The question of the relationship between, and the importance of usability and aesthetics, in the field of user interface design, has been debated back and forth. It has also been looked at from different perspectives since Raskin (1994) wrote his article on intuitive design. Several experiments have also been conducted over the last twenty years to find out exactly how much each factor matter, what the ultimate user preference is, and if it can be stereotyped. The more complex part of the discussion, however, seems to be the definitions: exactly what is aesthetics, what is usability and how do they affect each other? To find out, I explored the context of these factors from multiple perspectives, to draw the larger conclusions about what affects what. How accurate is the concept of halo when it comes to interface design; can a less aesthetic interface discourage users from exploring its content? Moreover, can a highly usable interface convince its users that the web page is also aesthetically pleasing? In this paper I will explain the ideas of aesthetic and intuitive design based on two fields of study; human computer interaction design and interaction design. That is in the pursuance of understanding user preference and the design decisions behind one of the most popular interfaces on the internet today.

Augmented Reality, eller förstärkt verklighet som det heter på svenska, är en teknologi som funnits i någon form sedan mer än 30 år tillbaka. Förstärkt verklighet system bygger och lägger virtuella objekt på vår syn av verkligheten, antingen genom video eller en genomskinlig display. Trots sin långa historia har det bara nyligen kunnat börja utvecklas i någon betydande mening, därför att den är starkt begränsad av processor- och display-teknik. Förutom tekniska begränsningar möter den också begränsningar i form av användarens kapacitet att bearbeta information som ett system matar ut. Om mängden information överskrider kapaciteten blir användaren överbelastad, ett tillstånd som kallas för Information Overload, vilket resulterar i att användaren får svårt att ta in och begripa information. Detta kan åthjälpas genom att utöva god design av användargränssnittet, som är en viktig del i alla system. Militären är mycket intresserade i teknologin i hopp om att det ska ge dem en bättre överblick på slagfältet. Den miljö som råder på ett slagfält kan dock vara mycket stressande, vilket ökar risken för Information Overload och gör det till en större utmaning att designa ett användbart system. Denna uppsats syftar att samla information om förstärkt verklighet, Informaion Overload och gränssnittsdesign på ett ställe och applicera det på ett militärt projekt, för att undersöka vilka utmaningar som uppstår när man designar för militärt bruk, utifrån traditionella riktlinjer och principer.

[pt] Um dos requisitos para a usabilidade de um sistema interativo é que os usuários adquiram o conhecimento, denominado de modelo de usabilidade, sobre como aplicar as soluções-em-potencial concebidas pelo designer às tarefas do seu domínio. A abordagem da Engenharia Semiótica apresenta uma perspectiva na qual um sistema interativo é um artefato de metacomunicação através do qual o designer envia uma mensagem que comunica o modelo de usabilidade para o usuário. Partindo desta perspectiva e baseado nos conceitos de semiótica das teorias de Charles S. Peirce e de Umberto Eco desenvolvemos modelos teóricos que descrevem o modelo de usabilidade como sendo o conteúdo da mensagem do designer, a interface de usuário como a sua expressão e o design como sendo uma atividade de produção de signos apoiada por um sistema semiótico, composto por uma linguagem de especificação e por regras que correlacionam as mensagens especificadas aos widgets dos principais padrões e ferramentas de interfaces de usuário. / [en] Interactive systems usability could be enhanced if users learn all the knowledge - the usabilty model - that capability them in applying designer`s potential solutions to domain tasks. The Semiotic Engineering approach perceives interactive systems as metacommunication artifacts that send a message from designer to users whose expression is the lower-level messages exchanged between user and system and whose content is the usability model. Starting from this perspective and based on semiotic theory concepts from Charles S. Peirce and Umberto Eco we present conceptual models to the interface as the expression and to the usability model as the content of designer`s message. We also develop a semiotic system to support user interface design. The system is composed by a specification language and rules that maps specified messagens to user interface widgets. Our emphasis here is not in aesthetics aspects of user interfaces, but in the interactive and performing nature of the interface message as it is carried throughout the computational medium. / [es] Uno de los requisitos para el uso de un sistema interactivo es que los usuarios adquieran conocimiento (denominado de modelo de usabilidad) sobre como aplicar las soluciones-en-potencial concebidas por el diseñador a las tareas de su dominio. El abordaje de la Ingeniería Semiótica presenta define un sistema interactivo como un artefacto de metacomunicación a través del cual el diseñador envía un mensaje que comunica el modelo de usabilidad para el usuario. Partiendo de esta perspectiva y considerando los conceptos de semiótica de las teorías de Charles S. Peirce y de Umberto Eco, desarrollamos modelos teóricos que describen el modelo de usabilidad como el contenido del mensaje del diseñador; la interfaz de usuario como su expresión y el diseño como una actividad de producción de signos apoyada por un sistema semiótico, compuesto por un lenguaje de especificación y por reglas que correlacionan los mensajes especificados a los widgets de los principales padrones y herramientas de interfaces de usuario.

Masters of Science / The focus of this research is to establish whether there is a difference in the way the genders perceive the visualization of mathematics, with specific reference to set theory. The influence of the computing experience of students on their perceptions was also investigated. Interfaces were created for the teaching of set theory for learners in the first class of secondary school. Since the mother tongue of most the pupils is Dari the interface was made available in both Dari and English. The interfaces were used to gather the data for the research / South Africa

School websites are useful in providing an additional environment to educate and impart culture to the collectivity. They reflect the collective phenomenon of behaviour and traditional ideas, and at the same time, reflect the efforts made by the educators to teach cultural identity, values and social skills. The work of renowned anthropologist Geert Hofstede (1991) on cultural dimensions has contributed to the study and reassessment of current theories on software and websites, which interact with the cultures of societies in which they function, and are still relevant to the constant evolution of technology (communication tools) in the educational environment. The aim of this research is to explore how cultural dimensions are reflected on ORT school websites in Israel. This study in a relatively new field offers educators an insight into new options and innovations offered by school websites, and provides reflections on their use in cultural education. In this context, the importance of this research lies in its contribution to the pedagogical dialogue on culture, and as it is reflected on school websites. This study applies Hofstede's (1991) work, in which he classifies cultural characteristics prevalent in global organizations into five "cultural dimensions": power distance, individualism&collectivism, masculinity&femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and time orientation, and design expert Aaron Marcus' (2001) interpretation and application of this model to website designs worldwide. The subject of this study consists of 54 Ort school websites operating in Israel. The findings on ORT school websites echo Hofstede's characteristics on the reflection of power distance in Israeli culture. However, my findings on Hofstede's three other dimensions – collectivism vs. individualism, masculinity vs. femininity, and uncertainty avoidance – illustrate a more complex picture, with the elements reflected in differing patterns. ORT school websites reflect both elements of culture as defined by Marcus (2001) and elements of standardization of website design. In recent years, there has been an upsurge in the software available globally to create and design websites, all using the same basic tools and elements of design. In conclusion, schools' attempts to impart culture as part of their social education policies is reflected in the contents and design of their websites. / Dissertation (MEd (Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

This project is a master’s thesis in Industrial Design that has been conducted in the spring of 2022 at Luleå University of Technology. The project is a cooperation with the company Neava and is about improving their online tool Design Studio. The goal of the project is to improve the online tool from an environmentally friendly perspective, i.e., how information is presented regarding material’s impact on the environment and how energy efficient the house will be when all the choices have been made.  Today, there are two different interfaces of Design Studio. One that is based on specific requirements from a customer, and another that is designed for sellers. None of these interfaces provides the user with information about how the materials are affecting the environment. Today it is important to think about the materials and energy efficiency when new houses are being built to create a sustainable future.  The work has been conducted by the process Design Thinking, which is an iterative process that is performed in five different phases: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. In the first phase, an understanding of the user was created, this was conducted through interviews and a survey. In the second phase, the user was identified, and user needs were established. In the third phase, different ideas and concepts were generated and then evaluated by users. In the fourth phase, a clickable prototype was created in the program Adobe XD. In the fifth phase, the prototype was tested on users and later improved based on the results.  The final result is a clickable prototype that informs the user about the available materials and how they are affecting the environment. The materials are categorized into three different groups: red, yellow, and green. If a material is in the red category, it indicates that the material is the worst for the environment. If a material is in the yellow category, it indicates that the material is okay for the environment. If a material is in the green category, it indicates that the material is the best for the environment. These three colors are connected to the environmental meter, the indicator shows the user how environmentally friendly materials the user has selected and how energy efficient the house will be.

Purpose – As screen time per individual increases, more users of digital devices experience ocular related diseases. The purpose of this study is to gather reasons for the vast popularity Dark Mode gained in contemporary society, by investigating previous design eras. As a general lack of trend analysis within user interface design has been identified, the goal of the study is to lay the foundation for further research in the field of user interface design. Method – The study relies on a qualitative literature review. Publications related to Dark Mode, light-on-dark color schemes and digital trends were analyzed for topic-specific content that was then elaborated to give a critically viewed framework of the emerging trend. Findings – The results of our study indicate that various factors led to creation of the hyped trend, known as Dark Mode. It was first and foremost practicality of the light-on-dark color scheme that paved the way for Dark Mode. All operating systems, many apps, platforms and even websites incorporated it in their design. Being an optional feature, Dark Mode makes it more comfortable for users to use their devices outside the light hours or in environments with bad lighting conditions. With Dark Mode users get a far-reaching personalization tool, that visually changes essentially the whole OS or app. From a psychological point of view this improves user satisfaction, as humans naturally are seeking way to be in control. Being in control of own devices is undoubtedly an important aspect of it. Besides that, Dark Mode houses potential to lower energy consumption of devices and provides users with longer battery times. This, however, only applies to devices with display technology like OLED, where backlighting is at least divided into zones, that can be turned off when not in use. Devices with conventional LED displays cannot benefit from lower energy consumption. Implications – The study indicates that individuals use Dark Mode for a more satisfying user experience as they feel e.g. less eye strain with a dark themed user interface. Editing and coding software is mostly designed in a light-on-dark color scheme, as users often work for long continuous hours on screen, surrounded by dark environment. As screen time per individual increases, more users are experiencing ocular diseases. In counteraction, society demanded dark themed interfaces for operating systems, websites, and apps. As individuals were already using unofficial dark themes on different interfaces, tech companies started releasing system updates to make Dark Mode a choice. As Apple released their user interface update just in 2019, Dark Mode is still a relevant trend discussed in the industry and society. Experts indicate that Dark Mode is here to stay, as it satisfies preferences of many users and makes current OLED screens and future digital devices with appropriate display technology more sustainable. Limitations – The time frame of the study, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic greatly limited the possibilities of conducting the study. Due to the novelty of the trend, there is lack of previous research, which limited the view on the subject to only work available. Keywords – Dark Mode, dark-on-light color scheme, retro trends, user interface design, user experience, digital trends, display, screen, screen time, eye strain

In today’s competitive landscape, shaping positive digital experiences with the brand is crucial for the company’s market success. The study aimed to investigate the interconnected relationship between User Experience (UX) and Brand Experience (BX) by exploring the potential for enhancing BX through the implementation of User Interface (UI) elements aligned with brand values within an e-commerce website. In this study, a two-phase quantitative experiment was employed, and four high-fidelity e-commerce web page prototypes were developed based on the Swedish multinational furniture retailer IKEA’s e-commerce website. In conclusion, this study establishes that the implementation of UI elements in line with brand values has the potential to enhance BX within the context of an e-commerce website. Through one of the prototypes, all dimensions of BX could be positively influenced. By emphasizing the interconnectedness between UX and BX, these findings contribute to our understanding of the critical role of UX design in shaping positive brand experiences online.

The increasing use of 3D user interface elements, particularly 3D menus, demonstrates the need to expand research in the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) as it pertains to 3D user interfaces. The results of this thesis contribute to the understanding of the cognitive impacts of using 3D menus. Multiple application areas for 3D menus have been identified where memory retention is a critical success factor, but little research has been done in the area of memory retention for 3D menus. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if the use of 3D carousel menus increases retention of information over 2D menus and if is there a gender effect with these results. A three factor split-plot (one-between subject factor and two-within subject factors) experiment was designed to test if menu dimension, content type, and gender are significant factors in memory retention and to determine if there are any interactions between these factors. The results of the experiment revealed that dimension and gender are not significant factors in the retention of information and none of the interactions of dimension (2D vs. 3D), gender, and content were significant. Several subjects’ questionnaire responses demonstrated that the menu dimension they perceived to better aid retention was 3D; however these results were not statistically significant. While these results showed that within the boundaries chosen the use of a 3D menu neither promotes nor degrades memory retention, there are still a number of questions that need to be answered regarding the use of 3D menus and their effect on other cognitive processes.

The game development processes behind entertainment games are not well understood. While there are studies that report on user interface evaluation in game production, there are very few studies that report on user interface design. The purpose of study is to explore and learn more about the game industry perspective and their processes behind user interface design. A systematic literature review was performed on the Game developers Conference database, GDC Vault. The review uncovered 105 presentations that relate to UI Design. A thematic analysis was performed to explore the eight most relevant presentations to the research question. The analysis resulted in two themes. The first theme describes UI designers’ experience of interdisciplinary collaboration. The second theme describe two seemingly conflicting goals in the UI design process: aesthetics and usability. The study contributes to the field of game development research with some knowledge about how the game industry create UI design.