This dissertation contains three chapters in the field of development economics and applied microeconomics. The first chapter studies the effect of higher education on an individual’s life outcomes and how the effect evolves over her life cycle. The second chapter examines how a woman-centered, preference-based counseling procedure shapes women’s contraceptive preferences and behavior. The third chapter investigates the impact of construction activities of transportation infrastructure on local economic outcomes. Chapter 1 examines the effect of higher education on an individual’s life outcomes, and how the effect evolves over her life cycle. I use as a natural experiment the most ambitious educational reform in Chinese history, the reinstatement of the National College Entrance Examination (the Gaokao) following the end of the Cultural Revolution. Using Census data in 1990 and 2000, I find discontinuous changes in the likelihood of completing high school and attending college around a cutoff birth date, which are shown to be induced by the policy shock. Through a combination of regression discontinuity and difference-in-difference methods, this chapter finds that cohorts that were more likely to complete high school and obtain a college education as a result of the reform were more likely to have a high-socioeconomic (SES) occupation in their early 30s, and the effect becomes smaller in their 40s. More educated cohorts, and in particular women, tend to marry later. Individuals with higher education were less likely to be ever married in their 40s. Finally, individuals with higher education tend to delay childbearing and migrate more in both their 30s and 40s, plausibly due to greater returns to migration for the more educated. Chapter 2 (with Mahesh Karra) examines how a woman-centered, preference-based approach to family planning counseling shapes women's contraceptive preferences and behavior. By implementing a randomized controlled trial in urban Malawi, we explore how a woman's decision-making may be shaped by: 1) the number and types of contraceptive methods presented to her based on her stated preferences for contraception (targeted counseling); and 2) the presence of her husband / male partner at the time of counseling. Women were subsequently offered free transport and access to family planning methods and services at a clinic for one month. We find that women who received targeted counseling were 15.6 percent less likely to be using their stated ideal contraceptive method at follow-up and were 17.5 percent more likely to exhibit discordance between their stated and ideal method at follow-up. On the other hand, women who were encouraged to invite their husbands to the counseling session were 13.5 percent less likely to change their stated ideal method from counseling to follow-up but 16.6 percent more likely to be using their stated ideal method at follow-up. While both approaches aim to achieve the goal of ``helping women make informed choices on family planning'', neither seems to yield strictly preferred outcomes for women. Chapter 3 investigates how the construction of the three earliest high-speed railway (HSR) lines in mid-Southern China affects economic activity. By formulating a set of counterfactual railway lines following the HSR planbook (MLTRP) issued by the central government, and by utilizing nighttime light data (NTL) from 1992 to 2013, I implement an event-study analysis to quantify how HSR construction transforms the local economic activity as proxied by the NTL. Furthermore, I employ county-level data on economic indicators to pin down the channels at work underlying the effects. I find that: 1) the grid-level NTL significantly increased compared to the counterfactual regions one year after the HSR construction, but there is no significant impact following the operation of the HSR lines; 2) the positive construction impacts can be explained by the provisions of associated local amenities, temporary clearing of households, as well as structural transformation from agricultural towards non-agricultural sectors.

Can the Product Development Process at Tcom be improved by moving usability testing in-house? The interest in this question lies in the agile transformation Tcom initiated in early 2018. Once agile, the company’s interests are efficiency and increasing quality. One way of increasing the quality of their digital products is to improve the process behind it, where involving users in usability testing should be central in an iterative development process. A qualitatively driven mixed methods research approach facilitated the acquisition of the empirical data necessary to successfully answer the research question. The culture of Tcom’s usability testing was collected via a survey. The survey was complemented with the current testing process through four interviews and two observations of usability tests, one internal and one external. Parameters between the two tests were compared and weighted against each other. The main findings reveal that the internal process shows promising characteristics. It is, up to, 1/10 as expensive per participant, has a quicker call-to-test-time, facilitates transparency, and allows refinement of the process. With the main findings in hand, the conclusion points to the fact that usability testing should be composed and conducted by Tcom itself. The greatest challenge to such a change is how a usability perspective can be integrated into the Scrum methodology. / Kan produktutvecklingsprocessen på Tcom förbättras genom att flytta användbarhetstester internt? Intresset i denna fråga ligger i den agila transformation som företaget påbörjade tidigt 2018. Effektivitet och kvalitet är centrala förbättringspunkter med det agila arbetssättet. Ett sätt att öka kvaliteten på deras digitala produkter är att förbättra processen bakom, där involveringen av användare i användbarhetstester bör vara centralt i ett iterativt arbetsförlopp. En kvalitativt driven mixed methods research metod tillämpades för att förvärva den empiriska data som krävdes för att framgångsrikt besvara frågeställningen. Tcoms användbarhetstestkultur undersöktes via en enkät. Denna metod kompletterades med 4 intervjuer och 2 observationer av användbarhetstest, ett externt och ett internt. Parametrar från de två observationerna ställdes mot varandra. De centrala upptäckterna avslöjar att den interna processen uppvisar lovande egenskaper. Den är upp till en tiondel så kostsam per deltagare, har snabbare beställning-till-test-tid, tillåter transparens, och möjliggör förbättring av själva testprocessen. Med hänsyn till huvudfynden kan vi konkludera att användbarhetstest bör utformas och utföras av Tcom själva. Den största utmaningen till en sådan förändring ligger i hur ett sådant användbarhetsperspektiv ska implementeras i det agila ramverket Scrum.

With a rapid growth in smartwatch and smartwatch audio technologies, there is a lack of knowledge regarding user needs for smartwatch audio experiences and how those needs can be satisfied through user-centered design. Previous smartwatch user behavior studies suggest that audio app usage is not a primary use case for the smartwatch. However, audio applications are increasingly incorporated into smartwatches, which leads to the question of the apps’ purpose, validity, overlooked contexts and use cases. This thesis aims to understand what kind of audio experience(s) a user-centered design process might generate for the smartwatch. The design process generated insights from smartwatch users of audio applications, that were used as design guidelines for Context Awareness, Micro-interactions, and Device Ecosystem. The resulting prototype HeartBeats considers Context Awareness with heart rate music recommendations, Micro-interactions with one-handed song skipping and Quickplay music, and Device Ecosystem with speaker access and phone battery support. / Med en snabb teknisk utveckling av smartklockor och tillhörande ljudteknik finns det en kunskapsbrist om användarbehov och hur dessa kan tillfredsställas genom användarcentrerad design. Tidigare forskning om smartklocksanvändares beteenden tyder på att ljudapplikationer inte är ett huvudsakligt användningsområde för smartklockor. Ljudapplikationer implementeras dock allt mer i smartklockor, vilket leder till frågan om vilket värde de ger och om användningsområden möjligen har förbisetts. Den här uppsatsen syftar till att förstå vilka sorts ljudupplevelser en användarcentrerad designprocess skulle resultera i för smartklockor. Designprocessen resulterade i insikter om smartklocksanvändares beteenden med ljudapplikationer, vilket användes som designriktlinjer för kontextmedvetenhet, mikrointeraktioner och ekosystem av enheter. Den resulterande prototypen HeartBeats nyttjar kontextmedvetenhetgenom att rekommendera musik med användarens hjärtrytm i åtanke, mikrointeraktioner med en gest för att byta låt och snabbstart av musik, samt ekosystem av enheter genom snabb åtkomst till klockhögtalare och stöd för att spara telefonbatteri.

This study explores the ways cookbooks and their rhetorical dimensions have been re-imagined using hypertext and Web technology. Using the tenets of postmodern feminist rhetoric and Web design theory, the study considers how commercial cooking hypertexts construct users' identities. Although hypertext is a potentially empowering technology, democratizing rhetoric and knowledge making practices, commercial hypertext often circumscribes agency formation and prohibits participation. Participatory, constructive hypertexts are difficult to design and costly to maintain. Of the three sites studied, Epicurious.com, BettyCrocker.com, and FoodNetwork.com, only Epicurious.com encourages meaningful communication between users and between users and designers. In many ways, Epicurious.com conceives of its users as active agents. Most of its content celebrates many knowledge making practices traditionally considered feminine and embodied. In contrast, BettyCrocker.com and FoodNetwork.com rely on closed, proprietary systems designs to maintain their authority. Users have little opportunity to participate as active agents. In small ways, however, users can begin to deconstruct the hypertexts, to resist the standards and strictures of expertly created recipes by reporting variations and opinions. The features that most reflect the tenets of a constructive feminist hypertext make possible some small movements toward agency.

Ease of use differentiates products in a highly competitive market place. It also brings an added value that culminates in a higher degree of customer satisfaction, repeated business, increased sales, and higher revenue. User-centered design is a strategic asset that companies can use to improve their customer relationships by learning more about their customers, and increase their sales. In today's economy, the measurement of intangible assets such as user experience has become a major need for industries because of the relationship between user-centered design and organizational benefits such as customer loyalty. As companies realize that the inclusion of user-centered design concepts in product or system design are a key component of attracting and maintaining customers, as well as increasing revenue, the need for quantitative methods to describe these benefits has become more urgent. The goal of this research is to develop a methodology to characterize user-centered design features, customer benefits and organizational benefits resulting from developing products using user-centered design principles through the use of an integrated framework of critical factors. Therefore, this research focuses on the identification of the most significant variables required to assess and measure the degree of user-centered design (UCD) characteristics included in the various aspects of product development such as physical design features, cognitive design attributes, industrial design aspects and user experience design considerations. Also this research focuses on the development of assessment tools for developers to use when evaluating the incorporation of user-centered design features in the creation of products and systems. In addition, a mathematical model to quantify the inclusion of UCD factors considered in the design of a product and systems is presented in this research. The results obtained using the assessment tools and the mathematical model can be employed to assess the customer benefits and organizational benefits resulting from including user-centered design features in the creation of products and systems. Overall, organizational benefits such as customer loyalty, company image, and profitability are expected to be impacted by the company's capability to meet or exceed stated design claims and performance consistency while maintaining aesthetic appeal, long product life, and product usefulness. The successful completion of this research has produced many beneficial research findings. For example, it has helped characterize and develop descriptors for estimating critical quantitative and qualitative components, sub-components, and factors influencing user-centered design that are related to customer and organizational benefits through the use of fuzzy set modeling. In addition, the development of specific tools, methods, and techniques for evaluating and quantifying UCD components resulted from this study.

Digital twin is an emerging technology that enhances digital transformation across many industries and domains. Most digital twins are made for a work context, and end users are the domain experts who carry knowledge in the work processes and products of which digital twin is part. The research gap for the present study is found in the missing adoption of a user-centered design approach and systematic evaluation of digital twins from the perspective of end users. User-Centered Design is a well-known design philosophy that engages users in the design process. By involving users, designers can better understand users and create situations where users can introduce their knowledge, needs and concerns into the products and systems. Emerging research questions for this study are: RQ1: What insights could be obtained with user-centered design and user involvement for the design of digital twin? RQ2: What limitations could user-centered design and user involvement incorporate in the design process of digital twins? This study will use both previous studies and empirical data from a scenario-based approach, workshops, observation, and interviews. Further, it will explore a theoretical framework combining User-Centered Design and Activity theory. This study aims to investigate what knowledge we can gain with users in focus and how that might help to fill the knowledge gap of previous research about user-centered involvement.

Economic activity has a significant impact on the environment, which causes many issues. To reduce this impact, they must adopt more sustainable behaviors. Yet, environmental objectives often oppose their own goals. This thesis studies how companies can use designs thinking to meet their sustainability objectives and conciliate them with the personal goals of the company's employees. Through a case study, I analyzed action taken by two companies as well as literature on this topic. Based on this information, I used user-centered design and persuasive design to define guidelines to help companies solve the contradiction between sustainability and their own goals. These guidelines were implemented and tested through an interactive prototype. This thesis studies how vital context awareness and adaptability are, when trying to influence the employees’ behavior to become more sustainable in complex workplace environments. / Ekonomiska aktiviteter påverkar miljön i högsta grad, vilket orsakar många problem. För att minska denna påverkan måste man införa ett mer hållbart beteende. Ändå motverkar miljömålen ofta de egna målen. Denna avhandling studerar hur företag kan använda sig av designtänkande för att uppfylla de egna hållbarhetsmålen och förena dem med företagets anställdas personliga mål. Genom en fallstudie analyserade jag åtgärder som vidtagits av två företag samt litteratur om detta ämne. Baserat på denna information använde jag användarcentrerad design och övertygande design för att ta fram riktlinjer för att hjälpa företag att lösa motsättningarna mellan hållbarhet och de egna målen. Dessa riktlinjer implementerades och testades genom en interaktiv prototyp. Denna avhandling studerar hur synnerligen viktigt det är att vara medveten om sammanhanget och att kunna anpassa sig när man försöker påverka de anställdas beteende, för att få dem att tänka mer hållbart i komplexa arbetsmiljöer.

Hur skapas en sittmöbel avsedd för flera ändamål där både god ergonomi och god estetisk uppfattning av sittmöbeln kan uppnås för användarna? Frågeställningen utforskas genom skapandet av en sittmöbel från två produktkategorier; kontorsstol och fåtölj. Arbetet sker genom ACD - användarcentrerad design för att få återkoppling och input från möjliga användare genom arbetes gång. Teori inom ergonomi används för att skapa förståelse kring hur ergonomi kan påverka användaren, och vad som skapar god ergonomi i design. För att bemöta frågan kring jämnvikt mellan estetik och ergonomi utgår metoderna från principen MAYA – most advanced, yet accepted. Arbetets resultat är ett förslag till metod för att jämföra två produktkategorier mot varandra för att identifiera likheter och skillnader. Från resultat av metod sker idégenerering för att skapa en produktbildsrendering av produkt inom en helt ny produktkategori. / How do you create a seating furniture intended for multiple purposes where both good ergonomics and a good aesthetic perception of the seating furniture can be achieved for the users? The issue is explored through the creation of seating furniture from two product categories; office chair and armchair. The work is done through UCD user-centered design to get feedback and input from potential users through the work. Theory in ergonomics is used to create an understanding of how ergonomics can affect the user, and what creates good ergonomics in design. To address the issue of balance between aesthetics and ergonomics, the methods are based on the principle MAYA - most advanced, yet accepted. The result of the work is a proposed method for comparing two product categories against each other to identify similarities and differences. From the result of the method, idea generation takes place to create a product image rendering of the product within a completely new product category.

The meal is fundamental in terms of nutrition but also from a social perspective. To be able to eat independently is described as important for the meal experience.   The development of a robotic eating aid called Bestic and the evolvement of a list of usability criteria for such an aid are described in this thesis. The work has been ongoing for 16 years. Bestic has been developed through user centred design, an iterative process with reoccurring evaluations and development. The design principle “it is not supposed just to work, but to be worth using” has guided the work. The feedback provided by the users throughout this process has had a great impact on the strategic choices of which features to prioritize during further development and what to keep as it is and has contributed to the list of usability requirements for robotic eating aids.   The context in which the robotic eating aid is used is of importance for the usability requirements. To further understand the environment that the robotic eating aid is used in, studies about the meal situation for older people in both Scandinavian/Swedish and Japanese contexts were conducted. The secondary users (care professionals or next of kin) were also taken into consideration when deriving the usability requirements and while performing the evaluations of the robotic eating aid. The most important research outcome from this work is a list of usability requirements for robotic eating aids. The requirements are divided into functional requirements and social requirements. The functional requirements for robotic eating aids include: ·      how well they work to eat with ·      how they are controlled ·      safety aspects ·      portability ·      possibility to adapt to different users.   The social requirements for robotic eating aids include: ·      how to fit into the meal situation ·      not to disturb the conversation ·      the needs from secondary users. / Måltiden är fundamental för de allra flesta, för att få i sig näring men även som en social aktivitet. Att kunna äta självständigt beskrivs som viktigt för upplevelsen av måltiden. I denna avhandling beskrivs utvecklingen av ett robotiserat äthjälpmedel som heter Bestic och hur en lista med användbarhetskriterier för robotiserade äthjälpmedel har växt fram. Arbetet har pågått i 16 år. Bestic är utvecklad genom användarcentrerad design, en iterativ process med återkommande utvärderingar och utvecklingssteg. Designprincipen ”den skall inte bara gå att använda, utan vara värd att använda” har lett arbetet. Återkopplingen från användarna genom hela processen har haft stor inverkan på strategiska val för vilka funktioner som skall prioriteras för fortsatt utveckling och vad som skall behållas som det är. Återkopplingen har även utgjort ett underlag till listan med användbarhetskriterier för robotiserade äthjälpmedel. Miljön som äthjälpmedel används i påverkar också användbarhetskriterierna. För att förstå denna miljö genomfördes studier om måltidssituationen för äldre personer i både en skandinavisk/svensk och japansk kontext. Även sekundära användare (vårdpersonal eller anhöriga) togs i beaktan vid framtagandet av användbarhetskriterierna. Det viktigaste forskningsbidraget från detta arbete är en lista av användbarhetskriterier för robotiserade äthjälpmedel. Kriterierna är uppdelade på funktionella och sociala kriterier.  De funktionella användbarhetskriterierna för robotiserade äthjälpmedel inkluderar: ·      hur bra de fungerar att äta med ·      hur de styrs ·      säkerhetsaspekter ·      bärbarhet ·      möjlighet att anpassa till olika användare.   De sociala användbarhetskriterierna för robotiserade äthjälpmedel inkluderar: ·      hur den passar in i måltidssituationen ·      att inte störa konversationen ·      behoven från de sekundära användarna.

This thesis explores potential strategies to enhance user control and satisfaction within the movie selection process, with a particular focus on the utilization of conversational generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, for personalized movie recommendations. The study adopts a qualitative user-centered design thinking approach, aiming to compre-hensively understand user needs, goals, and behavior. In-depth interviews were conducted, utilizing the "Thinking aloud"method and trigger materials to elicit rich user feedback. Participants interacted with ChatGPT and various prototypes, providing valuable insights into their experiences. The study found that participants felt more in control when given the opportunity to specify wishes. In addition, the users found that the experience of receiving recommendations through ChatGPT was more satisfying than their usual way of receiving recommendations for movies. Furthermore, participants expressed a desire for additional information about recommended movies and more novel suggestions. The prototypes, designed as triggers for user feedback, were generally well-received, providing an engaging and fun user experience. Despite some participants expressing challenges in specifying movie choices based on an emotion, this new approach to movie selection was viewed positively. Despite limitations concerning the study’s validity, reliability, and testing situation, the findings suggest the potential of generative artificial intelligence conversational agents in enhancing the movie selection process. It is concluded that iterative design improvements and further research is necessary to fully leverage the potential of natural language processing technologies in recommendation systems. The study serves as a preliminary investigation into improving movie recommendations using generative artificial intelligence and offers valuable insights for future developments.