abstract: The purpose of the study is to gain a better understanding of baby boomers' attitudes toward video chat applications and software based on their user experiences through the measurement of the level of use, usefulness, usability and aesthetics preferences. 133 participants recruited at a local public library and at three senior centers took the survey and 14 respondents were interviewed. The results of the study indicate: (1) Baby boomers have diverse attitudes and experiences in video chatting, but their attitudes do not present a significant difference from those of older generations; (2) Baby boomers' preferences for interface design are influenced by their psychological characteristics rather than physical changes; (3) Family members and close friends are a great resource for assistance and motivation for boomers. The knowledge of motivational factors and barrier factors could help maintain the existing baby boomer users and encourage potential users by providing an improved video chat experience design for them to connect with younger generations. This research could also lead social services into the telehealth age by bridging the gap between a traditional intervention and modern instant video communication. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Design 2014

abstract: Increasing numbers of biomedical products have become eligible for over-the-counter sale in contemporary American consumer culture. What was once the realm of the clinical has moved into the realm of the domestic, with the consumer as the interpreter of health issues and communication. This dissertation examines the user experience with the marketing and design of packaging of home pregnancy tests. Studies indicate that more than one-third of women of reproductive age in the U.S. have used a home pregnancy test, yet the test is marketed to a specific demographic of user: one who is white, affluent, and married. How are users’ experiences affected, and how do different methodological frameworks yield results for the study of these user experiences? In this project, I conduct a series of methodological case studies to show how each reveal various aspects of the user experience of home pregnancy testing. I begin with a case study of three brands of home pregnancy tests, using visual-material rhetorical analysis to uncover the cultural values implicit in packaging. I then move to two case studies involving the results of a National Institutes of Health survey of pregnancy test users. I employ a thematic analysis framework to analyze demographic information about users and to contextualize their narratives. I also conduct corpus linguistics and semantic network analysis with the same data set to model patterns in language. From these varying approaches, each with different underlying assumptions, nuanced aspects of the user experience with the product and its communication emerge. For example, the user’s life circumstances change from initial to subsequent pregnancy test purchase and use so as to suggest more desire for a positive result with subsequent testing, yet many users across these categories express some degree of discomfort when purchasing this product. I conclude with suggestions based on this research for more ethically informed pregnancy test marketing, and outline avenues for future research for evaluation of home pregnancy test user experience. I finally discuss the implications of multiple methodological approaches for transdisciplinary humanities project design, implementation, and evaluation, with emphasis on the digital and medical humanities. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation English 2015

abstract: Today, in the internet-age with global communication every day, it is more important than ever to learn how best to communicate across cultures. However, a review of literature and localization research reveals no studies comparing written communication preferences between cultures using the English language. This gap in research led me to my question–How do localization needs or preferences differ between English-speakers in the U.S. and Canada? To answer my research question, I created a study focused on written communication using a quality measure after consulting the IBM rubric (Hofstede, 1984). I incorporated a demographics questionnaire, a sample document of an Alberta Government brochure, and a survey to measure participant perceptions of quality for use with the sample document. Participants for the study were recruited from Phoenix, Arizona and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. All participants reviewed the Canada-based sample document and answered the questions from the survey. The survey responses were designed to obtain data on culturally specific variables on contexting, which were critical in understanding cultural differences and communication preferences between the two groups. Results of the data analysis indicate differences in cultural preferences specific to language, the amount of text, and document organization. The results suggest that there may be more significant differences than previously assumed (Hall, 1976) between U.S. and Canadian English-speaking populations. Further research could include a similar study using a U.S.–based document and administering it to the same target population. Additionally, a quality-based measure could be applied as a way of understanding other cultures for localization needs, since inadequate localization can have an adverse impact on perceptions of quality. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Technical Communication 2018

abstract: Multimedia educational technologies have increased their presence in traditional and online classrooms over the course of the previous decade. These tools hold value and can promote positive learning outcomes but are reliant on students’ degree of cognitive engagement and self-regulation. When students are not cognitively engaged or have low self-regulation capabilities, their interaction with the technology becomes less impactful because of decreased learning outcomes. Building or altering technologies to cognitively engage students is costly and timely; the present study investigates if introducing higher agency roles, to change the role of the student, increases learning outcomes. Specifically, this study investigates if higher agency roles of a designer or teacher enhances cognitive engagement and improves learning when compared to the conventional role of a learner. Improved learning outcomes were observed from the pretest to posttest for the learner, designer, and teacher role. Participants engaged with higher agency roles did not demonstrate more growth from pretest to posttest when compared to the control group, but participants in the teacher role outperformed those in the designer role. Additionally, reading ability did not impact learning gains across groups. While students who engaged with higher agency roles did not achieve greater learning outcomes than students in the control group, results indicate a learning effect across groups. Results of this study suggest that it was underpowered. Further research is needed to determine the extent of the impact that higher agency roles have on learning outcomes. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Human Systems Engineering 2018

In a world where technology advances, it is important that the human-computer interface follows in the same pace, to maximize the user experience. This means that when the machines become more powerful and the services become more comprehensive, it is important that they still are adapted to the users.In the web browsing world, a concept called infinite-scroll has become popular when trying to maximise the user experience. This technique uses JavaScript to dynamically load more content to a webpage whilst the user is scrolling without ever reloading the page, to achieve a more fluid experience. This technique is used widely in social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter among others.However, this technique have been used very rarely on other types of websites. Why this could be the case and how infinite-scroll performs on an intranet will be described in this report. A quantitative study on how the user behaviour differs between a website with pagination and infinite-scroll has been conducted and analysed by gathering statistics through Google Analytics about how users interacts with the website in question. The study indicates that infinite-scroll can be useful on an intranet when adapted according to usability guidelines.

The main focus of the research in this thesis is to develop a consolidated framework of usability and user experience testing for telecom companies. The existing usability standards, literature and models are reviewed. Different usability evaluation methods; user experience definitions and evaluation methods are identified through a comprehensive literature survey. A brief discussion of the relationship between usability and user experience together with the challenges are also presented. Based on these, then it is explained how to unify these several resources into a single consolidated framework. A unified terminology for the usability attributes, sub-attributes and measures are presented in the framework. The framework is called Framework for Usability and User Experience (FOUUX). FOUUX serves as a guideline for tracing and interpreting the data collected on usability of products. It includes nine usability attributes, each of which corresponds to a specific aspect of usability that is identified in an existing standard, literature or model. These nine usability attributes are decomposed into twenty seven sub-attributes, and the relationship between the attributes and sub-attributes are presented. Questions and measures are then classified under sixty three sub-goals utilizing the Goal Question Metric (GQM) approach. In this thesis study, case study approach was used for validating the framework. The framework has been applied to a specific industry share case, that is, the Fitness application which is being developed by an industrial partner.

With the increasing access to mobile devices in developing countries, the number of pilots and projects embracing mobile devices as learning tools is also growing. The important role it can play in improving education is also positively received within education communities. But, providing a successful mobile learning service is still significantly challenging. The considerable problems arise due to existing pedagogical, technological, political, social and cultural challenges and there has been a shortage of research concerning how to deploy and sustain this technology in a resource constrained educational environment. There are studies mainly conducted in sub-Saharan countries, India, and Latin America, which provide some guidelines for incorporating technology in the existing educational process. However, considering the contextual differences between these regions and other countries in Asia, such as Nepal, it requires a broader study in its own challenging socio-cultural context. In response to this difficulty, the aims of this exploratory research work are to study the distinct challenges of schools’ education in Nepal and evaluate the use of open-source devices to provide offline access to learning materials in order to recommend a sustainable mobile learning model. The developmental study was conducted in University of West London in order to assess the feasibility of these devices. The main study in Nepal explored i) the overall challenges to education in the challenging learning environment of schools with limited or no access to ICT, ii) how ICT might be helping teaching and learning in the rural public schools, and iii) how an offline mobile learning solution based on the open source platforms may facilitate English language teaching and learning. Data collection primarily involved interviews, questionnaires, observations and supplemented by other methods. This thesis presents the sustainable model for deploying and supporting mobile technology for education, which is based on the findings emerging from completed exploratory studies in Nepal. It highlights all the aspects that need to be addressed to ensure sustainability. However, to translate this understanding to a design is a complex challenge. For a mobile learning solution to be used in such challenging learning contexts, the need is to develop simple and innovative solutions that provide access to relevant digital learning resources and train teachers to embed technology in education. This thesis discusses these findings, limitations and presents implications for the design of future mobile learning in the context of Nepal.

Understanding the interactive experience of using digital technologies is a complex process. Traditional methods of evaluating interactive technologies originate from usability, which focuses on ease of use, ease of learning and performance. User Experience (UX) emerged from the recognition that usability alone does not account for the more subjective emotional responses experienced when interacting with a product. Although the term UX has become widely accepted within the area of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), its definition still remains unclear, making it difficult to evaluate and design for. This thesis adopts a hybrid perspective by bridging the division between the reductionist and holistic approaches to UX research. Using a multi-methods approach that combine the strengths of both quantitative (objective) and qualitative (subjective) methods, will provide deeper insights into the users’ judgement process of interactive products. Various theories have been proposed to understand UX, yet no consensual UX theory or model has emerged. The importance of aesthetics in influencing decisions about a products quality gained much attention in early UX research with conflicting results, sparking a surge of research into understanding the complexities of user quality judgement. Past UX research has focused on the multi-constructs of pragmatics, hedonics and aesthetics, and how these may influence user judgement, which can vary depending on the context, task and user background. However, little attention has been given to the impact of interactive design features upon UX. Findings from this thesis clearly show that interactivity is an important element within UX in both short and long-term usage. This thesis expands the existing process model of user quality judgement, through a series of three studies to reveal the importance of interactivity, and how initial perception and judgement of a products quality can change over time. The first two studies identify the importance of interactivity in positive influencing UX. Both studies revealed that affective and hedonic ratings increased as a result of interaction, demonstrating the powerful effect of interaction, and showed clear differences for websites that contained enhanced interactive features, despite the presence of usability problems. Further exploration using cluster analysis revealed three sub-groups that categorised users not only by their interactive style preferences, but also by their predispositions towards technology. This perspective of user sub-group analysis is a contribution to the field which bridges population-level quantitative analysis with qualitative findings that focuses on the individual ethnographic interpretations of experience. Considerable UX research has focused on short-term evaluations, based on users first impressions pre and post-interaction, with few studies capturing long-term usage. The third study reports on an ecological longitudinal investigation into how UX changes over time and long-term product use. A group of novice iPad users were tracked over six months to reveal that despite poor usability, hedonic ratings remained high, yet over time usefulness and utility were dominating factors affecting UX and product adoption. The influence of both device and app revealed that although users found the device more pleasurable, it was the variety of apps contained on the device that facilitated positive UX. The overall findings from this research provided some valuable methodological insights and aided the creation of set of practical UX heuristics that can be used to inform both future research and design practice.

Starting a business is a massive undertaking. It can feel complicated and difficult to know where to start. A common take-off can be to look up information on the internet. It is also possible to get information on how to start a business from the bank, which is a credible source. However, the information may not be presented in the best and most user-friendly way, making it difficult to follow each step. This raises the question: How to design a digital guide for starting a business? This study examines how usability can be improved to increase the guide’s user experience and thus improve the customer journey. To ensure that the right solution is developed, one must first understand what the fundamental problems are. In this way, the right solution can be found to the problem. This was accomplished using the Double Diamond method. The method included four phases, Discover - literature study, evaluation and interviews, Define - How Might We, Develop - brainstorming and sketching, and Deliver - prototyping and user testing. The thesis resulted, via four phases, in a design proposal ready to be implemented. A usability measure test, SUS, was carried out on a Hi-Fi prototype with a mean SUS score of 88.5. Due to the General Data Protection Regulation and not being able to implement the proposal on Swedbanks’ site, it was not possible to conduct the test on the intended target audience. However, in the next step, the developed material and methods could be used to test the intended target audience.

Internal enterprise simulation-based software tools are complex to use. Complexity can be reduced by designing for good user experience (UX), making the interface user-friendly and more efficient for employees. However, designing UX in an innovation project is tricky. This study applied Lean UX – a user-driven process elaborated by Gothelf. The process was adapted to fit the development case of an internal simulation-based software sales-tool at Ericsson. The results of the study describe how the process was adapted and what the challenges of it were. One challenge of the study was the advanced engineering level of this particular project. A second challenge was the complex organizational structure and its users. A third challenge was the management’s limited understanding of what UX stands for. Therefore, the study concludes that even though it is challenging, the Lean UX process can be adapted for enterprise environment. Whilst the process itself was only slightly adapted, the way the process is applied takes many efforts. The challenges are further discussed from the perspective of Nielsen’s Corporate UX maturity model.