This thesis tries to define factors that impact upon the feeling of exclusivity for users on travelorganizers websites. We have identified seven key factors that we believe impact this feeling andthose factors are newsletters, special offers/auxiliary services, registration/limited information,price, limited number of seats on a journey, deals for members and personal service. To researchthis we have conducted a questionnaire and performed interviews with people that are familiarwith travel organizers websites. To create an understanding for the results we have studied usercenteredweb design, affective design and the meaning of pictures. The results show that personalservice and price are important factors to make users feel that they get their requirements andwishes met. Newsletters and special offers/auxiliary services on the other hand are seen by mostas spam and do not impact the feeling of exclusivity because it is being sent to anyone who signsup for it.

This thesis examines the user-centered design methods and methodology inherent to designing and testing a web-based Dreamweaver 8 tutorial for undergraduate and graduate students who enroll in certain English rhetoric and composition courses at Georgia State University. The tutorial’s three interfaces were rhetorically designed to support three corresponding types of user—novices, intermediates, and experts— whose familiarity with Dreamweaver and student web space determined their starting point of interaction with the artifact. Three usability tests examined each interface based on four usability attributes. Findings revealed the novice and expert interfaces to be usable, while the intermediate interface was more problematic. The analysis of findings indicated the advanced documentation theory to be sound; however, the practical implementation of the theory to this artifact was comparatively ineffective. More research is suggested for determining whether a multimodal tutorial design is the most useful and usable for the target audience(s).

People have difficulties using computers. Some have more difficulties than others. There is a need for guidance in how to evaluate and improve the accessibility of systems for users. Since different users have considerably different accessibility needs, accessibility is a very complex issue.<p>ISO 9241-171 defines accessibility as the "usability of a product, service, environment or facility by people with the widest range of capabilities." While this definition can help manufacturers make their products more accessible to more people, it does not ensure that a given product is accessible to a particular individual.<p>A reference model is presented to act as a theoretical foundation. This Universal Access Reference Model (UARM) focuses on the accessibility of the interaction between users and systems, and provides a mechanism to share knowledge and abilities between users and systems. The UARM also suggests the role assistive technologies (ATs) can play in this interaction. The Common Accessibility Profile (CAP), which is based on the UARM, can be used to describe accessibility.<p>The CAP is a framework for identifying the accessibility issues of individual users with particular systems configurations. It profiles the capabilities of systems and users to communicate. The CAP can also profile environmental interference to this communication and the use of ATs to transform communication abilities. The CAP model can be extended as further general or domain specific requirements are standardized.<p>The CAP provides a model that can be used to structure various specifications in a manner that, in the future, will allow computational combination and comparison of profiles.<p>Recognizing its potential impact, the CAP is now being standardized by the User Interface subcommittee the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission.

People have difficulties using computers. Some have more difficulties than others. There is a need for guidance in how to evaluate and improve the accessibility of systems for users. Since different users have considerably different accessibility needs, accessibility is a very complex issue.<p>ISO 9241-171 defines accessibility as the "usability of a product, service, environment or facility by people with the widest range of capabilities." While this definition can help manufacturers make their products more accessible to more people, it does not ensure that a given product is accessible to a particular individual.<p>A reference model is presented to act as a theoretical foundation. This Universal Access Reference Model (UARM) focuses on the accessibility of the interaction between users and systems, and provides a mechanism to share knowledge and abilities between users and systems. The UARM also suggests the role assistive technologies (ATs) can play in this interaction. The Common Accessibility Profile (CAP), which is based on the UARM, can be used to describe accessibility.<p>The CAP is a framework for identifying the accessibility issues of individual users with particular systems configurations. It profiles the capabilities of systems and users to communicate. The CAP can also profile environmental interference to this communication and the use of ATs to transform communication abilities. The CAP model can be extended as further general or domain specific requirements are standardized.<p>The CAP provides a model that can be used to structure various specifications in a manner that, in the future, will allow computational combination and comparison of profiles.<p>Recognizing its potential impact, the CAP is now being standardized by the User Interface subcommittee the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission.

Research in educational psychology has focused on facilitating learning by using two presentation modalities (auditory and visual) to convey information. Learning is theorized to improve through an increase in perceptual information flow. I hypothesized that presenting information in two modalities might also provide additional benefits that occur after information is perceived, and while it is being processed for learning. The present study explored whether perceptual effects and cognitive effects of multimedia presentation can be separated by presenting auditory and visual information sequentially or simultaneously. During simultaneous presentation, the typical multimedia effect (that is, facilitating learning by presenting information in two modalities) did not occur, suggesting that the multimedia effect might depend upon more than perceptual effects. Moreover, the manipulation showed significant effects of presentation type during sequential presentation, suggesting that effects previously thought to be a result of reducing perceptual overlap might actually occur after perception. Based on the results of this study, I recommend that information designers reconsider the sources assumed to influence the multimedia learning effect. This would have implications for determining the optimal presentation of information.

Networks have expanded from the workplace and scientific labs into the home. Consequently, managing networks is no longer only a job for skilled network administrators, but has also become one for general home users, who have to deal with various home network management tasks such as network/device configuration, security management, and troubleshooting to name but a few. However, many home network users have difficulty managing these tasks due to the inherent complexity of the home network and the lack of management tools designed for non-skilled network users. This dissertation addresses the problem of network management for non-skilled network users by investigating a home network management tool with a new interaction model called Eden. Eden is an interactive home network management tool based on direct manipulation. It eliminates the need for users to see all the technical minutia of the network while still allowing users to perform management tasks with a simple drag-and-drop of visually represented networking devices and network settings. The user interface evaluation showed that Eden is intuitive and easy enough for general home users to use. The usability evaluation showed that Eden performed better overall than existing tools and that the majority of the study participants preferred Eden over the existing tools for future use. My contributions are twofold. First, I present what is to my knowledge the first fully direct manipulation system designed specifically for home network management. Secondly, my evaluation highlights a number of properties in my design--particularly in my conceptual model--that improve users' understandings of the network, and their ease with managing it.

Throughout a typical day, people complete myriad tasks and activities such as locking the front door as they run errands around the neighborhood, preparing meals and drinks, taking care of family, pets, plants, and so on. In managing the progress of these everyday activities, people may nd themselves needing to recall what they have already done. In this research, I explored how to design an unobtrusive memory aid that reduces the cost of distraction and general multitasking by fluidly supporting memory recall of repetitive actions. I built the Cook's Collage as one example system that captures close-range photographs of ingredient additions during everyday home cooking to display as an ongoing visual summary of the open-ended activity. I contribute this augmentative technology as a memory aid in contrast to more directive, obtrusive, and yet constrained systems that seek to remove human error through automation and scripted guidance. I explored how to evaluate memory augmentation by simulating real-life situations of multitasking and interruptions that distracted cooks participating in my experimental study. From examining their behavior and attitudes with and without the Cook's Collage, I demonstrated that 1) Visually summarizing activities by capturing items used within the activity in the same physical surroundings can provide sufficient context in recalling memory for actions, 2) User interaction with accurate memory support that complements and supplements rather than interferes with memory practices, activity constraints, and environmental surroundings can effectively augment memory recall, and 3) Barriers to using provided memory support can include unawareness of memory need and predilection to own memory ability and routine.

I dagsläget är en stillasittande livsstil med inget eller endast litet inslag av fysisk aktivitet vanligt förekommande. Med sin slogan – Inspiring all generations – vill HAGS Aneby AB bjuda in alla generationer till fysisk aktivitet genom sina produkter inom lek, sport och fitness. Genom att styrka idén om utomhusgym kan den fysiska aktiviteten ökas – användare ska vilja använda utomhusgym och kunder ska vilja köpa in utomhusgym. Önskemålet är att skapa attraktiva platser som stödjer fysisk aktivitet och som också gör det roligt och trivsamt att röra på sig. Detta examensarbete utförs med syfte att undersöka hur HAGS Aneby AB kan erbjuda en träningslösning med utomhusgym för offentlig utemiljö, samt undersöka vilka önskemål om utomhusgym potentiella användare har. Målet med arbetet är att formulera en kravställning baserad på insamlade användarönskemål för utomhusgym, för att med hänsyn till denna kravställning ta fram ett koncept för en ny träningslösning. Konceptet innehåller förslag på utformning av ett nytt utomhusgym med träningsredskap för den i arbetet valda målgruppen motionären samt därtill förslag på tillbehör, tjänster och samarbetsmöjligheter med aktörer relaterade till utomhusgym. Genom en användarundersökning samlas potentiella användares önskemål om utomhusgym in. Önskemålen analyseras och formuleras till krav. Med hjälp av experter inom områdena träning och hälsa tas förslag på träningsredskap fram för att passa motionären. Redskapen utvärderas med hjälp av personer från den avsedda målgruppen. Redskap som kan finnas på ett utomhusgym utformat för motionären är: boxar, slyngor, dragapparat, lyftredskap, joystick, chinsredskap, dipsredskap, armgång, balansplatta, klätterställning, magbänk och låga stänger. Ett förslag på en helhetslösning som inkluderar utomhusgym och tjänster tas fram för att möta de identifierade behoven hos användarna. Genom tjänster riktade mot användarna tillhandahålls information och olika funktioner genom mobilapplikationer, hemsidor, webbportaler och fysiska skyltar på utomhusgymmen. Dessa tjänster utformas i samarbete med de experter inom träning och hälsa som användarna litar mest på. Därtill föreslås servicetjänster riktade mot HAGS kunder som en möjlighet för HAGS att garantera kvalitet och säkerhet på sina utomhusgym. / Today a lifestyle with little or no physical activity is very common. With the slogan – Inspiring all generations – HAGS Aneby AB want to invite all generations to physical activity and movement with their playgrounds and sport and fitness products. By strengthening the idea of outdoor gyms the amount of physical activity can be increased. Users shall want to use outdoor gyms and customer shall want to buy outdoor gyms. The desire is to create attractive places which support physical activity and which also makes it fun and anjoyable to be physically active. This master thesis has been executed with the purpose to investigate how HAGS Aneby AB can provide a training solution for outdoor gyms in public outdoor environments and also to investigate what demands potential users of outdoor gyms have. Tha aim of the thesis is to formulate a specification of requirements based on collected user demands for outdoor gyms, and with consideration to the specification develop a concept for a new training solution. The concept contains suggestions on the development of a new outdoor gym with training equipment for a chosen target group as well as suggestions on accessory equipment, services and potential cooperational opportunitys with other actors on the market. By executing a user study, users demands about outdoor gyms are collected. The demands are then analysed and formulated to requirements. With help from experts in the field of training and health, suggestions on equipment for training at an outdoor gym is generated to fit the chosen target group. The training equipment is evaluated with help from people from the user target group. Training equipment that could be in an outdoor gym for the chosen target group is: boxes, suspension training straps, cable machine, lifting equipment, joystick, chin rack, dips rack, monkey bars, balance board, climbing equipment, sit-up bench and low bars. A concept for a holistic solution which includes outdoor gyms and additional services is developed to meet the identified user requirements. By services developed with the users in mind, information and different functions is provided through mobile applications, web pages and signs at the location of the outdoor gym. These services are developed in cooperation with the experts in training and health that the users trust the most. By maintenance services offered to their customers HAGS can guarantee quality for and safety at their outdoor gyms.

This article discusses the understanding of the design process in research projects by taking specific tools from project management into account. Explorative and creative design projects often run the risk of loosing focus on project goals during the process. This article aims to provide a novel approach to the ongoing discussion of the clash between creativity and efficiency during the creation of artifacts. By discussing the self-conducted case study – project „Yu‟ – this article reflects on the design process as well as the relationship between the designer and the user. The model created and presented includes two techniques; the active user dialogue and the goal and user needs definition. Both are inspired by similar approaches in project management, which illustrate the importance of the designer's responsibility for the final design outcome. The article identifies and discusses similar approaches in design theory and is aiming to emphasize the positive possibilities for an elaborate design approach. / YU project at the Mobile Life Centre

Smart homes are residences equipped with information and communication technologies that anticipate and respond to the needs of the occupants. Despite the numerous research and industrial efforts, today only few expensive smart homes have been built and sold. The reason behind this slow uptake is the technology-driven approach characterizing existing solutions. The doctoral Thesis aims at demonstrating that a smart home can provide functionalities designed with a user-centered approach, taking into account ergonomic considerations about domestic activity and human cognition. This is achieved in collaboration with cognitive ergonomists, which help "minding the gap" between human context and machine-understandable context. Using off-the-shelf and lightweight instrumentation (also minimizing privacy concerns), extending existing context modeling, reasoning and management tools and following the Ubiquitous Computing principles, the doctoral work led to the following achievements: (i) the inter-disciplinary design of suitable functionalities, in collaboration with cognitive ergonomists; (ii) the design of a context-aware system that captures and reasons about uncertain contextual information in a distributed fashion; (ii) the realization of a working prototype that demonstrates the provision of energy-saving and comfort-preserving functionalities.