Syftet med vårt examensarbete är att få en inblick i hur lärare agerar och kommunicerar med förskolebarn i åldern ett till tre år om rumsuppfattning i utemiljön. Som metod använder vi oss av kvalitativa intervjuer och observationer för att besvara våra tre frågeställningar. Resultatet visar att lärarnas intresse och kunskap att tolka barnens både verbala och ickeverbala uttryck är en förutsättning för att inspirera till nya läranden om rumsuppfattning. Utemiljöns föränderliga möjligheter inspirerar både barn och lärare i deras kommunikation och utmanar till nya lärande om rumsuppfattning. / The aim of our study is to gain insight into how teachers act and interact with preschool children aged one to three years in space perception in the outdoor environment. The method we use qualitative interviews and observations to answer our three questions. The results show that teachers' interest and knowledge to interpret children both verbal and non-verbal expression is a prerequisite to inspire new learners of spatial awareness. Outdoor environment changing opportunities inspires both children and teachers in their communication and challenge to new learning about spatial awareness.

This thesis focus on the presentation of the filmic room the viewer sees in George A. Romero´s three horror classics Night, Dawn and Day of the Dead. The hypothesis goes as follow; fear and element of tension becomes greater if the audience/viewer has a good knowledge about the filmic room in the film, in other words, a good spatial awareness. The conclusion is that it does. The environment is active in its becoming and in its presentation to the viewer. Rooms and places, even objects, is a catalyst and a mean to create emotion. To tackle the problem regards to human emotion, which is highly subjective, ANT (actant-network-theory) is used. This theory is a tool to help decode what it is we find emotionally enticing regards to room and objects in the films.

Esta pesquisa tem como finalidade explorar os recursos de interação do usuário com a informação georreferenciada, utilizando o próprio ambiente físico e seus elementos como interface. A indexação geográfica de arquivos digitais e os recursos disponíveis pela computação móvel estabeleceram um novo modelo de interação com a informação. Cabe ao designer criar sistemas e interfaces que levem em consideração a localização do usuário no acesso da informação atribuída ao entorno. Foi identificado que as soluções desenvolvidas para esse propósito utilizam telas e outros aparatos tecnológicos que constrangem a relação do usuário com o ambiente e interferem na experiência interativa. Como desdobramento da pesquisa foi desenvolvido um aplicativo que dispensa a tela na visualização e interação com a camada informacional do ambiente físico. O sistema utiliza os sensores de localização e orientação presentes nos smartphones para interagir com o entorno mapeado e georreferenciado. Dessa forma, o usuário, ao apontar o aparelho e selecionar diretamente o objeto de interesse, recebe os dados atribuídos a ele. Sem a interferência de telas ou dispositivos imersivos, o próprio ambiente se apresenta como interface de interação, dispensando novos ícones ou símbolos e tornando a tecnologia mais sutil em seu uso cotidiano.

Le domaine de la réalité virtuelle offre de formidables opportunités tout le long de la conception d’assemblage complexe. L’un des avantages est la possibilité de mettre en situation écologique des utilisateurs dès les premières étapes de conception. Ceci est d’autant plus important dans la conception d’installation industrielle complexe. Il est possible de valider rapidement des tâches d’accessibilité, d’assemblage, de maintenance, voire de démantèlement. L’obtention de la validité écologique des études réalisées en environnement virtuel demande cependant que les interfaces homme-machine soient capables de transmettre des informations réalistes. À l’heure actuelle, les systèmes virtuels ne sont pas capables de fournir une interaction haptique complète, notamment les contacts/collisions entre l’utilisateur et les objets virtuels de l’environnement ne résultent pas en un retour haptique. Ceci peut devenir la cause de comportement inapproprié par rapport à la réalité. L’objectif de cette thèse est de proposer un moyen de renforcer la compréhension spatiale en environnement virtuel. Plus particulièrement, nous souhaitons substituer les informations kinesthésiques par des informations tactiles pour augmenter la conscience spatiale et la cohérence visuo-proprioceptive. Nous avons développé une plateforme vibrotactile capable de fournir des informations spatiales sur l’environnement. Nous avons également commencé à interroger le rôle de la représentation du corps en environnement virtuel. Plusieurs études expérimentales ont été réalisées de manière à valider les développements que nous avons mis en avant. / The virtual reality field offers astounding opportunities throughout the design of complex assembly. One of the advantages is the possibility of immerse users in an ecological situation in the early stages of design. It’s even more important during the design of complex industrial plant. It allows to validate accessibility, assembly, maintenance or even dismantling tasks. The ecological validity of the studies carried out in a virtual environment, requires the human-machine interfaces capable of transmitting and rendering realistic information. At present, virtual systems are not capable of providing a complete haptic interaction, in particular contact/collision between the user and virtual objects in the environment do not result in haptic feedback. This can become the cause of inappropriate behavior compared to reality. The aim of this thesis is to propose a way to reinforce spatial awareness in virtual environment. More specifically, we wish to substitute kinesthetic information with tactile information to increase spatial awareness and visuo-proprioceptive consistency. We developed a vibrotactile platform capable of providing spatial information on the environment. We also studied the role of the representation of the body in a virtual environment. Several experimental studies have been carried out in order to validate the developments we proposed.

Esta pesquisa tem como finalidade explorar os recursos de interação do usuário com a informação georreferenciada, utilizando o próprio ambiente físico e seus elementos como interface. A indexação geográfica de arquivos digitais e os recursos disponíveis pela computação móvel estabeleceram um novo modelo de interação com a informação. Cabe ao designer criar sistemas e interfaces que levem em consideração a localização do usuário no acesso da informação atribuída ao entorno. Foi identificado que as soluções desenvolvidas para esse propósito utilizam telas e outros aparatos tecnológicos que constrangem a relação do usuário com o ambiente e interferem na experiência interativa. Como desdobramento da pesquisa foi desenvolvido um aplicativo que dispensa a tela na visualização e interação com a camada informacional do ambiente físico. O sistema utiliza os sensores de localização e orientação presentes nos smartphones para interagir com o entorno mapeado e georreferenciado. Dessa forma, o usuário, ao apontar o aparelho e selecionar diretamente o objeto de interesse, recebe os dados atribuídos a ele. Sem a interferência de telas ou dispositivos imersivos, o próprio ambiente se apresenta como interface de interação, dispensando novos ícones ou símbolos e tornando a tecnologia mais sutil em seu uso cotidiano.

Since the introduction of the Walkman in the 1980s, an increasing amount of people are using mobile music devices in our urban environments. The research on the sociological aspects of this phenomenon has become known as the ‘iPod culture’. It describes people aestheticising these noisy urban environments by replacing them with mobile music listening, which presents obvious benefits regarding personal entertainment and wellbeing. However, some studies have revealed several cases of users experiencing social isolation as a consequence of using mobile music devices. Therefore, this study explores the problem of designing a user experience that can provide the appealing qualities of mobile music listening while simultaneously enabling spatial and social awareness of the urban environment. The study explores this problem by applying a methodology inspired by research through design, involving an iterative design process centred around the design of a mobile reactive music prototype application, which was eventually named Reactiscape. To validate and evaluate the success of the prototype design, different stakeholders have been involved throughout the entire design process. The results show that the users experienced a stronger connection to the urban soundscape when using Reactiscape, while still maintaining a musically appealing user experience. In a broader sense, these results indicate that novel mobile technology design has every opportunity to increase real world social interaction, rather than being a source of social isolation.

This design project delves into the realm of public spaces, considering sociocultural, sociopolitical, and participatory design aspects, catalyzed by the Covid-19 pandemic's lockdowns. By repurposing a parking lot, the project endeavors to scrutinize, trial, and understand the reactions and needs through a design interaction and multifunctional furniture set, the simple story of Prototype.