<p dir="ltr"><a href="" target="_blank">Almost every case of cervical cancer in the United States is medically preventable with vaccination and proper screening, yet many Americans are insufficiently screened. Over 12 thousand American women suffered from cervical cancer in 2018</a>¹ causing 4 thousand deaths, with over a third in women who had never received a routine screening test².</p><p dir="ltr">New, sensitive testing techniques for cervical cancer screening are facilitating HPV testing without evaluating the cells collected in the sample by eye. This opens the door to new, accessible methods of screening such as rapid testing in clinic and at home, self-sampling, and mail-in testing. As cervical cancer morbidity and mortality is largely a result of healthcare inequities, these methods may have a significant impact on cervical cancer outcomes.</p><p dir="ltr">The goal of this project is to create a proof-of-concept, sample-to-answer rapid test to be used for cervical cancer screening in Indiana outpatient clinics. We began the project by conducting interviews and a survey to explore Indiana clinician perspectives on cervical screening methods such as self-sampling, rapid testing, and home-based screening. Clinicians preferred in-clinic testing with same-visit results, in the hopes that face-to-face explanation of results and scheduling follow-up care in person would improve patient retention for these important follow-up tests. To create such a test, we augmented an isothermal nucleic acid amplification method that copies 13 of the 14 high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) types with an endogenous b-globin sample control and a simple colorimetric lateral flow strip (LFS) readout. When tested with HPV 16 the assay achieved a limit of detection of 1000 HPV copies per reaction, which would detect endocervical samples deemed ‘sufficient’ by clinical guidelines. It also performs in endocervical cells using methods and equipment that could be implemented in an outpatient clinic. The final test accepts swabs or brushes of endocervical cells, lyses them in 5 minutes, copies the target DNA and a sample adequacy control, and delivers the readout within 40 minutes on an LFS readout. Future directions for this assay include soliciting feedback from clinicians and other stakeholders about the prototype developed, adapting the assay to interferents of clinical endocervical samples, and adding probes for other HPV types, such as HPV 18 and eventually the other hrHPV types.</p>

<p dir="ltr"><b>Background</b></p><p dir="ltr">Recent developments in cancer therapeutics have allowed increased use of Oral Anticancer Medications (OAMs), including in the treatment of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. Patients with breast cancer may face key barriers in managing their OAMs at home. These challenges can lead to sub-optimal adherence and lower the overall quality of life. Designing interventions that enhance the patient experience with use of OAMs requires a deeper understanding of barriers faced by patients as they navigate their cancer care journey. The objective of this study was to identify the unmet medication management needs of patients with breast cancer who are receiving OAMs and co-design an early prototype intervention with patients to support medication management needs of patients with breast cancer.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Methods</b></p><p dir="ltr">Two phases comprise this study. Phase 1 involved patient-journey mapping to characterize the longitudinal experience of OAMs use among patients diagnosed with breast cancer. In phase 2, we conducted participatory design (PD) workshops to develop a prototype tool to address OAM needs identified in phase 1. All participants were recruited from an outpatient breast cancer clinic in Indianapolis. Eligible participants were: 18 years of age or older, diagnosed with breast cancer, and currently receiving an OAM. All participants completed a brief sociodemographic and health information questionnaire. In phase 1, enrolled persons participated in a journey mapping exercise through semi-structured interviews. Interviews were conducted either in-person or remotely via Zoom, based on participant preference. For each interview, two researchers and the participant collaborated to create individual patient journey maps to generate a concise visual storyboard focused on medication use experiences related to OAMs. The journey maps helped capture treatment timelines, key markers of medication use, and specific barriers faced by patients. Individual journey maps were consolidated to generate personas representing groups of patients with related characteristics, treatment types, goals, and unmet needs. In phase 2, three rounds of PD workshops were conducted using the focus group format to develop an early prototype intervention. In round one (inspiration stage), participants defined the problem space and prioritized a list of challenges amenable to solutions; in round two (ideation stage), participants generated multiple possible solutions and design ideas; and in round three (convergence stage), two design concepts were selected and evaluated by participants.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Results</b></p><p dir="ltr">In phase 1, 12 interviews (11 females and 1 male) were completed. The median age of participants was 65.5 years (range, 37-75). Participants were divided into two groups based on their prescribed medication types: (1) specialty medication (palbociclib or ribociclib; n=4 patients) and (2) traditional medication (tamoxifen, anastrozole, or exemestane; n=8 patients). We defined ‘Specialty’ medications as those that require specialty pharmacies and ‘traditional’ medications as those obtainable in local community pharmacies. To represent participants across these two broad categories of medications, two personas were created. Participants who had been prescribed specialty medication reported difficulty navigating the insurance process during medication fills, while participants who prescribed traditional medication did not. Notably, the word “prior authorization” was not used by participants to explain the issues they experienced. While all participants reported having side effects from their medications, sub-optimal adherence (n=2) was reported among the traditional medication group only. Other participants taking traditional medications either found their own ways to manage side effects or simply reported: “dealing with side effects as I don’t want cancer.” Participants expressed coping with side effects by enduring them. Participants had few strategies to manage their side effects, often stating that “they didn’t think of reaching out to the doctor,” when asked. Additionally, participants mentioned needing more financial and emotional support during their treatment journey. In phase 2, each PD session was conducted with 4-5 participants and 2 researchers (the design panel). Participants identified key challenges including difficulties navigating resources and information as well as managing medication side effects. The design panel prioritized two design concepts, which were subsequently developed into two prototypes: 1) a physical breast cancer handbook; and 2) an interactive treatment navigation app for use on tablet and smartphone devices. Our team plans to consolidate, further develop, and evaluate these prototypes in subsequent work as a follow up to this pilot study.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Conclusion</b></p><p dir="ltr">This study provides insight into the patient experience with OAMs. The personas created can be applied in designing interventions tailored to breast cancer patients’ needs and goals, while the consolidated journey maps identify potential areas for improvement. Adequate patient education and enhanced tools and processes are necessary to manage medication side effects effectively, ultimately leading to improved medication outcomes and assisting patients in navigating their treatment. The two design concepts require further revision prior to implementation and pilot testing.</p>

This thesis explores a concept by Sonvox AB called VoiceUp. The concept is that of a mobile application that communicates with a wearable voice measuring device and visualizes voice information in a way that helps singers. Sonvox current main product is VoxLog—a system for long-term voice monitoring, mostly used for research purposes. Sonvox believes that their voice analysis technology could be relevant to a larger audience. The main goal for the thesis is to explore if a wearable voice measuring device could be relevant to singers, and in what ways. To do this, a needs analysis was conducted where song teachers and singers were interviewed. In order to draw statistical conclusions about the occurrence of needs, a survey was conducted where people with an interest for singing were the targeted respondents. Based on the result from the needs analysis, the VoiceUp concept was refined, resulting in an idea of a product that measures and visualizes how much the user sings and speaks with the aim to increase singers motivation to practice singing more regularly. Based on theory related to self-tracking, a design proving the concept was created, resulting in a mockup and a simple prototype. The mockup and the prototype can together be seen as one example of how self-tracking technology could be relevant to singers.

Målgruppen er unge i alderen mellem 20-29 år, der bor i en etværelseslejlighed i Malmö og har flere udfordringer ved affaldssortering. Fuldsorteringen sker ikke altid korrekt og i overensstemmelse med eksisterende lovgivning. Arbejdet tager derfor udgangspunkt i problemformuleringen “Hvordan kan brugercentreret design bidrage til at kunne ændre den yngre generations attitude, når det kommer til at sortere affald i husstanden som et essentielt led i borgeres aktive deltagelse?”. I udforskningen af problemfeltet tages forskellige teorier i brug. Hovedteorien i arbejdet er brugercentreret design efterfulgt af design for holdbar udvikling og affaldssortering ud fra et klimapsykologisk perspektiv. Såvel undersøgende metoder som designmetoder anvendes med henblik på at foretage kvalitative undersøgelser af målgruppens udfordringer. De vigtigste anvendte metoder er designeksperiment, ekspertinterview og Co-design workshop. Afslutningsvis har metoderne resulteret i et designkoncept, hvor alle affaldsbeholderne samles ét sted under køkkenvasken, og med mulighed for at beholderne kan ekspanderes alt efter husstandens behov. Herved får målgruppen et tydeligt overblik over samtlige skraldespande og kan, med det in mente, foretage de korrekte og bedst kvalificerede beslutninger. Det betyder blandt andet, at hvis der mangler plads i en beholder, behøver husstanden ikke tage en ny pose frem, men kan i stedet ekspandere den eksisterende. / The target group is young people between the ages of 20-29 years who live in a one-room apartment in Malmö, Sweden, and have various challenges with waste sorting. The waste sorting is not always done correctly and in accordance with existing legislation. Therefore, the work is based on the research question “How can User-Centered Design contribute to changing the attitude of the younger generation on waste sorting in the household as an essential part of citizens’ active participation in society?”. When exploring the problem field, different theories are used. The main theory in the work is User-Centered Design followed by Design for Sustainable Development and Waste Sorting from a Climate Psychological perspective. Both investigative and design methods are used in order to carry out qualitative studies of the target group’s challenges. The main methods used are Design Experiment, Expert Interview and Co-design Workshop. The methods have resulted in a design concept where all waste containers are placed in the same place under the kitchen sink with the possibility of expanding the containers depending on the household’s needs. In this way, the target group gets a clear overview of all bins and with this in mind they can make the correct and best informed decisions. That means, inter alia, that if one of the bins lacks room the household does not need to take out a new bag, but may instead expand the existing one.

La Computaci'on Ubicua plantea proveer de inteligencia a nuestros entornos ofreciendo servicios a los usuarios que permitan ayudarlos en su vida cotidiana. Con la inclusi'on de dispositivos ubicuos en nuestra vida (por ejemplo los dispositivos m'oviles), los usuarios hemos pasado a estar siempre conectados al entorno, pudiendo interactuar con el. Sin embargo, a diferencia de las interacciones de escritorio tradicionales donde los usuarios eran quienes ped'¿an informaci'on o introduc'¿an datos, las interacciones ubicuas tienen que lidiar con un entorno de los usuarios variable, demandando uno de los recursos mas valiosos para los usuarios: la atenci'on humana. De esta forma, un reto en el paradigma de computaci'on ubicua es regular las peticiones de atenci'on del usuario. Esto implica que las interacciones de los servicios deber'¿an comportarse de una manera ¿considerada¿ teniendo en cuenta el grado en que cada servicio se inmiscuye en la mente del usuario (el nivel de molestia). Partiendo de las bases de la Ingenier'¿a Dirigida por Modelos (MDE) y de los principios de la Computaci'on Considerada, esta tesis se orienta a dise¿nar y desarrollar servicios que sean capaces de adaptar sus interacciones de acuerdo a la atenci'on del usuario en cada momento. El principal objetivo de esta tesis es introducir capacidades de adaptaci'on considerada en los servicios ubicuos para proporcionar interacciones que no perturben al usuario. Esto lo conseguimos mediante un proceso de desarrollo que cubre desde el dise¿no de los servicios hasta su implementaci'on, centr'andose en los requisitos de adaptaci'on de la interacci'on particulares para cada usuario. Para el dise¿no del comportamiento de la interacci'on en base al nivel de molestia se han de¿nido unos modelos de intromisi'on e interacci'on independientes de la tecnolog'¿a. Estos modelos son los que posteriormente conducen la adaptaci'on de la interacci'on din'amicamente, por medio de una infraestructura aut'onoma que los usa en tiempo de ejecuci'on. Esta infraestructura es capaz de detectar cambios en la situaci'on del usuario (por ejemplo cambios en su localizaci'on, su actividad, etc.) y planear y ejecutar modi¿caciones en la interacci'on de los servicios. Cuando se detecta un cambio del contexto del usuario, los servicios se auto-adaptan para usar los componentes de interacci'on m'as apropiados de acuerdo a la nueva situaci'on y no molestar al usuario. Adem'as, como las necesidades y preferencias de los usuarios pueden cambiar con el tiempo, nuestra aproximaci'on utiliza la estrategia del aprendizaje por refuerzo para ajustar los modelos de dise¿no iniciales de forma que maximicemos la experiencia del usuario. El dise¿no inicial de la interacci'on basado en el nivel de molestia nos asegura un comportamiento inicial consistente con las necesidades de los usuarios en ese momento. Luego, este dise¿no se va re¿nando de acuerdo al comportamiento y preferencias de cada usuario por medio de su retroalimentaci'on a trav'es de la experiencia de uso. Adem'as, tambi'en proporcionamos una interfaz m'ovil que permite a los usuarios ¿nales personalizarse de forma manual los modelos en base a sus propias preferencias. El trabajo presentado en esta tesis se ha llevado a la pr'actica para su evaluaci'on desde el punto de vista de los dise¿nadores y de los usuarios ¿nales. Por una parte, el m'etodo de dise¿no se ha validado para comprobar que ayuda a los dise¿nadores a especi¿car este tipo de servicios. Pese a que el proceso de desarrollo no ofrece una automatizaci'on completa, las gu'¿as ofrecidas y la formalizaci'on de los conceptos implicados ha demostrado ser 'util a la hora de desarrollar servicios cuya interacci'on es no molesta. Por otra parte, la adaptaci'on de la interacci'on en base al nivel de molestia se ha puesto en pr'actica con usuarios para evaluar su satisfacci'on con el sistema y su experiencia de usuario. Esta validaci'on ha desvelado la importancia de considerar los aspectos de molestia en el proceso de adaptaci'on de la interacci'on para ayudar a mejorar la experiencia de usuario. / In Ubiquitous Computing environments, people are surrounded by a lot of embedded services. Since ubiquitous devices, such as mobile phones, have become a key part of our everyday life, they enable users to be always connected to the environment and interact with it. However, unlike traditional desktop interactions where users are used to request for information or input data, ubiquitous interactions have to face with variable user¿s environment, making demands on one of the most valuable resources of users: human attention. A challenge in the Ubiquitous Computing paradigm is regulating the request for user¿s attention. That is, service interactions should behave in a considerate manner by taking into account the degree in which each service intrudes the user¿s mind (i.e., the obtrusiveness degree). In order to prevent service behavior from becoming overwhelming, this work, based on Model Driven Engineering foundations and the Considerate Computing principles, is devoted to design and develop services that adapt their interactions according to user¿s attention. The main goal of the present thesis is to introduce considerate adaptation capabilities in ubiquitous services to provide non-disturbing interactions. We achieve this by means of a systematic method that covers from the services¿ design to their implementation and later adaptation of interaction at runtime / Gil Pascual, M. (2013). Adapting Interaction Obtrusiveness: Making Ubiquitous Interactions Less Obnoxious. A Model Driven Engineering approach [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/31660

Tesis por compendio / El estudio de la interacción de los animales con la tecnología y el desarrollo de sistemas tecnológicos centrados en el animal está ganando cada vez más atención desde la aparición del área de Animal Computer Interaction (ACI). ACI persigue mejorar el bienestar de los animales en diferentes entornos a través del desarrollo de tecnología adecuada para ellos siguiendo un enfoque centrado en el animal. Entre las líneas de investigación que ACI está explorando, ha habido bastante interés en la interacción de los animales con la tecnología basada en el juego. Las actividades de juego tecnológicas tienen el potencial de proveer estimulación mental y física a los animales en diferentes contextos, pudiendo ayudar a mejorar su bienestar. Mientras nos embarcamos en la era de la Internet de las Cosas, las actividades de juego tecnológicas actuales para animales todavía no han explorado el desarrollo de soluciones pervasivas que podrían proveerles de más adaptación a sus preferencias a la vez que ofrecer estímulos tecnológicos más variados. En su lugar, estas actividades están normalmente basadas en interacciones digitales en lugar de explorar dispositivos tangibles o aumentar las interacciones con otro tipo de estímulos. Además, estas actividades de juego están ya predefinidas y no cambian con el tiempo, y requieren que un humano provea el dispositivo o la tecnología al animal. Si los humanos pudiesen centrarse más en su participación como jugadores de un sistema interactivo para animales en lugar de estar pendientes de sujetar un dispositivo para el animal o de mantener el sistema ejecutándose, esto podría ayudar a crear lazos más fuertes entre especies y promover mejores relaciones con los animales. Asimismo, la estimulación mental y física de los animales son aspectos importantes que podrían fomentarse si los sistemas de juego diseñados para ellos pudieran ofrecer un variado rango de respuestas, adaptarse a los comportamientos del animal y evitar que se acostumbre al sistema y pierda el interés. Por tanto, esta tesis propone el diseño y desarrollo de entornos tecnológicos de juego basados en Interfaces Naturales de Usuario que puedan adaptarse y reaccionar a las interacciones naturales de los animales. Estos entornos pervasivos permitirían a los animales jugar por si mismos o con una persona, ofreciendo actividades de juego más dinámicas y atractivas capaces de adaptarse con el tiempo. / L'estudi de la interacció dels animals amb la tecnologia i el desenvolupament de sistemes tecnològics centrats en l'animal està guanyant cada vegada més atenció des de l'aparició de l'àrea d'Animal Computer Interaction (ACI) . ACI persegueix millorar el benestar dels animals en diferents entorns a través del desenvolupament de tecnologia adequada per a ells amb un enfocament centrat en l'animal. Entre totes les línies d'investigació que ACI està explorant, hi ha hagut prou interès en la interacció dels animals amb la tecnologia basada en el joc. Les activitats de joc tecnològiques tenen el potencial de proveir estimulació mental i física als animals en diferents contextos, podent ajudar a millorar el seu benestar. Mentre ens embarquem en l'era de la Internet de les Coses, les activitats de joc tecnològiques actuals per a animals encara no han explorat el desenvolupament de solucions pervasives que podrien proveir-los de més adaptació a les seues preferències al mateix temps que oferir estímuls tecnològics més variats. En el seu lloc, estes activitats estan normalment basades en interaccions digitals en compte d'explorar dispositius tangibles o augmentar les interaccions amb estímuls de diferent tipus. A més, aquestes activitats de joc estan ja predefinides i no canvien amb el temps, mentre requereixen que un humà proveïsca el dispositiu o la tecnologia a l'animal. Si els humans pogueren centrar-se més en la seua participació com a jugadors actius d'un sistema interactiu per a animals en compte d'estar pendents de subjectar un dispositiu per a l'animal o de mantenir el sistema executant-se, açò podria ajudar a crear llaços més forts entre espècies i promoure millors relacions amb els animals. Així mateix, l'estimulació mental i física dels animals són aspectes importants que podrien fomentar-se si els sistemes de joc dissenyats per a ells pogueren oferir un rang variat de respostes, adaptar-se als comportaments de l'animal i evitar que aquest s'acostume al sistema i perda l'interès. Per tant, esta tesi proposa el disseny i desenvolupament d'entorns tecnològics de joc basats en Interfícies Naturals d'Usuari que puguen adaptar-se i reaccionar a les interaccions naturals dels animals. Aquestos escenaris pervasius podrien permetre als animals jugar per si mateixos o amb una persona, oferint activitats de joc més dinàmiques i atractives que siguen capaces d'adaptar-se amb el temps. / The study of animals' interactions with technology and the development of animal-centered technological systems is gaining attention since the emergence of the research area of Animal Computer Interaction (ACI). ACI aims to improve animals' welfare and wellbeing in several scenarios by developing suitable technology for the animal following an animal-centered approach. Among all the research lines ACI is exploring, there has been significant interest in animals' playful interactions with technology. Technologically mediated playful activities have the potential to provide mental and physical stimulation for animals in different environmental contexts, which could in turn help to improve their wellbeing. As we embark in the era of the Internet of Things, current technological playful activities for animals have not yet explored the development of pervasive solutions that could provide animals with more adaptation to their preferences as well as offering varied technological stimuli. Instead, playful technology for animals is usually based on digital interactions rather than exploring tangible devices or augmenting the interactions with different stimuli. In addition, these playful activities are already predefined and do not change over time, while they require that a human has to be the one providing the device or technology to the animal. If humans could focus more on their participation as active players of an interactive system aimed for animals instead of being concerned about holding a device for the animal or keep the system running, this might help to create stronger bonds between species and foster better relationships with animals. Moreover, animals' mental and physical stimulation are important aspects that could be fostered if the playful systems designed for animals could offer a varied range of outputs, be tailored to the animal's behaviors and prevented the animal to get used to the system and lose interest. Therefore, this thesis proposes the design and development of technological playful environments based on Natural User Interfaces that could adapt and react to the animals' natural interactions. These pervasive scenarios would allow animals to play by themselves or with a human, providing more engaging and dynamic playful activities that are capable of adapting over time. / Pons Tomás, P. (2018). Towards Intelligent Playful Environments for Animals based on Natural User Interfaces [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/113075 / Compendio

Denna studie syftar till att utforska integrationen av metoder för persuasive design i designprocessen för att på ett mer effektivt och pricksäkert sätt uppmuntra önskade användarbeteenden. Med bas i forskningen av Fogg och Cialdini fokuserar studien på att föreslå sätt att inkorporera persuasive design i den befintliga designprocessen hos en verklig kommunikationsbyrå. Genom en fallstudie som involverar dokumentgenomgång och workshops med intressenter strävar studien efter att få insikter i byråns designprocess och identifiera möjligheter för integrering av persuasive design. Den resulterande modellen fungerar som en riktlinje för att gemensamt definiera kritiska användarparametrar med kunder. Centralt för modellen är formuleringen av målbeteenden, vilka vägleder designarbetet mot att motivera och uppmuntra användare att utföra önskade beteenden. Genom att integrera metoder för persuasive design syftar modellen till att förbättra användarcentreringen och effektiviteten i designprocessen, även i situationer där direkta användarinsikter är begränsade. Studien avslutas med att betona vikten av målbeteenden för att styra en mer målinriktad designprocess och därigenom bidra till skapandet av skräddarsydda och relevanta designlösningar som överensstämmer med användarnas behov och preferenser. Sammantaget ger resultaten praktiska rekommendationer för att integrera metoder för persuasive design i designprocessen för att främja utförandet av önskade användarbeteenden. / This study aims to explore the integration of persuasive design methods within the design process to encourage desired user behaviors more effectively and accurately. Grounded in the research of Fogg and Cialdini, the study focuses on proposing ways to incorporate persuasive design into existing design processes, particularly within the context of a real communication agency. Through a case study involving document analysis and workshops with stakeholders, the research seeks to gain insights into the agency's design process and identify opportunities for integrating persuasive design. The resulting model serves as a guideline for collaboratively defining critical user parameters with clients. Central to the model is the formulation of goal behaviors, which guide design efforts towards motivating and encouraging users to perform desired actions. By integrating persuasive design methods, the model aims to enhance user-centredness and the effectiveness of the design process, even in situations where direct user insights are limited. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of goal behaviors in directing a more targeted design process, thereby contributing to the creation of tailored and relevant design solutions that align with user needs and preferences. Overall, the findings provide practical recommendations for integrating persuasive design methods into the design process to promote the execution of desired user behaviors.

[ES] La mano humana es uno de los instrumentos más importantes para la psicomotricidad de ser humano y cualquier problema crónico como la Artritis Reumatoide (AR) implica la necesidad de una rehabilitación pautada y seriada desde el punto de vista médico que controle y verifique su efectividad en el tiempo. La Artritis Reumatoide es una de las enfermedades crónicas de mayor impacto social en la actualidad que afecta principalmente a personas mayores. Se considera que la AR afecta actividades y la calidad de vida de una persona, sobre todo en la de los adultos mayores, donde las afectaciones son mayormente significativas y requieren de atención. A través de la rehabilitación controlada asistida por ordenador, la tesis presenta, por una parte, una investigación sobre exoesqueletos para la rehabilitación crónica y por otra, la creación y validación de un dispositivo exoesquelético para el mano denominado ARTH-aid System que servirá para mejorar la rehabilitación de la mano artrítica que sufre una atrofia muscular progresiva. El sistema creado representa una ayuda significativa a través de la integración de determinados factores como: ergonomía, funcionalidad y diseño. Se ha diseñado y testeado con usuarios finales tomando en cuenta los factores mecánicos y de funcionalidad en la pérdida progresiva de movilidad manual de la mano en personas mayores con AR crónica. El sistema de rehabilitación incluye como parte fundamental un exoesqueleto en la mano que evalúa la dinámica y el progreso de la rehabilitación de un usuario generando confianza y satisfacción en el paciente durante las sesiones y mejorando la interacción con el fisioterapeuta. La metodología y el diseño de un guante exoesqueleto para la rehabilitación de pacientes crónicos de AR, ha sido desarrollada y evaluada teniendo en cuenta aspectos relacionados con el Design Thinking (DT) y el Diseño Centrado en el Usuario (DCU). Así mismo, en la creación e implementación tecnológica del sistema, se ha tenido en cuenta las tecnologías informáticas y electrónicas orientadas al manejo de sistema de gestión y control de movimientos programados mediante una placa electrónica integrada, finalmente se han utilizados aplicaciones de Diseño Asistido por Ordenador (DAO) y herramientas de Prototipado Rápido (PR) para la generación de las simulaciones informáticas y piezas físicas articuladas implementadas en el guante. La validación del sistema se realizó en el Hogar de Ancianos Santa Catalina Labouré, de Quito, Ecuador, primero con un grupo de expertos compuesto por los fisioterapeutas que trabajan en el centro y que permitió analizar su factibilidad como sistema integrado en el proceso de rehabilitación actual y posteriormente con un grupo de pacientes controlados terapéuticamente desde el centro, que permitió validar la funcionalidad del dispositivo, verificar su efectividad y evaluar el nivel de satisfacción dentro de la experiencia del usuario. / [CA] En la present tesi doctoral es va a profundir una de les malalties de gran impacte com és el cas de l'Artritis Reumatoide (AR) que afecta greument nivell mundial a persones de diferents edats. En entendre a la mà com una de les majors eines de vida, es consideren tots els impactes que té la AR en la vida d'una persona, especialment en la dels adults majors, on les afectacions són majorment significatives i requereixen d'atenció Amb la finalitat de millorar la qualitat de vida d'adults majors que pateixen de AR, la investigació culmina en el disseny d'una eina per a la rehabilitació contínua i controlada que va ser concebuda mitjançant el Disseny Centrat en l'Usuari (DCU) i la implementació de tecnologies i eines de Prototipado Ràpid. No sense abans haver realitzat una forta investigació que permeta comprendre clarament l'anatomia i la fisiologia de la mà. Seguit de revisions de pro-posades que es troben en el mercat i de diferents validacions amb diversos prototips, els mateix que són part de la metodologia utilitzada i que van permetre analitzar tant a la proposta de disseny com els requeriments essencials dels usuaris finals. El correcte enteniment de l'estructura biomecànica de la mà resideix en el coneixement de la seua estructura com un component funcional autònom; la geometria biomètrica de la mà representa un conjunt d'ossos, músculs i articulacions que són els responsables del control motor i sensorial de la mà. En perdre aquestes habilitats i funcions, es perd la capacitat de realitzar una sèrie de diversos moviments de força i agarres, i fins i tot altres activitats quotidianes com vestirse o menjar. El desenvolupament d'un sistema de rehabilitació mitjançant un exoesquelet adaptat i dissenyat pensant en l'usuari, permet millorar la interacció objecte- persona, la dinàmica de rehabilitació i generar confiança en el pacient durant el seu interacció amb el fisioterapeuta. Aquest escenari representa una ajuda significativa a través de la integració de determinats factors com: ergonomia, funcionalitat i disseny per a assemble i manufactura, aspectes que van permetre validar l'exoesquelet creat amb un grup d'usuaris reals. En aqueix sentit, les validacions es van fer tant amb el grup de pacients que pertanyen a la Llar d'Ancians "Santa Catalina Labouré", com amb el grup expert de fisioterapeutes que dediquen un temps a la rehabilitació d'aquests pacients. / [EN] The human hand is one of the most important instruments for the psychomotricity of being human and any chronic problem such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) implies the need for a scheduled and serial rehabilitation from the medical point of view that controls and verifies its effectiveness over time. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the chronic diseases with the greatest social impact today that mainly affects older people. RA is considered to affect a person's activities and quality of life, especially in older adults, where the affectations are mostly significant and require attention. Through computer-aided controlled rehabilitation, the thesis presents, on the one hand, an investigation on exoskeletons for chronic rehabilitation and on the other, the creation and validation of an exoskeletal device for the hand called ARTH-AID System that will serve to improve the rehabilitation of the arthritic hand that suffers a progressive muscular atrophy. The system created represents a significant help through the integration of certain factors such as: ergonomics, functionality and design. It has been designed and tested with end users taking into account the mechanical and functional factors in the progressive loss of manual hand mobility in older people with chronic RA. The rehabilitation system includes as a fundamental part an exoskeleton in the hand that evaluates the dynamics and progress of a user's rehabilitation, generating confidence and satisfaction in the patient during the sessions and improving the interaction with the physiotherapist. The methodology and design of an exoskeleton glove for the rehabilitation of chronic RA patients has been developed and evaluated considering aspects related to Design Thinking (DT) and User-Centered Design (DCU). Likewise, in the creation and technological implementation of the system, computer and electronic technologies oriented to the management of management system and control of programmed movements through an integrated electronic board have been taken into account, finally Computer Aided Design (DAO) applications and Rapid Prototyping (PR) tools have been used for the generation of computer simulations and articulated physical parts implemented in the glove. The validation of the system was carried out at the Santa Catalina Labouré Nursing Home, in Quito, Ecuador, first with a group of experts composed of the physiotherapists who work in the center and that allowed to analyze its feasibility as an integrated system in the current rehabilitation process and later with a group of potential users or patients controlled therapeutically from the center, that allowed to validate the functionality of the device, verify its effectiveness and evaluate the level of satisfaction within the user experience. / Moya Jiménez, RC. (2023). Estudio sistémico de una estructura exoesquelética para la rehabilitación de la atrofia muscular de la mano en personas con artritis reumatoide [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/193057

Syftet med denna masteruppsats var att undersöka skillnaden i Game User Experience Satisfaction (GUESS) vid användning av SimProv, både i VR (Oculus Rift) och på skärm. SimProv är en spelliknande klassrumssimulation. Studien avsåg även finna potentiella problem som användaren kunde stöta på under testsessionen. För att kunna undersöka och utvärdera detta behövde SimProv vidareutvecklas. Vidareutvecklingen utfördes genom att använda spelmotorn Unity med PlayMaker, som är ett visual scripting språk, tillsammans med att följa rekommendationer som finns för UI- och User experience-design för VR-spel. Inomgruppsdesign med 30 deltagare användes som testmetod. Hälften av deltagarna fick antingen börja med att spela på skärm eller i VR med Oculus Rift. Efter varje spelsession fick deltagarna fylla i den nya psykometrisk validerade skalan Game User Experience Satisfaction Scale (GUESS), som består av nio subskalor. Avslutningsvis kunde deltagarna fylla i två fritextfrågor genom ett digitalt formulär, om de potentiella problem de stött på vid respektive spelsession. Då GUESS är en ny skala har få studier av denna typ utförts. De få studier som har utförts pekar åt olika håll i frågan om spel bör utvecklas i VR eller inte. Resultaten från denna studie, som utfördes med tvåsidig hypotesprövning med t-test, visade inga signifikanta skillnader mellan VR och skärm. Endast en subskala, Play Engrossment, visade signifikant skillnad för VR. De textbaserade resultaten som analyserades med tematisk analys visade att majoriteten av deltagarna föredrog VR, men att alternativen i spelet upplevdes som begränsande. / The aim of this Master’s Thesis was to find out the difference in Game User Experience Satisfaction (GUESS) when using SimProv, both in VR (Oculus Rift) and on monitor. SimProv is a game-like classroom simulation. The purpose of this thesis was also to find potential problems that users may encounter during the test sessions. To assess and evaluate this, SimProv had to be furthered developed. This development was done using the game engine Unity and the visual scripting language PlayMaker in combination with following UI and UX design recommendations for VR games. A within subjects design with 30 participants was conducted. The users played either the monitor version or the VR version first, with no particular order. After each play session participants were asked to fill in the GUESS-scale, which is a newly developed and psychometrically validated scale that consists of 9 subscales. At the end of the play sessions participants could choose to answer two questions, through a digital form, about potential problems they may have encountered in both modalities. Since GUESS is a new scale few studies of evaluating VR versus monitor, using GUESS, have been conducted. The few studies that have been conducted showed no consensus in whether games should or should not be developed for VR. The inferential analysis with two-tailed paired samples t-tests in this study showed no significant difference between VR and monitor. The subscale Play Engrossment showed significant differences for VR. The text-based questions, that were analyzed with a thematic analysis, showed that the majority of the participants preferred VR. However, many participants felt that the answer options in the game where restricted.

Examensarbetet handlar om att utforska och utveckla det framtidsvisonära transportsystemet ”GTS Transportsystem” framtaget av GTS Stiftelsen. Detta med hjälp av frågeställningen: Hur ser framtidens GTS Transportsystem ut i ett användarcentrerat perspektiv? Inom en designprocess genomfördes ett omfattande researcharbete för att skapa en förståelse för vilka behov och krav som borde tillgodoses i det framtida transportsystemet. GTS studerades och analyserades för att få en djupare förståelse kring deras visioner, idéer, tekniska lösningar och hur väl genomtänkt de olika delarna var. Intervjuer med målgruppen människor med funktionsnedsättning, synliggjorde olika typer av problem som uppstår i dagens jämförbara transportsystem. Med hjälp av intervjudata och en analys kunde tre fiktiva personas skapas med tillhörande scenarier. En analys av ett framtida GTS scenario ledde till att problem kunde identifieras som sedan låg till grund för vidare arbete med framtagning av olika problemområden. Problemområdet som sedan valdes var stationer och hållplatser (i uppsatsen benämnd Terma). En idégenereringsfas ledde till nya idéer kring flöden, funktioner, gates och arkitektur. Det slutliga resultatet blev ett framtida Terma-koncept med en genomgående utformning för tillgänglighet, trygghet och innovation. I konceptet skapades en gate med fokus på säkerhet, en funktionell och öppen planlösning som förenklar resandet, samt en ny lösning kring kabinernas flöden runt och över byggnaden. Allt detta för att en framtida resa i GTS skall fungera säkert och smidigt. / The research was conducted in order to contribute to the general body of knowledge regarding the prospective transport system GTS Transport System developed by GTS Foundation. This dissertation will explore and further develop the GTS system. This was achieved with the research question: How does the future GTS Transport System look in a user-centered design perspective?   In a design process, a deep and comprehensive research laid the foundation in order to create an understanding of the needs and demands that would need to be fulfilled for the future transport system. The GTS Transport System was carefully studied and analyzed in order to reach a deeper understanding around its visions, ideas and technical solutions. Further it was studied in order to determine how well thought through the different feature where.   Interviews were conducted with a target group of people having a disability; this disclosed certain problems with today’s transport systems. With the support of the data gathered and an analysis, three fictive personas where created with associated scenarios.   An analysis of a future GTS scenario led to the discovery of certain problems and laid the foundation for further establishing areas in need of improvements. The areas that were chosen where stations and stopping places (in the dissertation called Terma).   An idea-generating phase led to new ideas about flow, functions, gates and architecture.   The results of the dissertation led to a concept about how the future transport Terma may be designed. With secure available and innovative gates, a well thought through layout that is available and safe for the people using the transport system. A new concept of flows where created which enabled the vessels to move around and over the building. This results in a smooth and safe travel experience.