Many people are more or less constantly connected through mobile technology today. This provides opportunities, but also makes people vulnerable for interruptions and prone to engage in multitasking, when full focus might be needed. Smartphone usage is common especially among younger people, making it interesting to investigate constant connectivity’s effect on learning. Previous studies have focused on quantifiable results regarding the effect on learning, such as impact on grades, but has not investigated the qualitative aspects. This thesis investigates students’ experiences regarding interruptions and multitasking through a three-part study. The results show that the impact is very context dependent and phone usage is occasionally not reflected upon. Further, the result indicates that being expected to always be available and respond quickly could be perceived as a problem. The findings presented in this thesis can contribute with important design implications for devices to enable single-task focus and avoiding interruptions.

Durante los últimos diez años, se han desarrollado diferentes tecnologías que aún se desconocen, ya sea por falta de interés o por falta de información de la misma, dado su alto costo de implementación o una serie de factores. Sin embargo, a medida que pasan los años, estas tecnologías se están implementando a pasos acelerados. Las cuatro principales macro tecnologías que engloban a todos estos productos son: Información, Social, Mobile y Cloud. Estos, a su vez, incluyen teléfonos y casas inteligentes que denotan una gran cantidad de transferencia de información y presencia en los cuatro principales cuadrantes. La tecnología evoluciona hasta un determinado momento en el que parece ya no avanzar más. A su vez, las aplicaciones parecen haber dado todo su potencial en los Smartphones; sin embargo, aparecen los diferentes equipos que revolucionan al mercado tales como los productos de la empresa Nest que combinan la información con el hardware y a su vez reduce sustantivamente el tamaño de los dispositivos. Es debido a este acelerado avance que diversos rubros ligados a la tecnología, en su mayoría el hogar y las personas en general, no se toman el tiempo de realizar una investigación minuciosa de estos avances tecnológicos, lo que en un futuro conlleva una falta de conocimiento en las herramientas orientadas a su línea de investigación tecnológica. Por ello, es de suma importancia, conocer estas nuevas tecnologías para estar a la vanguardia de los últimos desarrollos y avances, ya que con mayor frecuencia aparecen en la vida cotidiana y en cada momento del día. En el presente proyecto se propone un modelo de solución tecnológica orientado al ambiente de la cocina y la experiencia del usuario, que permita tener un mayor conocimiento de cómo estas tecnologías son utilizadas como oportunidades de mejora y obtener el mayor beneficio de ellas en favor de su comodidad y seguridad. / During the past ten years, it has developed different technologies that are still unknown, either for lack of interest or lack of information of the same, given the high cost of implementation or a number of factors. However, as the years pass, these technologies are being implemented at an accelerated pace. The four main macro technologies that encompass all of these products are: Information, Social, Mobile and Cloud. These, in turn, include phones and smart homes that show a lot of information transfer and presence in the four main quadrants. Technology evolves to a certain point where it seems to go no further. In turn, the applications seem to have given their full potential in smartphones; however, the different teams that revolutionize the market such as company products Nest which combine information with hardware and in turn substantially reduces the size of the devices appear. It is due to this accelerated progress various areas related to technology, most home and people in general, do not take the time to conduct a thorough investigation of these technological advances, which in the future leads to a lack of knowledge tools in their line-oriented technology research. It is therefore extremely important to know these new technologies to be at the forefront of the latest developments and progress, and appear most often in everyday life and every moment of the day. The present project intends a model of technological solution oriented kitchen environment and user experience that allows for a better understanding of how these technologies are used as opportunities for improvement and get the most benefit from them in favor of proposed its comfort and safety. / Tesis

Within the past 10 years, mobile devices have been widely adopted by adults and are now present in the lives of almost all U.S. children. While phones are common, our understanding of what effect this technology has upon children's development is lagging. Bioecological theory and attachment theory suggest that this new technology may be disruptive, especially to the degree to which it interferes with the parent-child relationship. This article reflects a National Organization for Human Services conference presentation and shares preliminary results from semi-structured interviews conducted with 18 youth, ages 7 through 11. Only four of eighteen interviewees voiced any negative thoughts concerning their parents’ use of mobile devices. However, those who reported feeling ignored by their parents experienced the negative emotions deeply. Themes that emerged from analysis of transcripts included devices as tools and boundaries.

<p>Pavement macrotexture contributes greatly to road surface friction, which in turn plays a significant role in reducing road incidents. Conventional methods for macrotexture measurement techniques (e.g., the sand patch method, the outflow method, and laser measuring) are either expensive, time-consuming, or of poor repeatability. This thesis aims to develop and evaluate affordable and convenient alternative approaches to determine pavement macrotexture. The proposed solution is based on multi-view smartphone images collected in situ over the pavement. Computer vision techniques are then applied to create high resolution three-dimensional (3D) models of the pavement. The thesis develops the analytics to determine two primary macrotexture metrics: mean profile depth and aggregation loss. Experiments with 790 images over 25 spots of three State Roads and 6 spots of the INDOT test site demonstrated that the image-based method can yield reliable results comparable to conventional laser texture scanner results. Moreover, based on experiments with 280 images over 7 sample plates with different aggregate loss percentage, the newly developed analytics were proven to enable estimation of the aggregation loss, which is largely compromised in the laser scanning technique and conventional MPD calculation approach. The root mean square height based on the captured images was verified in this thesis as a more comprehensive metric for macrotexture evaluation. It is expected that the developed approach and analytics can be adopted for practical use at a large scale. </p>

The digital world tolerates a high volume of information and interactions. Considering the usage of electronic services by authorities, User Authentication (UA) is crucial. Numerous authentication methods are proposed in the literature; yet, identifying users based on their actual identities with the capability of global usage and respecting privacy is under research. By adopting Blockchain technology in the software industry, the record management systems have satisfied properties such as transparency, accountability, anonymity, and attack resiliency. Moreover, Smartphones are powerful devices capable of hosting a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) Card that secures the execution of processes involving use of sensitive information. A combination of these technologies is the foundation of a strong UA in cyberspace. In this thesis, we propose the design and prototype of Blockchain-based Global Authentication System (BBGAS) that offers a secure, privacy-preserving, and transparent authentication system based on users' biometrics via Smartphones appropriate for service provider applications.

Today bonuscards are used widely to encourage customers to return for more purchases. Many of those bonuscards are today made of paper which is negative for the environment and since they are not very valuable they are also easy to misplace. The mobile version of these cards most often needs an active download and/or other processes before use and are therefore not so easy to use spontaneous. This project aims to make it easier to handle these bonuscards with today’s smartphones and solve the given problems. This is done with NFC and a web application which works on all platforms and does not require an active download. The solution is suited for today’s mobile usage and makes it for both customers and companies to handle these bonuscards. The final solution can be implemented to develop a system which aims to make it easier for users to handle bonuscards or things in similar. / Idag används stämpelkort som ett medel för företag att locka tillbaka kunder. Många av dagens stämpelkort är tillverkade i pappersform, vilket resulterar i en negativ miljöpåverkan. Dessutom är de är lätta att tappa bort. De digitala stämpelkorten, som finns idag, är inte helt optimala som ersättare till de fysiska varianterna. De kräver oftast en aktiv nedladdning före användning och/eller processer som tar för lång tid vilket gör det svårt att spontant börja använda stämpelkort, till exempel, direkt efter ett köp. Denna uppsats presenterar ett projekt som har till syfte att förenkla användningen av stämpelkort med dagens mobiltelefoner och lösa problemen som finns i dagsläget. Problemen löses med NFC och en webbapplikation. Dessa verktyg används tillsammans i ett system som inte kräver en aktiv nedladdning före användning men som utgör processen som hanterar att snabbt ta emot stämplar och stämpelkort. Lösningen, som tas fram, är anpassad efter dagens mobilanvändning och ska förenkla användningen för både företag och konsumenter. Den slutgiltiga lösningen kan användas för att utveckla ett system som tillåter användarna att enkelt använda sig av mobila stämpelkort.

The recent proliferation and adoption of smartphones has resulted in the widespread use of mobile applications. Mobile applications, or apps, are small programs that are designed to run on smartphones and mobile devices for providing information on a wide range of topics addressing the varied needs of an individual. Health apps are one of the more popular categories of apps that are used extensively among people who are interested in health and fitness. Apps in this category focus on topics such as diet, nutrition, fitness, and weight loss. This study examined popular, free weight loss health applications available in Apple iTunes (iOS) and Google Play (Android) to identify their characteristics and adherence to national health guidelines. A total of 89 weight loss apps across both platforms were selected for the content analysis. Each app was coded to examine the general characteristics and the presence of features such as interactivity, adherence to evidence-informed practices and health guidelines, user engagement, and credibility of health information. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were calculated once the coding was done. Perhaps the most important finding of the study was that no single app completely adhered to all the health guidelines or evidence-informed practices outlined by national health agencies. However, there were some apps that showed high levels of adherence in certain categories. The study further indicated that weight loss apps are designed more for people interested in physical fitness and training and less for people who are trying diet and nutrition to lose weight. A majority of the apps analyzed did not adhere to evidence-informed practices, did not follow the clinical 10-step guidelines for treatment of weight loss recommended by national health agencies, and failed to meet HON (Health on the Net) standards for credibility. E-mail was the preferred form of communication present in all the apps, and interactive features were under utilized by app developers. This study found that mobile app developers make minimal use of theory-driven components in their app design. The provision to track user progress was the most employed user engagement (66%), followed by facilitating goal setting (53%), and self-monitoring (51%). Of all the 89 apps analyzed, the study found only one app with health professional input, seriously highlighting the need for involvement of health professionals in app design and development. Weight loss through mobile apps has a lot of potential for growth in terms of incorporating interactive features, theory-driven content, evidence-informed practices, and credibility of health information. While there is much emphasis on improving the functionality and features of apps, it is also important that health professionals with an understanding and knowledge of national health guidelines need to be actively involved in developing apps that are tailored, appropriate, and relevant for those interested in losing weight. There needs to be more initiatives where app developers, health professionals and agencies, avid app users, nongovernmental organizations, and policy makers come together and help address some of the issues highlighted in this study.

The use of smartphones in cars is a common practice that can result in distracted drivers and accidents. Research has shown that using voice to interact with the devices is the least dangerous solution for users, but its implementation is limited and sub-optimal. Other techniques like proactivity have shown positive results but its presence in products is reduced. This study aims to define, through the synthesis and combination of previous research, a set of guidelines for the implementation of voice interfaces in smartphone apps that can safely offer relevant content to car drivers. Based on a review of the literature on testing for driving solutions, a series of online user evaluations were conducted across potential car drivers. The evaluations consisted of different behavioural scripts for the voice interface, which implemented diverse techniques to interact with drivers, and on the users’ thoughts and impressions. Analysis on the gathered data demonstrates that interacting with drivers through a voice interface and focusing on conciseness, politeness, proactiveness, offering relevant content and transparency of intent are fundamental to keep interactions engaging and relevant, as well as giving a sensation of assurance to the users. Further research is needed to validate the adequacy and safety of these guidelines in a real car environment. / Användning av smartphones i bilar är ett vanligt problem som kan resultera i distraherade förare och olyckor. Forskning har visat att användning av röst för att samverka med enheterna är den minst farliga lösningen för användare, men dess implementering är begränsad och suboptimal. Andra tekniker som proaktivitet har visat positiva resultat men dess närvaro i produkter minskar. Denna studie syftar till att definiera, genom syntes och kombination av tidigare forskning, en uppsättning riktlinjer för att implementera röstinterfacer i smartphone-appar som säkert kan erbjuda relevant innehåll till bilförare. Baserat på en genomgång av litteraturen om testning av körlösningar genomfördes en serie online-utvärderingar av potentiella förare. Utvärderingarna bestod av olika beteendeskript för röstinterfacen, som implementerade olika tekniker för att interagera med drivrutiner och om användarnas tankar och intryck. Analys av de insamlade uppgifterna visade att interaktion med förare genom en röstinterface och fokus på korthet, artighet, proaktivitet, erbjudande av relevant innehåll och avsiktsöppenhet var grundläggande för att hålla interaktioner relevanta och engagerande, samt att ge användarna en känsla av säkerhet. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att validera lämplighet och säkerhet för dessa riktlinjer i en verklig bilmiljö.

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En cas d’alerte aux inondations, l'information en temps réel et sa diffusion à un large public sont des éléments cruciaux pour limiter les comportements à risque, détecter les premiers dégâts ou préparer les acteurs locaux à gérer la crise. Face à ces enjeux, les technologies smartphones apparaissent, deplus en plus, comme des solutions logicielles et matérielles qui pourraient compléter de façon positiveles dispositifs d’alerte institutionnels, notamment grâce à la dynamique des contenus partagés et auxnombreuses interactions dont ils sont le support. Alors que plusieurs pays (États-Unis, Norvège, Pays-Bas, Suède, Philippines) utilisent déjà de tels outils, et même si le Ministère de l'Intérieur a lancé uneapplication urgentiste (SAIP) le 8 juin 2016, la population et les services de l’État semblent beaucoupplus réticents en France. La défense de la propriété individuelle, le manque de crédit attribué auxmessages postés et les verrous technologiques sont les principaux facteurs de blocage avancés. Aprèsavoir mené une enquête dans plusieurs communes rurales des départements du Var et du Vaucluse(qui confirme la méconnaissance des applications déjà existantes alors que les besoins sont bien réelsface aux crues rapides), une nouvelle application a été développée (Al’in). Le prototype créé vise àréduire les écarts entre une approche étatique descendante (top-down), qui positionne et impose l’Étatcomme le seul lanceur d’alerte, et une initiative citoyenne (approche « Bottom-Up »), qui érigel’individu au rang de « citoyen capteur », à la fois capable de remonter ou de diffuser une alerte àtravers l’usage de son smartphone. Répondre à ce défi ne s’avère toutefois pas si simple au regard descontraintes juridiques et techniques préexistantes en France. / The information given on flash floods in real time should undoubtedly answers to the citizens needs aswell as to the politic and the safety services. Face to such objective, Smartphone could positivelycomplete the official institutional systems, especially thanks to the dynamic and nature of postedmessages, and to the social interactions they support. This study questions the opportunity ofdeveloping a proactive and innovative alert system using the Smartphone technologies to face therisks due to flash flood hazards. A first study focuses on several alert systems existing actually inFrance but we quickly aim at identifying limits (legal rules, technologies and scientific problems) andchallenges usefulness and opportunities in the numeric sphere) of our objective in general manner.Finally, a local study in Var and Vaucluse permits us to see if population and local stakeholdersshould be interested (or not) by a smartphone application. The proposed solution tries to achieve amajor challenge: reducing the gap between a state approach (top-down), which positions and imposedthe state as the main official alert source, and the citizen action (bottom-up) which establishes theindividual as “Citizen sensor” (both in go up or disseminate information) through the use of issmartphone. Meeting this challenge is indispensable if we hope effectively minimizing material andhuman damages especially when high temporal acuity phenomena such as flash floods happen.