Ambient displays present useful information in the periphery of the users and normally they don’t support interactions. Technological advancements in digital displays, computing power of smart phones and faster wireless networks enable new forms of interactions. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the design space of ambient displays and make an inquiry into the future state by designing and implementing an interactive prototype for a specific use case. The context of the project is a music management company, its Artist & Repertoire division and their work-flow. The work introduces a novel concept of Interactive Semi-Ambient Displays with Narrative visualization features. The thesis is a comprehensive documentation of an iterative Research through Design process and its final outcome, an interactive prototype. The prototype consists of a Semi-Ambient visualization, integrated with narrative features and a mobile application to interact and control the visualization. A formative focus group evaluation of the prototype was conducted to evaluate the final outcome of the process. Results suggest that the concept is a viable way to effectively visualize information in office environments and support the work-flow of co-located groups. Based on the comments, future directions for the general concept and the project are discussed. / Ambivalenta skärmar ger nyttig information i periferin hos användarna som normalt inte stöder en interaktion. Tekniska framsteg i de digitala skärmarna, datorkapaciteten i smarta telefoner och snabbare trådlösa nätverk möjliggör en ny form av interaktion. Syftet med denna avhandling är att undersöka utformningen av dessa ambivalenta skärmar och redogöra om ett framtida skede genom att utforma och genomföra en interaktiv prototyp hos ett specifikt användningsområde. Projektets kontext är ett förvaltningsbolag i musikbranschen, och dess Konstär & Repertoar indelning samt deras arbetsflöde. Arbetets syfte är att introducera ett nytt koncept av interaktiva Semi-Ambivalenta skärmar med berättande visualiseringsfunktioner. Avhandlingen är en omfattande sammansättning av en återkommande forskning inom design process och dess slutliga resultat, en interaktiv prototyp. Prototypen består av en Semi-Ambivalent visualisering, integrerad med narrativa funktioner och en mobil applikation för att interagera och styra visualisering. En utvärdering av prototypen utfördes i form av en pedagogisk fokusgrupp för att ta fram det slutliga resultatet av processen. Resultaten tyder på att konceptet är ett lönsamt sätt att effektivt visualisera information i kontorsmiljöer och stödja arbetsflödet hos lokala arbetsgrupper. Baserat på kommentarerna som finns, är de framtida målen för det grundliga konceptet & projektet att föra en diskussion.

More-than-human design represents a paradigm shift that decentralises the human in relation to the rest of the living world. As part of this movement, scholars call for a new worldview that recognizes the interconnectedness between human and non-human beings. Prior studies have focused on the experience of human-human connections, leaving the more- than-human largely unexplored. Addressing this gap, this study explores design strategies for fostering feelings and reflections of interconnectedness towards the more-than-human world and associated emotions. With a research-through-design methodology, two workshops were conducted, resulting in six key design strategies and an "interconnectedness experience framework". The strategies were evaluated through a prototype in partnership with AquaPrint, a Swedish company that up-cycles fishing nets into designer furniture. Future research should evaluate the strategies individually and in combinations as well as in a field setting. The presented framework and strategies are intended for practitioners as inspiration in design projects to promote noticing the more-than-human world, and encouraging a posthuman perspective.

This thesis begins with a philosophical question: What if we could amplify our waking experience with the aesthetic qualitiesof dreams? Through a discourse on experiential dream related aspects in philosophy, design and daily life it examines what itmeans, and has meant, to dream, and how these qualities already permeate the physical world. I hypothesize that objects capable of representing dream related physiological data as physical output have the potential to amplify our waking experience. To formulate a set of considerations for the design of such objects, an ethnographic study of dream experience, comprising a survey, a cultural probe study and interviews, has been conducted. The text concludes by exploring how dream elements like ambiguity, synesthetic sensibility, and affective self-exploration may benefit interaction design, raising questions about how digital media can facilitate personal, meaningful experiences.

Children’s use of digital technologies is rapidly increasing, with caregivers reporting that children spend more time on their devices than engaging in exercise, reading books, or socializing (Christofferson & Karlsson, 2023). The shift in children’s behavior has caregivers and organizations debating the risks and seeking ways to protect children. This study aims to promote a healthy lifestyle for children aged 7 to 11 through digital technologies by designing a proposal for a video streaming service interface, specifically Telia Play Kids. The study uses the digital diet approach by Orben (2022) and research on child-computer interaction to understand the technology’s impact on children. The research questions aim to identify which aspects of children’s digital lives need to be considered and to determine which design features need to be prioritized when designing a video streaming service interface. The study was conducted through a research through design process where the target group’s needs were investigated through interviews, findings were elaborated upon into concepts, and a prototype was designed. The findings indicated the importance of understanding which factors influence children’s digital lives, being aware of the consequences of the digital life, and which design improvements were needed to accommodate both children and caregivers. Design features prioritized in the final prototype included supporting visual perception, children’s cognition, language, and interests in addition to experiences focusing on the child’s well-being and caregiver’s needs. The study concludes that children’s digital lives are complex, highlighting the need to adapt video streaming services and other digital technologies through dialogue with children and caregivers but also through research on child-computer interaction.

This thesis aims to create a gamified board game that archives can use as an educational tool that can help them promote archival outreach while at the same time providing its players with archival knowledge. The board game - Archeion - was made from scratch using the Research through Design method, which was further backed up by the observations and focus group interviews conducted before, during, and after each playtest. The theories of gamification, engagement, and archival pedagogy were used in this thesis to strengthen the educational aspects of the board game and also to provide it with engaging and pedagogical elements to make it more enjoyable. Acquaintances with no prior knowledge of archives, archival science students, and library and information science students were chosen for the playtests as they were able to provide the thesis with feedback that could improve the educational and pedagogical aspects of the board game. The playtests revealed that the players had learned new things about archives and that they had gotten a deeper understanding of archival concepts and practices. They expressed emotions such as curiosity, excitement, and fear throughout the gameplay sessions as the game mechanics and player choices changed the narrative of the game for either better or worse. The game mechanics were made to inform the players with archival knowledge at a slow pace to not overwhelm them with information. This made it easier for the players to understand what happened in the game while learning bits and pieces of archival science that they found interesting. When the game ended, most players kept talking about archives and wanted to know more about the archival concepts and practices mentioned in the components of the game. The results have shown that board games can and should be used as educational tools as they can transform a boring assignment into an enjoyable pastime. / Uppsatsen syftar till att skapa ett spelifierat brädspel som arkiv kan använda som ett pedagogiskt verktyg för att främja arkivmedvetenhet samtidigt som det ger spelarna arkivkunskap. Brädspelet - Archeion - skapades från grunden med hjälp av metoden forskning genom design, vilken ytterligare stöddes av observationer och fokusgruppsintervjuer genomförda före, under och efter varje speltest. Teorierna spelifiering, engagemang och arkivpedagogik användes i uppsatsen för att stärka brädspelets pedagogiska aspekter och även för att förse det med engagerande och pedagogiska element för att göra det mer underhållande. Nära bekanta som inte hade någon tidigare kunskap om arkiv, samt studenter i arkivvetenskap och studenter i biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap valdes som speltestare eftersom de kunde ge en återkoppling som kunde främja och förbättra de pedagogiska aspekterna av brädspelet. Speltesterna avslöjade att spelarna hade lärt sig nya saker om arkiv och att de hade fått en djupare förståelse för arkivkoncept och -praxis. De uttryckte känslor som nyfikenhet, spänning och rädsla under spelsessionerna eftersom spelmekaniken och spelarnas val förändrade spelets handling till antingen det bättre eller sämre. Spelmekaniken är utformad för att informera spelarna om arkivkunskap på ett långsamt sätt för att inte överväldiga dem med information. Detta gjorde det lättare för spelarna att förstå vad som hände i spelet samtidigt som de lärde sig delar av arkivvetenskap som de fann intressanta. När spelet tog slut fortsatte de flesta spelarna att prata om arkiv och ville veta mer om de arkivkoncept och -praxis som nämndes i spelets komponenter. Resultaten har visat att brädspel kan och bör användas som pedagogiska verktyg då de kan förvandla en tråkig uppgift till en underhållande sysselsättning.

Spelindustrin är gigantisk och kontinuerligt växande, där detta inkluderar spelutveckling samt spelande av spel. Detta medför att en betydande mängd akademiker i sina yrkesliv kommer att beröra ämnesområdet spelutveckling. Trots detta faktum finns det en avsaknad av akademisk litteratur som behandlar ämnesområdet spelutveckling, specifikt med ett IS-perspektiv. För att fylla avsaknaden ämnar denna undersökning utöka det specifika konceptet inom spelutveckling som är “skapande av en 2D-spelmotor med tillhörande spel”. Att spela innebär hedonistiska upplevelser. Gäller denna hedonism också vid spelutveckling? Vilka utmaningar och vilken problematik uppstår vid utveckling av en spelmotor? För att utreda detta används en kvalitativ undersökning med en induktiv metodik via forskning genom design (eng. Research through Design, RtD) tillsammans med kollaborativ autoetnografi (Collaborative Autoethnography, CAE). Detta skapar ett unikt perspektiv som används för att producera välmotiverad vägledning för introduktion till ämnesområdet. Datainsamling utgörs av loggbok och dagbok där dessa används för att reflektera kring problem, utmaningar, framgångsfaktorer samt hedonistiska upplevelser inom processen. Undersökningens bakomliggande teori är baserat på Hedonic-motivation system adoption model (HMSAM) samt kriterier för utvärdering av ett lyckat RtD-projekt. Resultaten visar att spelutveckling är en komplicerad process, där egenskaper av spelutveckling identifierats och som bildat riktlinjer som förbereder akademiker inför framtida forskning och arbete. / The gaming industry is gigantic and continuously growing, which includes game development and gaming. This means that a significant number of academics will touch on the subject area of game development during their professional lives. Despite this fact there is a lack of academic literature which deals with the subject area of game development, specifically with an IS perspective. To fill the gap, this study aims to expand the specific concept in game development that is “creation of a 2D game engine with an associated game”. Gaming involves hedonistic experiences. Is this also associated with game development? What challenges and problems arise when developing a game engine? Answering this involves a qualitative study with an inductive methodology via Research through Design (RtD) together with Collaborative Autoethnography (CAE). This creates a unique perspective that is used to produce well-motivated guidance for introduction to the subject area. Data collection consists of a journal and diary where these are used to reflect on problems, challenges, success factors and hedonistic experiences within the process. The study’s underlying theory is based on the Hedonic-motivation system adoption model (HMSAM) and criterias for evaluating successful RtD projects. The results show that game development is a complicated process, where characteristics of game development have been identified which developed guidelines that prepare academics for future research and work.

No description available.

This thesis has explored how to create a board game rulebook, for the board game Curators, in order to facilitate learning the rules as well as reminding players of the rules. This was done via research through design. The design of a rulebook incorporates many parts of design theory, from layout and typography to the use of color, gestalt principles, and images. All these were combined with knowledge about how existing rulebooks convey rules and the way board gamers use rulebooks, gained through the pre-study, in order to create a rulebook for the coming board game Curators. The analysis of this study shows that the resulting rulebook was successful in both teaching the game and helping players look up rules, though improvements could still be made to make it better. It was concluded that the use of many iterations of designing and testing is ideal for creating a rulebook with as few issues as possible.

A key challenge of the learning sciences is moving research results into practice. Educators on the front lines perceive little value in the outputs of education research and demand more “usable knowledge”. This work explores the potential instead of usable artifacts to translate knowledge into practice, adding scientists as stakeholders in an interaction design process. The contributions are two effective systems, the scientific and contextual principles in their design, and a research model for scientific research through interaction design. College student study practices are the domain chosen for the development of these methods. Iterative ethnographic fieldwork identified two systems that would be likely to advance both learning in practice and knowledge for applying the employed theories in general. Nudge was designed to improve students’ study time management by regularly emailing students with explicit recommended study activities. It reconceptualizes the syllabus into an interactive guide that fits into modern students' attention streams. Examplify was designed to improve how students learn from worked example problems by modularizing them into steps and scaffolding their metacognitive behaviors though problem-solving and self-explanation prompts. It combines these techniques in a way that is exceedingly easy to author, using existing answer keys and students' self-evaluations. Nudge and Examplify were evaluated experimentally over a full semester of a lecture-based introductory chemistry course. Nudge messages increased students’ sense of achievement and interacted with students’ existing time management skills to improve exam grades for poorer students. Among students who could choose whether to receive them, 80% did. Students with access to Examplify had higher exam scores (d=0.26), especially on delayed measures of learning (d=0.40). A key design decision in Examplify was not clearly resolvable by existing theory and so was tested experimentally by comparing two variants, one without prompts to solve the steps. The variant without problem solving was less effective (d=0.77) and less used, while usage rates of the variant with problem solving increased over time. These results support the use of the design methods employed and provide specific empirical recommendations for future designs of these and similar systems for implementing theory in practice.

Mémoire en recherche par le design / Étant donné que les problèmes en développement de produits sont de plus en plus complexes et difficiles à résoudre, le rôle des designers est en changement continu. Ils sont de plus en plus impliqués dans les équipes multi-disciplinaires dès le début d’un projet. Des compagnies adoptent une approche de travail d’équipe qui réunit plusieurs bases de connaissances (disciplines, expertises) différentes dans un seul groupe. Tandis que ces groupes donnent accès à plusieurs bases de connaissances différentes, les membres de l’équipe doivent surmonter le défi de communiquer, négocier et développer une compréhension partagée des objectifs à travers leurs raisonnements différents et parfois opposés. En tant que designer junior, ces dynamiques peuvent intimider, puis faire le pont entre les points de vue différents peut paraître difficile. Afin d’améliorer l’intégration dans une équipe, une réflexion sur les dynamiques mêmes est nécessaire, mais il semble y avoir peu de moyens pour bien expliquer les interactions. Cette recherche se penche donc sur la question de comment décrire et mieux comprendre l’intégration dans une équipe en tant que designer nouvellement impliqué dans un projet et une équipe multi-disciplinaire. Afin d’y répondre, cette recherche créé d’abord un cadre théorique centré sur l’implication d’un designer dans le processus, la gestion de la complexité, le travail en équipe, puis l’intégration efficace à travers le développement d’une compréhension partagée. Une étude de cas qualitative est menée par une approche nommée Research-through-Design (recherche par le design dans le contexte d’un projet) qui permet de jouer le double rôle de chercheur et designer. La collecte de données se fait surtout par journal de bord et observations participantes afin de documenter les actions et réflexions d’un designer qui s’implique dans une équipe multi-disciplinaire menant des projets de développement de nouveaux produits. D’après les données recueillies, cette recherche tente décrire et mieux comprendre le cas en utilisant les catégorisations empiriques des facteurs qui influencent le développement d’une compréhension partagée proposées par Kleinsmann, Valkenburg et Buijs (2007). Grâce à ce cadre d’analyse, la description et réflexion sur l’intégration dans l’équipe furent un succès. Toutefois, cette recherche propose quelques précisions au cadre d’analyse ayant pour but d’y améliorer et faciliter l’observation, la description et la réflexion sur les dynamiques d’équipe pour des futurs designers juniors. Cette recherche espère donc proposer un appui aux designers pour développer leurs compétences à mieux travailler en équipes multi- disciplinaires. / As new product development continues to change, designers appear increasingly involved in multi- disciplinary teams from the outset of project inception. This is due to the progressively challenging, multifaceted, and complex problems design must resolve. After all, no single individual possesses the knowledge to create most new products. Companies depend on the teamwork of individuals with different knowledge bases who come together as a single design group. In breaking down silos and creating these integrated teams, overall effectiveness is threatened by their ability to communicate, negotiate, and develop a shared understanding of their goals and means of achieving them. As a junior designer, team dynamics can be intimidating. Bridging different and sometimes conflicting individual views is challenging. Tougher still is reflecting on and describing dynamics as they happen in practice. Without the ability to explain dynamics, identifying and improving team integration seems nearly impossible. As such, this research aims to address these constraints by finding a way to describe and better understand team integration in action. To accomplish this, a theoretical framework is developed to explore designer involvement, managing complexity, teamwork, and effective team integration. From this, a qualitative case study is conducted to reflect on teamwork in action using a Research-through-Design approach. This places design practice in the centre of research and allows the researcher to also play the role of a newly integrated designer. It relies extensively on journal entries and participative observations in order to create a story of designer involvement in new product development. In interpreting the data through an empirical categorisation of factors that are said to influence the development of a shared understanding (Kleinsmann, Valkenburg, & Buijs, 2007), a working description and reflection of team integration was achieved. In addition, this research proposes some amendments that aim to improve the framework and enable other junior designers to better observe, describe, and reflect on team dynamics in the future. This research therefore hopes to contribute by supporting designers in improving their ability to work effectively within multi-disciplinary new product development teams.