This thesis is focus on finding ways ​ to bring awareness to the parents about the complexity of the internet in order to empower them at the moment to approach online protection topics with their children, therefore it started with a analysis of the online protection field from a broader perspective and eventually by comparing the field with the insights gathered during a set of interventions, it narrowed down to online protection for kids and the relation with the parents and their children in relation with this topic.The research followed a research through design approach which allows the process to learn from the outcomes of every iterations and generates a dynamic relation of framing and reframing that enables the design process to modify its focus within the same field based on the conversation of the results and the theory.Additionally, a participatory design approach based on a set of workshops and interviews with experts, informed the process in which could be the most suitable approach to reach the goal of the project.As a result, this thesis propose a set of tools to generate collective solutions among parents based on the understanding of the internet infrastructure and the open discussion about the internet issues their children could faced.Besides, this exploration aims to state a new role of the interaction designer as the mediator within the relation between the user and and the technology different than by setting a set of usability rules but closer to the generation of codes of conduct grounded in an open discussion between the all the parts involved. This approach motivates a transparent dialogue about thesocial and ethical implication in the use of such tools.

Access control solutions face challenges of the implications of social and emotional behaviour of their human users. Thus, the research questions I set out for my thesis deal with how the social and emotional aspects of humans affect access control security interactions and what the implications of considering these aspects when designing access control systems will have for the emotional experience of authorised users. By selecting cases from my fieldwork representative of the social and emotional experiences of authorised users of current access control solutions I have been able to uncover issues of how the technological system is inconsiderate of the social and emotional behaviour of its human users, resulting in negative social and emotional experiences of access control solutions. However, by considering how technology can be designed to reshape the social behaviour of users I have explored ways of designing access control solutions that consider both the technological security and the emotional experience of authorised users.

This project aims to explore the effects of feedback over experience invideo games. It acts as a part of a discussion around the concept of “Juiciness”, byattempting to define it both in theory and practice. The text describes a positionon “Juiciness” in relation to experience design and “Experiential qualities”, anddiscusses the role of aesthetics in the context of feedback. The practical aspect ofthe project is aimed towards finding where “Juiciness” can enrich a designprocess and this is done through the design, development and analysis of a videogame prototype. The project also takes a critical standpoint towards “Juiciness”,in order to question and expand on the current definitions of the concept.

This thesis project presents a research through design process, that has aimed to investigate and challenge internet users’ perception and awareness around the theme of online privacy and third-party trackers. This has been done by designing a critical design artifact called PrivacyLamp which takes form as a classic lamp, that through a secondary (dis)functionality is designed to work as an mediation of potential third-par- ty-trackers activity on the user’s local network. PrivacyLamp has been developed through an iterative design process, guid- ed by relevant literature and works within the eld of critical design, physical data visualization, and design for re ection, which all have worked as a foundation for the design of such an artefact. The prototype has been evaluated together with six participants, who all adopted the prototype into their domestic settings to experience it as a part of their everyday life for a few days. The aim of this qualitative study has been to investigate how a defamiliarized domestic object can work as an ambient display to question the invisible ow of connec- tivity and its complication within online privacy, as well as the narratives and experiences users develops in relation to this.

This research proposes the exploration of intertwining eating and playing in social eating situations. Play theory and literature research in related fields build the theoretical background for exploring how play can unfold in different eating situations. Ethnography, Research through Design and the playcentric design approach are the chosen methods for the practical exploration of the design space. There emerged two sets of experiments. The first set of experiments is concerned with provoking playfulness in different eating situations. The second set of experiments is based on Caillois four types of games and uses flavor as a game design material. Findings suggest further research in the underexplored field and show first ideas on how to intertwine eating and playing through two flavor exploration games.

Building upon previous research done on interactivity attributes describing the aesthetic quality of interactions, this paper aims to explore the sense of ow in screen-based interactions, narrowing down to the finer details that make the personality of the interactive experience. The goal is to provide a deeper knowledge on the concrete, expressive qualities of screen based interaction, being “the immaterial material” moulded in the design process. The relevant information for practicing designers is the awareness of what emotions certain interactions elicit and how interactions can be used to convey brand personality.The process conducted followed a research through design methodology, as the aim was to explore the defined design space rather than answer a specific problem. Two major user studies provided insights and refocus in the process along the way to the final result: a set of guidelines and a prototype embodying them. The guidelines provide some details on designing flow experiences on a mobile screen, and are to serve as inspiration and reference to future work and design practice. The prototype, called ‘The Embodiment’ serves as an illustration of the guidelines, as mere words are not able to fully describe the dynamic quality.

This thesis examines the role connected devices in the home could play for maintaining and taking care of close relationships of people living apart. Communication tools nowadays offer many different ways of communicating and they are mostly focused on mobile devices. Social presence describes the feeling that humans have when communicating with each other and can be mediated through communication tools in different strengths. The Internet of Things is one rapidly developing branch of contemporary technology and estimates say by 2020 about 200 billion devices will be connected. This research focuses on the possibilities the Internet of Things offers to the notion of social presence in the domestic setting by exploring how we feel interrupted by current devices: Through a Research through Design approach, alternative concepts will be developed to materialize the feeling of social presence.

The study of educational serious games as a medium to motivate player learning through teaching astronomy in video games is examined through the iterative development of the video game Starfarer. It contributes to the better understanding of the development of educational serious games. The theoretical frameworks used are Game Based Learning (GBL) theory and Narrative Learning (NL) theory. Research through Design (RtD) was conducted to evaluate the use of these frameworks in cultivating motivation to learn in-game. The most important aspects of each that are identified through the development of Starfarer are; in GBL, attractive learning objectives, iterative problem-solving with positive feedback, and relevant simulations; and in NL, narrative context, pacing, and empathy for characters. From this, an additional missing design element of emotion is identified. In evaluating GBL and NL, it is found that they are in many ways balanced, and in others opposed. Furthermore, it was discovered that many players have an affinity towards either GBL or NL, thus a design process utilising both must balance such preferences. Suggestions for further study expanding on these findings are in developing and testing combining GBL, NL, and an emotional component into a new framework to better motivate player learning in-game.

This thesis project, conducted in collaboration with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), investigates how safety-critical internal systems can be designed to enhance usability and user experience through an examination of the Aerodrome Approval system at SAS. Employing a research-through-design approach and utilizing heuristic evaluations, semi-structured interviews, contextual inquiries, and a redesign process, several guidelines for improving usability and user experience have been identified. Key insights reveal that optimizing login functionalities can enhance security and role-specific access, thereby reducing errors and improving the user experience. Consistency in design elements and adherence to standards play a critical role in usability, aiding in error prevention and improving system navigation efficiency. Additionally, effective strategies for error prevention, such as contextual warnings tailored to specific conflicts, help maintain workflow efficiency and prevent user fatigue, whereas ensuring a balanced and timely presentation of information is essential to prevent information overload while still ensuring access to critical data. The project illustrates how multiple usability principles are interconnected yet sometimes conflicting and emphasizes the need to further investigate safety-critical internal systems to a broader extent to be able to identify more generalizable design guidelines in the future.

This study explores what potential influence on players’ gameplay experience in Soulsborne games could be brought by the design decision of removing the Stamina system, which is an iconic feature in Soulsborne games that puts a certain level of constraint on players’ in-game actions. A Soulslike game prototype with a melee combat system designed on the basis of Soulsborne games was developed for the research goal of this study. Two different versions of the prototype, with the only difference between which being the removal of the Stamina system in the second version, were used for playtesting. The survey data collected from a total of 24 participants suggests that most players were less concentrated during the in-game combats and experienced a smaller sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when achieving the in-game objective when playing the version that doesn’t have the Stamina system compared with the version that has the Stamina system. On the other hand, as also indicated by the collected survey data, although removing the Stamina mechanic might result in less fun for players, it might help players mitigate their frustration level in games, especially for players with relatively poorer gameplay skills.