How do users respond to shopping websites designed using static site generators, techniques to reduce the size of the website, or intermittent offline periods due to characteristics of solar power? Websites today are often dynamic, meaning that they are generated in real time by client-side applications. However, it is possible to use static site generators to generate the website once on the server and then distribute it from there. Meaning that the website does not need to be regenerated at every client request. Another aspect to take into consideration is the energy generation of solar power, which changes depending on the time and weather. It is therefore interesting to design a website that is not always online. The website could be online during specific hours or only be guaranteed to be online during a set of hours. This goes against the typical website which strives to be available all the time. The question that arises is how a user will react to this website that sometimes is offline. The goal of this project is to explore how shopping websites could be designed using techniques that reduces computations and sizes of the websites. Techniques used in solar powered websites and in order to reduce the energy usage of the website. Additionally, observing how users react to these design changes. The project will be evaluated with user testing of the prototype website and qualitative research methods in interviews with users. Allowing the observation of the effects these changes have on users, consumers and customers. The results show that participants react negatively to the altering of images through dithering in the context of online shopping. However, at the same time, utilizing the combination of images to reduce the image size showed no effect on the participants' experience. Lastly, this thesis acknowledges that it is not possible to create a fully static shopping website. Instead, it discusses what features would be noticed if not included due to most of the website being static. However, there might be features that being dynamic is required for a purchase to be possible. Additionally, the study shows that the prototype can pass as a shopping website.

This research investigates how players can be encouraged to alternate between offensive and defensive play within the game Martyr of Carnage (MoC), through the use of nudges. Nudges are subtle design elements that influence behavior without restricting choices, and they are commonly used in marketing, business, and government sectors. This study aims to extend the application of nudge theory to game design and find out if the theory is effective in altering playtester behavior in our game. The research was conducted using iterative game design methods, where various nudges were integrated and tested within the game environment. The main findings indicate that incorporating nudges in games serves as a useful analytical tool, effectively guiding player behavior and enhancing the overall gaming experience of Martyr of Carnage.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in mobile applications has grown in popularity, changing the way people engage with technology. AI improves functionality, personalization, and efficiency across a wide range of mobile applications. One specific group of apps powered by AI is period-tracking applications, which is the focus of this master thesis. These apps utilize AI for features such as cycle predictions, fertility windows, symptom predictions, health insights, and chatbots. The aim of this project was to evaluate the performance of these advanced features, leading to the research question: “How do users perceive and experience the AI features in period-tracking applications?” To address this question, an observational mixed-method approach was employed. The research began with a survey, shared via social media platforms from February 19th, 2024, to April 2nd, 2024. The questionnaire included 20 open-ended and multiple-choice questions centered on AI features. By the end of the survey period, 61 responses were collected and analyzed. During the survey period, four participants were chosen for follow-up interviews, but three users’ responses were used in the analysis. The survey results underwent statistical tests to explore the relationship between monthly app usage, duration of app use, and satisfaction with cycle predictions. Later, interview results analyzed by using thematic analysis were integrated to the walkthrough method while assessing the functionality, interface, and user experience of AI features. The mixed-method study offered comprehensive insights into users' practices and experiences with AI features in period-tracking apps, revealing the need for future work to enhance the performance of these AI features for better user satisfaction.

Doctor of Philosophy / Green building is defined as a building providing users with healthy and comfortable living space that also implements efficient use of energy and resources. Guidelines and manuals called green building certification resources help project teams construct green buildings and earn certifications. By focusing on technical aspects, green building certification resource developers overlook usability and likely impact ease of use and overall experience. EarthCraft Multifamily (ECMF) is a green building certification program that has had many years of success in Virginia and Georgia. While ECMF resources have contributed to its success, there is room for improvement. The objective of this research was to investigate ways to improve the user experience and usability of green building certification resources and enhance user decision-making. This research utilized various qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze and discuss various ways that green building certification resources can be improved. Results from this study are based on numerous ways that ECMF resources can be enhanced. Data sources include data from Jefferson et al. (2021), project specifications, developer interview data, stakeholder interview data, and builder interview data. Interviews were conducted with professional architects, builders, and stakeholders that had previous experience with the ECMF program and resources. Interviews were also conducted with members of past development teams that worked on ECMF resources in the past. A comparative analysis following an A/B testing format was conducted on original and alternate versions of ECMF resources. The findings from this study demonstrate that user experiences and usability improvements to ECMF resources can contribute to enhance decision-making. Interview data showed that architects, builders, and stakeholders' experience with ECMF resources were affected by the usability issues present in the resources. Understanding how ECMF resources are utilized and perceived by users allows for the appropriate content and options to be strategically framed to enhance user decision-making in future iterations of ECMF. This research also sets the stage for developers of other green building certification programs such as LEED and Enterprise to replicate this form of study and further enhance their resources which are critical to the development of affordable sustainable housing.

Working with the public benefit corporation SURVIVR, I conducted a user experience study to determine how effective the Summer 2019 build of the virtual reality (VR) police training tool SurviVR was at meeting the product's goal of providing officers-in-training with realistic, immersive training experience. Two virtual training scenarios, entitled Active Shooter and Emotionally Disturbed Person (EDP), were the focal points of the study. At two of the product's pilot demonstration locations over eleven total sessions, I gathered observational data and audiovisual recordings and administered paper surveys based in qualitative methods (with a few quantitative elements). Using these data collection tools and techniques, I inquired into the themes of immersion and realism in the virtual scenarios and what design features the participants felt positively or negatively impacted their experiences of these themes. SurviVR's nature of containing both real-world and virtual elements that are pertinent to user experience necessitated a framework that addresses ethnography of virtual worlds, hybrid ethnography, and design anthropology. This study contributes to the expanding field of VR applications and understanding how improved immersion and realism can aid in the effectiveness of VR as a training tool.

Storicamente, lo studio delle Nuove Tecnologie ha visto l’evoluzione di diverse discipline interessate alla valutazione delle stesse, in termini di sicurezza, usabilità, esperienza globale (dall’Ergonomia fino alla User Experience, passando per la cyberpsicologia). Tali discipline hanno identificato nei “bisogni degli utenti” la guida fondamentale di valutazione e design. Tuttavia, è mancata una contestualizzazione teorica del concetto di bisogno dell’utente. A tal proposito, questa tesi propone un modello teorico (PIM) basato sulla relazione tra tecnologie e intenzioni degli utenti. Queste ultime, sulla base della letteratura psicologica e filosofica, sono viste come l’antecedente mentale delle azioni, strutturate gerarchicamente. Sulla base del modello, vengono presentati tre esperimenti incentrati sull’interazione con le tecnologie e le intenzioni al livello motorio, prossimale e distale. I risultati del primo esperimento indicano che l’utilizzo di tecnologie interattive può modificare il contenuto rappresentazionale delle intenzioni motorie. Il secondo esperimento mostra che la presenza di intenzioni prossimali in utenti orienta la loro percezione di opportunità d’azione e la valutazione della tecnologia. Il terzo esperimento dimostra che la presenza di intenzioni distali negli utenti influenza la valutazione di usabilità di una tecnologia e le emozioni ad essa legate. La conclusione della tesi approfondisce l’importanza dell’analisi delle intenzioni nella valutazione delle tecnologie. / Historically, the study of New Technologies has seen the evolution of the various disciplines involved in technology evaluation, in terms of safety, usability, and the overall experience (from ergonomics to User Experience, and cyberpsychology). These disciplines have identified the "user needs" as the fundamental guideline for evaluation and design. However, a theoretical contextualization of the concept of user needs is still missing. This dissertation proposes a theoretical model (PIM) based on the relationship between technology and user intentions. Based on the psychological and philosophical literature, it defines intentions as the hierarchically-structured mental antecedents of actions. Starting from the model, three experiments are presented focusing on the interaction with the technologies and motor, proximal and distal intentions. The results of the first experiment indicate that the use of interactive technologies can modify the representational content of motor intentions. The second experiment shows that the presence of proximal intentions in users drives their perception of affordances in the technologies and their final evaluation. The third experiment shows that users’ distal intentions influence the evaluation of usability in the technology and the experience of usage-related emotions. The conclusion explores the importance of intention analysis in technology evaluation.

Studien har syftat till att undersöka hur individers känsla av säkerhet kan påverkas i ett smart hem. Hemmet, smarta hem (SH) och känslan av säkerhet har definierats med hjälp av litteratur som är relevant för respektive område. Den teoretiska grunden tillsammans med studiens syfte ligger till grund för den designstrategi som använts för att undersöka detta på ett relevant sätt. Studien har baserats på ett induktivt angreppsätt där fokus har varit att identifiera aspekter som påverkar känslan av säkerhet i ett SH. Datainsamlingen har skett med hjälp av en enkät samt en fokusgrupp. Studien har identifierat fynd som resulterat i två övergripande aspekter vilket är kontroll samt tillit till systemet. Dessa aspekter består av sju mer specifika definitioner, vilket kan ligga till grund för fortsatt forskning kring hur SH påverkar de som bor i dem.

Mängden dejtingapplikationer för mobila enheter ökar stadigt och i Sverige dominerar Tinder som den mest populära mobila dejtingapplikationen. Matchningsprocessen på Tinder har dock fått motstå en del kritik då gränssnittet gör det väldigt enkelt att göra misstag. Syftet med det här examensarbetet är att undersöka matchningsprocessen på den mobila dejtingapplikation Tinder för att skapa ett nytt koncept med hjälp av metoden Konceptdriven designforskning. Med hjälp av Konceptdriven designforskning blir det nya konceptet utarbetat enligt en metodologisk guide där författaren jobbar med att granska kritik och teoretiskt förankra det mot en forskningsbakgrund för att hitta lösningar som förbättrar användbarheten. Arbetet leds av frågeställningen ”Hur kan matchningsprocessen på Tinder teoretiskt förankras och konceptualiseras i syfte att främja användarupplevelsen?” Författaren skapar en design för att visa det nya konceptet i sin helhet och testar det nya konceptet mot etablerade Tinderanvändare för att utvärdera användarupplevelsen. Resultatet visar att deltagarna ansåg att det nya konceptet är lättförståeligt, att det minskar antalet misstag vid matchningsprocessen och att det nya konceptet är mer användbart än Tinder. Det nya konceptet behåller stommen av Tinder men justerar applikationen utifrån kritik för att erbjuda en bättre användbarhet genom att luta alla ändringar mot en forskningsbakgrund med designprinciper och designriktlinjer för god användbarhet. I slutsatsen presenteras ett nytt koncept som är teoretiskt förankrat i tidigare forskning och som främjar användarupplevelsen genom att erbjuda ett gränssnitt som är mer användbart än det gränssnitt som Tinder idag erbjuder. / The amount of mobile dating applications are steadily rising and Tinder dominates as the most popular mobile dating application in Sweden. However, the matching process of Tinder has been criticized as the interface makes it very easy for the users to make mistakes. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the matching process of the mobile dating application Tinder and create a new concept using the method Concept-driven design research. With the help of Concept-driven design research the new concept is being developed according to a methodological guide where the author is working to review criticism and set it against a research background to find solutions that improve usability. The author creates a design to show the concept in its entirety and test the concept against established Tinder users to evaluate the user experience of the new concept. As a result, the participants felt that the new concept was easy to understand, that it reduced the number of mistakes during the matching process and that the new concept was more useful than Tinder. The new concept keeps the backbone of Tinder but adjusts the application based on criticism to provide a better usability by basing all the changes on a scientific background with design principles and design guidelines for good usability. The conclusion presents a new concept based on a research background that promotes the user experience by offering an interface that is more useable than the interface offered by Tinder today.

The purpouse of this study is to find out how and if a Content Managment System (CMS) can benefit from applied User Experience Design (UX). A work project has been executed where a client wanted the students to create a user friendly CMS for adding content to a global hotel review site. A prototype of a CMS was created based on literature studies about UX and CMS. The prototype of the user friendly CMS was then tested through user tests and interviews with key users. After input from the key users the prototype was changed until the users were satisfied with it.

The fast paced evolution of technology has changed the way people interact with service providers in a significant way; the introduction of new service delivery channels has mainly been based on technological advances rather than on customer needs. During the last 20 years the banks have extended their service offerings from just having the branch offices to the multichannel service delivery systems of today, including; phones, computers and smartphone apps. Previous research has concluded that there were many barriers for mobile banking to become a widespread service delivery channel for banks, such as technical limitations, trust issues and social obstacles. In order to understand the role of the smartphone in this multichannel ecology, a qualitative interview study was undertaken focusing on the customers’ perception of the bank. The results show that the choice of channel is dependent on personal characteristics, perceived risk, context and how the task itself is perceived. The results show that the current role of the smartphone is complementary to the other channels, providing the customer with basic banking services wherever they are; it supports the customer in the activity of managing ones private economy and providing the informant with the feeling of control. The results also include insights into the life of three customers and their interaction with their bank over the course of one month in the form of customer journey maps.