påverkan av vänner och familj samt den egna upplevda kontrollen över användningen var starka mönster som framkom i undersökningarna. Ett automatiserat beteende där användningen inte alltid skedde medvetet var en återkommande faktor som togs i beaktande vid utvecklingen av gränssnittet. Med hjälp av termen användarupplevelse samt Theory of planned behavior kunde studiedeltagarnas beteende och upplevelser förstås och tolkas. Denna förståelse tillsammans med Persuasive technology bidrog till ett förslag på ett hjälpmedel i form av ett gränssnitt där fokus ligger på att försöka förbättra användarupplevelsen och den upplevda beteendekontrollen, vilket i sin tur kan minska de negativa effekter som kan uppstå vid användning av sociala medier. / In today's society the use of social media is greater than ever and it increases every year. With this extensive use there are some positives, such as social interactions and easily accessible information, as well as uses for business and pleasure. There are also negative effects such as the well-being of users being compromised. Previous research shows that there are both negative psychological and physical consequences associated with excessive use of social media. The aim of the study was to examine what factors influence digital natives’ behavior and user experience when using social media, as well as how to develop a tool that increases the user’s perceived behavioral control. The study is based on a theoretical framework consisting of User Experience, Theory of Planned Behavior and Persuasive Technology, that together contribute to a deeper understanding of the users. With a qualitative approach, four diary studies and six semi-structured interviews were carried out with participants identifying as women. Previous research shows that women to a greater extent than men suffer from adverse effects following the use of social media, which is why the participants consisted of women in this study. All participants were digital natives, that is, people who grew up with technology and hold great technical knowledge. The results indicated that the use of social media was largely influenced by attitudes towards it, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. The social pressure of usage, the influence of friends and family as well as the perceived control of use were strong patterns found in the surveys. An automated behavior where usage was not always a conscious choice was a recurring factor that was taken into account in the development of the interface. With the help of the term user experience and Theory of planned behavior, the behavior and user experiences of the informants could be understood and interpreted. This understanding, along with Persuasive technology, contributed to a proposal for an interface focusing on trying to improve user experience and perceived behavioral control, which in turn can reduce the negative effects that may occur when using social media.

Digitization of data offers more opportunities for future health and medicine care due to the availability of information technology in our everyday lives. Several studies have provided us with insights in designing persuasive eHealth services, but only a few studies have investigated the design of a persuasive eHealth application by using presently available smartphones and while including the target group. By pursuing an iterative design process, three smartphone application prototypes were created and tested with senior citizens by using cognitive walkthroughs, use case scenarios and semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that the target group involvement had positive influences on the design of the prototypes, with user insights uncovering setbacks and opportunities in the design. Thus, the study presents a set of primary characteristics for designing a persuasive eHealth application to be usable with smartphones and how the iterative design process with the involvement of senior citizens shaped the design.

Gamification is a term that refers to the use of game design elements in contexts other than video games. In these contexts, the primary goal of gamification is not playful, but rather to motivate users to perform tasks or change behaviors. It is also the goal of gamification, captivate users and influence them to persist in the use of the gamified system. In recent years, we have witnessed a growing interest in gamification and its application in learning environments, especially online. In learning contexts, motivating students to follow up on teaching tasks is an important role for teachers and intelligent educational systems. However, ill-designed gamification interventions can become a distraction capable of interfering on the teaching-learning process. Despite this, most studies in the area remain focused on the potential benefits of gamification and less on investigating systematized solutions to achieve these benefits. Our contribution to the solution of the problem is based on the use of persuasion profiles that take into account the students player roles. We conduct systematic mappings of the literature to gather information about gamification in education, and how group formation in collaborative learning environments. As a result, we created two conceptual frameworks. One framework to help understand and classify group formation in the context of computer-supported collaborative learning, and other to support the definition of player roles in collaborative learning environments. Also, in a preliminary study (N = 481), we adapted and validated for Brazilian Portuguese speakers a scale to measure users susceptibility to persuasion. In another study (N = 149) we developed a theoretical model to map persuasive strategies and different roles of players to support the elaboration of persuasion profiles. Finally, to verify the feasibility of our model, in another study (N = 18) we elaborated prototypes of user interfaces and analyzed the perceived persuasiveness of the interfaces for different players roles and their susceptibility to persuasion. Results show that less motivated students were more likely to accept the suggestions of the prototypes, whereas users with above-average motivation (among observed students) reacted negatively to influence attempts by showing low agreement rates for the requirements of the prototypes. We also observed in the three studies (N = 648) that the number of individuals susceptible to the principle of authority were the lowest, compared to the other influence principles. Few research initiatives have been investigating the development of tailored gamified. One of the reasons for such deficiency is the difficulty of creating computational models based on learners psychological traits (e.g., psychological needs, susceptibility to persuasion, and learner and player roles). However, more worrisome than the ineffectiveness of gamification models based on one-size-fits-all is the risk of designing counterproductive models that could backfire, since the appropriate strategy to motivate an individual may end up discouraging others. Thus, evidence suggest that gamification design could benefit of influence principles, although tailored solutions should be designed to minimize the risks of selecting counter-tailored and ill-defined persuasive strategies. / Gamificação é um termo que se refere ao uso de elementos do projeto de jogos em contextos que não são jogos. Nestes contextos, o objetivo primário da gamificação não é lúdico, mas sim o de motivar os usuários a realizarem tarefas ou alterarem comportamentos. Também é objetivo da gamificação, cativar usuários e influenciá-los a persistirem na utilização do sistema gamificado. Nos últimos anos, testemunhamos um crescente interesse em gamificação e sua aplicação em ambientes de aprendizagem, especialmente online. No contexto da aprendizagem, motivar os estudantes a dar seguimento as tarefas pedagógicas é um papel importante dos professores e dos ambientes educacionais inteligentes. Por essa razão, as tecnologias persuasivas como a gamificação têm sido usadas também em ambientes de aprendizagem colaborativa para aumentar o engajamento dos estudantes e para reduzir o sentimento de obrigação na execução de tarefas pedagógicas. Contudo, quando mal utilizada, a gamificação pode se tornar uma distração capaz de interferir no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Entretanto, a maioria dos estudos na área continuam focados nos potenciais benefícios da gamificação e menos em investigar soluções sistematizadas para se atingir os benefícios. Nossa contribuição para a solução do problema é baseada no uso de perfis de persuasão que levam em consideração o papel de jogador do estudante. Nós conduzimos mapeamentos sistemáticos da literatura para obter informação sobre gamificação em educação e como são formados grupos de estudantes em ambientes de aprendizagem colaborativa. Como resultado nós criamos dois arcabouços conceituais. Um arcabouço para ajudar a compreender e classificar a formação de grupos no contexto da aprendizagem colaborativa com suporte computacional, e outro para apoiar a definição de papéis de jogadores em ambientes colaborativos. Em um estudo preliminar (N=481), adaptamos e validamos para o português brasileiro uma escala para medir a susceptibilidade à persuasão dos usuários. Em outro estudo (N=149) desenvolvemos um modelo teórico para mapear estratégias persuasivas e diferentes papéis de jogadores para apoiar a elaboração de perfis de persuasão. Para verificar a viabilidade de nosso modelo, em outro estudo (N=18) elaboramos protótipos de interfaces do usuário. Analisamos a capacidade de influenciar das interfaces comparando papéis de jogadores e susceptibilidade a princípios de influência. Os resultados mostram que os estudantes menos motivados eram mais susceptíveis a aceitar as sugestões do protótipo, enquanto usuários com índices de motivação acima da média (dentre estudantes observados), tendiam a reagir negativamente às tentativas de influenciá-los, apresentando índices menores de concordância para com as solicitações do protótipo gamificado. Observamos ainda nos três estudos conduzidos (N=648), comparado aos outros princípios de influência, o número de indivíduos suscetíveis ao princípio de autoridade eram os menores. Poucas iniciativas de pesquisa vêm investigando como desenvolver sistemas de gamificados que se adaptam aos papéis de jogadores. Parte desta deficiência pode ser explicada devido à complexidade no projeto e desenvolvimento destes sistemas. Entretanto como evidenciado, além da ineficácia dos modelos de gamificação baseados em uma solução para todos, o maior risco observado está no uso de modelos contraproducentes, uma vez que a estratégia apropriada para motivar um indivíduo, pode acabar desmotivando outros (backfire effect).

Many people use personal informatics systems to gather personal behavioral data, make better decisions, and make changes to their behavior. While the proliferation of new products on the market makes collecting personal data easier, how to help people engage with these systems over a long period of time remains an open question. To uncover which features of personal informatics systems lead to engaging experience and long-term use, two user studies were conducted with people who use personal informatics systems to support or track behavior change. Baseline interviews were conducted and participants were asked to interact with personal informatics systems. Participants rated their experience both qualitatively and quantitatively and particularly in Study2, participants rated their experience with the system daily. At the beginning and at the end of each study, participants were asked to reflect on their physical activity levels and on their perceived behavior change at the end of the each study. The results were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively and similarities and differences between the studies were exhibited. This research reveals that easy and instant access to data is critical, and feeling good and positive social outcomes of interaction will also support sustained product use. In addition, personalization of data is emerged to be an important expectation of the users. At the end, design implications for future personal informatics system are also offered.

Various studies have taken different approaches to persuade users into adopting a healthy sitting posture. In addition to the sedentary lifestyles we have come to adopt, the importance and reasoning of these studies stem from the adverse effects of poor posture on our health and mood. However, studies approaching this area with real-time visual modality integrated into clothing are rather sparse. Utilizing this integration might potentially fulfill the requirements of the ubiquitous computing era and inform the users in a calmer way. To evaluate various aspects of this concept, a mid-fidelity prototype was developed and tested with users. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted to obtain their thoughts and opinions on such an approach. In addition to the approval of the concept, further concerns, advantages and disadvantages were disclosed, and used to inform a design space for similar concepts. Although requiring more research, the results of this study outline a primary design space consisting of essential characteristics one needs to be aware of when designing a similar concept.

Gamification is a term that refers to the use of game design elements in contexts other than video games. In these contexts, the primary goal of gamification is not playful, but rather to motivate users to perform tasks or change behaviors. It is also the goal of gamification, captivate users and influence them to persist in the use of the gamified system. In recent years, we have witnessed a growing interest in gamification and its application in learning environments, especially online. In learning contexts, motivating students to follow up on teaching tasks is an important role for teachers and intelligent educational systems. However, ill-designed gamification interventions can become a distraction capable of interfering on the teaching-learning process. Despite this, most studies in the area remain focused on the potential benefits of gamification and less on investigating systematized solutions to achieve these benefits. Our contribution to the solution of the problem is based on the use of persuasion profiles that take into account the students player roles. We conduct systematic mappings of the literature to gather information about gamification in education, and how group formation in collaborative learning environments. As a result, we created two conceptual frameworks. One framework to help understand and classify group formation in the context of computer-supported collaborative learning, and other to support the definition of player roles in collaborative learning environments. Also, in a preliminary study (N = 481), we adapted and validated for Brazilian Portuguese speakers a scale to measure users susceptibility to persuasion. In another study (N = 149) we developed a theoretical model to map persuasive strategies and different roles of players to support the elaboration of persuasion profiles. Finally, to verify the feasibility of our model, in another study (N = 18) we elaborated prototypes of user interfaces and analyzed the perceived persuasiveness of the interfaces for different players roles and their susceptibility to persuasion. Results show that less motivated students were more likely to accept the suggestions of the prototypes, whereas users with above-average motivation (among observed students) reacted negatively to influence attempts by showing low agreement rates for the requirements of the prototypes. We also observed in the three studies (N = 648) that the number of individuals susceptible to the principle of authority were the lowest, compared to the other influence principles. Few research initiatives have been investigating the development of tailored gamified. One of the reasons for such deficiency is the difficulty of creating computational models based on learners psychological traits (e.g., psychological needs, susceptibility to persuasion, and learner and player roles). However, more worrisome than the ineffectiveness of gamification models based on one-size-fits-all is the risk of designing counterproductive models that could backfire, since the appropriate strategy to motivate an individual may end up discouraging others. Thus, evidence suggest that gamification design could benefit of influence principles, although tailored solutions should be designed to minimize the risks of selecting counter-tailored and ill-defined persuasive strategies. / Gamificação é um termo que se refere ao uso de elementos do projeto de jogos em contextos que não são jogos. Nestes contextos, o objetivo primário da gamificação não é lúdico, mas sim o de motivar os usuários a realizarem tarefas ou alterarem comportamentos. Também é objetivo da gamificação, cativar usuários e influenciá-los a persistirem na utilização do sistema gamificado. Nos últimos anos, testemunhamos um crescente interesse em gamificação e sua aplicação em ambientes de aprendizagem, especialmente online. No contexto da aprendizagem, motivar os estudantes a dar seguimento as tarefas pedagógicas é um papel importante dos professores e dos ambientes educacionais inteligentes. Por essa razão, as tecnologias persuasivas como a gamificação têm sido usadas também em ambientes de aprendizagem colaborativa para aumentar o engajamento dos estudantes e para reduzir o sentimento de obrigação na execução de tarefas pedagógicas. Contudo, quando mal utilizada, a gamificação pode se tornar uma distração capaz de interferir no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Entretanto, a maioria dos estudos na área continuam focados nos potenciais benefícios da gamificação e menos em investigar soluções sistematizadas para se atingir os benefícios. Nossa contribuição para a solução do problema é baseada no uso de perfis de persuasão que levam em consideração o papel de jogador do estudante. Nós conduzimos mapeamentos sistemáticos da literatura para obter informação sobre gamificação em educação e como são formados grupos de estudantes em ambientes de aprendizagem colaborativa. Como resultado nós criamos dois arcabouços conceituais. Um arcabouço para ajudar a compreender e classificar a formação de grupos no contexto da aprendizagem colaborativa com suporte computacional, e outro para apoiar a definição de papéis de jogadores em ambientes colaborativos. Em um estudo preliminar (N=481), adaptamos e validamos para o português brasileiro uma escala para medir a susceptibilidade à persuasão dos usuários. Em outro estudo (N=149) desenvolvemos um modelo teórico para mapear estratégias persuasivas e diferentes papéis de jogadores para apoiar a elaboração de perfis de persuasão. Para verificar a viabilidade de nosso modelo, em outro estudo (N=18) elaboramos protótipos de interfaces do usuário. Analisamos a capacidade de influenciar das interfaces comparando papéis de jogadores e susceptibilidade a princípios de influência. Os resultados mostram que os estudantes menos motivados eram mais susceptíveis a aceitar as sugestões do protótipo, enquanto usuários com índices de motivação acima da média (dentre estudantes observados), tendiam a reagir negativamente às tentativas de influenciá-los, apresentando índices menores de concordância para com as solicitações do protótipo gamificado. Observamos ainda nos três estudos conduzidos (N=648), comparado aos outros princípios de influência, o número de indivíduos suscetíveis ao princípio de autoridade eram os menores. Poucas iniciativas de pesquisa vêm investigando como desenvolver sistemas de gamificados que se adaptam aos papéis de jogadores. Parte desta deficiência pode ser explicada devido à complexidade no projeto e desenvolvimento destes sistemas. Entretanto como evidenciado, além da ineficácia dos modelos de gamificação baseados em uma solução para todos, o maior risco observado está no uso de modelos contraproducentes, uma vez que a estratégia apropriada para motivar um indivíduo, pode acabar desmotivando outros (backfire effect).

Idag ser vi en allt större ökning av eldrivna bilar. Fler länder och världsomfattande organisationer försöker framhäva elbilen för att accelerera dess adaption samt öka dess användning. Denna ökning förhindras bland annat av skillnader i användning av el och tidigare drivmedel som gör det svårt för fossilbilsanvändare att byta till elbil. Problematiken grundar sig i att flera beteenden från användningen av fossildrivnabilar ej är applicerbara i den nya elbilskontexten. Det ökande intresset för elbilar ställer nu nya krav på de hjälpmedel som finns att tillgå i samband med elbilsanvändning. Med dagens utveckling blir allt fler hjälpmedel digitala, vilket ställer krav på dagens designers. Framtidens digitala hjälpmedel behöver tillgodose behov som inte existerat vid användningen av tidigare drivmedel. Vi har genom studien tagit fram designförslag med syfte att stödja elbilsanvändare med element från persuasive design, detta med hjälp av design patterns som format. En prototyp designad efter dessa designförslag har sedan utvärderats för att se hur digitala hjälpmedel kan stödja elbilsanvändare. Studien har skett genom en designstudie med ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt, där vi utifrån identifierade utmaningar har utvärderat den framtagna prototypen genom scenariodrivna funktionstester. Testerna utfördes av elbilsanvändare och fokuserade på deras upplevda stöd av prototypens funktioner. Studien har skapat förståelse om vad och varför elbilsanvändare upplever svårigheter vid användningen av elbilar och hur digitala hjälpmedel kan underlätta för elbilsanvändare att förändra beteende. Resultatet av denna studie har lett till skapandet av fem designförslag som utvärderats, reviderats och presenteras i slutet av uppsatsen.

Food production in Sweden accounts for almost one third of all greenhouse gas emissions created by humans. Sustainability has therefore become a hot topic and several companies and organizations are developing different types of applications to get people to change their behavior in a direction towards a better environment. This is done, among other things, through Persuasive Design and Technology, which is technology developed to change people's behavior. ICA has a web application, “Mitt klimatmål”, that wants to inspire and engage people to make more sustainable choices when it comes to food purchases. In this paper, a qualitative study was conducted in the form of an experiment with interviews to find out if this application can change the behavior of the users, and also to find out what improvement factors exist and which could motivate the users even more. The results contribute to an increased understanding of the impact a system of this type has on its users and the types of functions that affect users the most. / Matproduktionen i Sverige står för nästan en tredjedel av allt växthusgasutsläpp som skapas av människor. Hållbarhet har därför blivit ett hett ämne och flera företag och organisationer utvecklar olika typer av applikationer för att få människor att ändra deras beteende i en riktning mot en bättre miljö. Detta görs bl.a. genom Persuasive Design och Technology, vilket är teknik utvecklat för att förändra människors beteende. ICA har en webbapplikation, “Mitt klimatmål”, som vill inspirera och engagera människor till att göra mer hållbara val när det kommer till köp av livsmedel. I denna uppsats genomfördes en kvalitativ studie i form av ett experiment med intervjuer för att dels ta reda på om denna applikation kan förändra användarnas beteende, och dels för att ta reda på vilka förbättringsfaktorer som finns och som skulle kunna motivera användarna ännu mer. Resultaten bidrar till en ökad förståelse för vilken inverkan ett system av denna typ har på sina användare och vilka typer av funktioner som påverkar användarna mest.