Many companies invest large amount of money in developing new technology, without knowing how it will be used. To succeed in making these technologies useful it is necessary to understand the context that gives meaning to the artifact. In the case of generic products, especially in new domains, the context is not obvious. This bachelor thesis analyses what Usability Engineering, Participatory Design and Ethnography can contribute to the problem of learning about the context of usage for generic artifacts. Understanding and identifying details of context is considered to be important to achieve usability in software development. The experience is that most recommendations on usability methods concern situations of specific users in a specific context. In order to find important aspects of the real-world use of generic products, we suggest that ethnographic studies can be conducted in contexts where behaviors relevant to the design are thought to be found. The problem of not knowing the context was experienced in usability work practiced in a large software engineering project. The project task was to develop a web browser for Symbian's ?Quartz? reference design for handheld devices. Methods used were taken from participatory design and usability engineering.

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / This research work investigates and reports on the contribution of usability and perceptual frameworks towards understanding and ultimately increasing usage of a sales website and a corporate marketing website for a major insurance company in South Africa. It investigates whether the application of usability principles to the sales web positively influences the usage of the sales web system as a tool by intermediaries, and in so doing help the organisation recoup their investment and lower operational costs. This financial services (traditionally insurance) company, like many organisations, is in the process of migrating key operational systems onto web platforms to take advantage of benefits such as the ubiquity of web access and services orientated architecture among others. The research reviewed key frameworks in the area of technology acceptance or usage namely Nielsen‟s usability attributes (Nielsen, 2003). The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), (Davis, 1989). The Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). The Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985); and derived a theoretical summative model (the Conceptual Research Model) that combined both usability and perceptual dimensions. The applicability of this summative model was empirically tested using quantitative data relating to system usage and user perception. Empirical evidence was gathered to prove and refine the Conceptual Research Model (CRM), and the data substantiated the inclusion of the constructs in the CRM, as well as the efficacy of the model in a financial services organisation. Through testing of the CRM, this research has also confirmed which specific attributes of usability can be focussed on to bring about positive change in users' usage behaviour and adoption of a website or web application. / South Africa

South Africans borrow more and save less than other nations (Discovery Bank, 2018). One reason is a lack of financial knowledge. If a mobile application could guide individuals to modify their financial habits slightly by spending less and saving more, they could dramatically improve their financial future. When designing visualisation systems such as a mobile application interface, users' qualitative design feedback and quantitative usability evaluation are both important and complementary. The benefit of usability feedback in software development is undisputed. The importance of qualitative design feedback from users however, seems to be controversial in Science. Gathering users' qualitative design feedback, ahead of usability evaluation, can have a substantial impact on downstream development costs. The researcher used design as a tool for thinking (imagining new possibilities) and communicating (sharing ideas). The purpose was to clarify ways in which a mobile application interface could support users in making better financial decisions and creating better financial futures for themselves and consequently for society. A user centred design (UCD) approach was followed, emphasising design before development, with a strong focus on user involvement in all three phases, namely requirements gathering, design and evaluation. A primary client archetype for mid-career professionals was developed, split into two personas, Alan and Zoe, based on personality and self-rated motivational attributes which were used in an unconventional way to inspire two parallel, diverse designs. In early design stages, before an idea is well formed, producing multiple contrasting designs in parallel and qualitative design feedback from users is beneficial to establishing utility (solving the right problem), tapping into users' domain knowledge, improving the quality of the design and reducing fixation on one idea. Once the concept has been socialised and evolved sufficiently with users' input, converging on one final design and testing usability (solving the problem in the right way) become more important. This research offers two refinements of the UCD process guidelines for the benefit of researchers and practitioners.

Process monitoring is a field that can greatly benefit from the adoption of machine learning solutions like recommendation systems. However, for domain experts to embrace these technologies within their work processes, clear explanations are crucial. Therefore, it is important to adopt user-centred methods for designing more transparent recommendation systems. This study explores this topic through a case study in the pulp and paper industry. By employing a user-centred and design-first adaptation of the question-driven design process, this study aims to uncover the explanation needs and requirements of industry experts, as well as formulate design visions and recommendations for transparent recommendation systems. The results of the study reveal five common explanation types that are valuable for domain experts while also highlighting limitations in previous studies on explanation types. Additionally, nine requirements are identified and utilised in the creation of a prototype, which domain experts evaluate. The evaluation process leads to the development of several design recommendations that can assist HCI researchers and designers in creating effective, transparent recommendation systems. Overall, this research contributes to the field of HCI by enhancing the understanding of transparent recommendation systems from a user-centred perspective.

This thesis aims to develop and evaluate a dashboard design that visualizes a stream of data from the different entities involved in autonomous warehouses, a subset of cyber-physical systems. I created this dashboard through User-Centered Design (UCD) methodologies based on two feedback iterations with the stakeholders employing semi-structured expert opinion interviews. This thesis also discusses the different stages involved in building this dashboard design, the design decisions, the technical aspects of the libraries used, and the feedback session towards the end of the project. It also presents the implemented dashboard as a proof of development efforts and explains its different functionalities. The project concludes with evaluating the dashboard through a semi-structured interview with the respective stakeholders and suggests features for further development. / Denna studie ämnar att utveckla och utvärdera en design för ett dashboard som visualiserar dataströmmar från olika enheter som kan hittas i autonoma lager. Detta dashboard har utvecklats genom att använda metoder inom användarcentrerad design, som baserades på två iterationer med intressenter som är experter inom området, där semistrukturerade intervjuer gjordes. Denna studie diskuterar också de olika steg som är involverade i att bygga designen av detta dashboard, de olika beslut som togs i designprocessen, de tekniska aspekterna av de bibliotek som används och resultatet från de sessioner som hölls för att få feedback i slutet av projektet. Studien presenterar också det dashboard som utvecklades samt förklarar dess funktionalitet. Slutsatser dras från de semistrukturerade intervjuerna med respektive intressent och föreslår framtida funktioner som skulle vara möjliga att implementera.

When developing new products, it is important to be able to evaluate their readiness as this helps organizations manage three major challenges of product development, performance, schedule, and budget. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) discovered this in 1990 and developed a nine-level framework to measure the progression of technology development, Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).  The framework has since then been adopted by many different industries, among them OEMs. However, there are more aspects of the innovation process than just technology. Research topics such as user centered design and business model innovation has lately gained much attention, indicating that user and business aspects of the innovation are important. Therefore, the purpose of his thesis was to propose a framework to evaluate the readiness of business, user and technology aspects. To do so, a case study was performed at the Swedish OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Husqvarna Group, a global producer of equipment for garden and park care, as well as for the construction industry. A literature study was performed to create an understanding of the current knowledge on the topic. Semi structured interviews were used to investigate how innovation is performed at the researched company. The result from these interviews was contrasted with the results from interviews at four other Swedish OEMs, to increase external validity. Lastly the findings were validated through focus group interviews at Husqvarna Group. The case study resulted in the identification of important steps when developing viable, desirable, and feasible products. From these, the nine most important for business and user was identified and frameworks for business and user readiness respectively were developed, along with attainment criteria for each level. The findings showed that the TRL framework still holds relevance, however the attainment criteria were adjusted to better suit OEMs. Together these three frameworks create the Innovation Readiness Level (IRL) framework. / Vid utveckling av nya produkter finns det tre stora utmaningar i produktutvecklingen; prestanda, tid och budget, därför är det viktigt att ständig stötta processen genom att utvärdera projektets mognadsgrad. År 1990 utvecklade NASA en niogradig skala som kan tillämpas som ett ramverk för att mäta mognadsgraden av en teknikutveckling, Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), detta har sedan dess införts av många industriföretag. När det kommer till innovation finns det dock fler aspekter än enbart teknik att ta hänsyn till. Forskning inom användarfokuserad design och affärsmodellsinnovation har fått ökad uppmärksamhet den senaste tiden, vilket indikerar att användare och affär är viktiga aspekter inom innovation. Syftet med denna studie är att föreslå ett ramverk för att utvärdera mognadsgraden utifrån ett affärs-, användar- och teknikperspektiv. För att genomföra detta gjordes en fallstudie på det svenska industriföretaget Husqvarna Group, en global tillverkare av skogs-, park- och trädgårdsprodukter samt utrustning för konstruktionsindustrin. För att skapa en förståelse av den befintliga kunskapen inom ämnet gjordes en bred litteraturstudie. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomfördes för att undersöka hur innovation hanteras inom Husqvarna Group. Resultatet från det undersökta företaget ställdes i kontrast med intervjuresultat från fyra andra svenska industriföretag för att skapa ett mer generaliserbart resultat. Till sist testades resultatet genom validering med fokusgruppsintervjuer på Husqvarna Group.  Fallstudien resulterade i identifiering av betydelsefulla steg vid utveckling av en ny produkt som ordnades kronologiskt. Vid varje nivå i skalan föreslogs en rad kriterier från ett affärs- respektive användarperspektiv som ett produktutvecklingsprojekt bör uppnå för att öka chansen att bli väl mottagen när den når marknaden. Resultatet visade även att TRL-ramverket fortfarande är aktuellt och relevant, men uppnåendekriterier anpassades för ett industriföretag. Tillsammans skapar dessa tre faktorer det föreslagna ramverket Innovation Readiness Levels (IRL).

It is no secret that the world is facing major climate challenges. One of the aspects that can contribute to a greener future is to reconsider our means of transport. That bicycles is part of the solution and also contributes to the public health is something that is gaining more and more traction in society. An aspect though, that has received far too little attention and is the basis of this work is broken-down, stationary bicycles. Something that neither benefits the individual nor society at large. What this work aims to explore is why this happens, how it can be avoided and how to get bike owners to actually repair their bikes. This through a user-centered design process that is based on the users' situation and needs. This project is a bachelor’s thesis within industrial design engineering that has been carried out during spring 2022 at Luleå University of Technology. Through a user-centered process based on several methods such as guerilla interviews, participatory observation, and context research, a broad picture of the current situation was created. Based on this, creative methods such as brainstorming and workshops were then used to create a large number of ideas based on the users' needs. A thorough idea evaluation, mockups and a dot-voting then sifted these ideas down to a final concept where wireframes and prototyping ensured that the concept could be realized. The result of the project was the following; users don’t repair their bikes because they are insecure, lack knowledge and do not trust their abilities. They consider repairing to be a project that feels tedious and difficult to begin with. The users need a simple, clear solution that creates security and presents relevant information. The solution landed in the concept  A rolling bicycle consisting of two parts and a total of three steps. The first part is a number of posters to create incentives to repair one's bike and the second part an application that contains both a guide before the repair, but also instructions during the repair itself. The flow is a result of the needs and function analysis that was carried out and whose components are intended to meet the needs and conditions of users to get more people to fix their bike. / Att världen står inför stora klimatutmaningar är ingen hemlighet. En av de aspekter som kan bidra till en grönare framtid är att se över vårt val av transportmedel. Att cykeln är en del av lösningen och som även bidrar till folkhälsan är något som får allt större plats i samhället. En aspekt som fått allt för lite uppmärksamhet och som är grunden till detta arbete är trasiga, stillastående cyklar. Något som varken gynnar individen eller samhället i stort. Det här arbetet utforskar varför detta sker, hur det kan undvikas och hur man kan få cykelägare att faktiskt reparera sin cykel. Detta genom en användarcentrerad designprocess som utgått från användarnas situation och behov. Projektet är ett examensarbete på kanditatnivå inom utbildningen teknisk design. Projektet har utförts under läsperiod 4, vårterminen 2022 på Luleå tekniska universitet. Genom en användarcentrerad process grundad i flertalet metoder såsom gerillaintervjuer, deltagande observationer, och kontextundersökning skapades en bred bild av nuläget. Baserat på detta gjordes sedan kreativa metoder såsom brainstorming och workshops för att skapa ett stort antal idéer utifrån användarnas behov. En grundlig idéavaluering, mockups samt en dot-voting sållade sedan ner dessa idéer till ett slutkoncept där wireframes och prototypande såg till att konceptet kunde förverkligas. Resultatet av arbetet blev följande; användarna reparerar inte sina cyklar för att de är osäkra, saknar kunskap och inte litar på sin egen förmåga. De anser lagning vara ett projekt som känns jobbigt och svårt att påbörja. Användarna har ett behov av en enkel, tydlig lösning som skapar en trygghet och presenterar relevant information. Denna lösning landade i konceptet En rullande cykel som består av två delar och totalt tre steg. Den första delen är ett antal affischer för att skapa incitament till att laga sin cykel och den andra delen en applikation som innehåller både en guide inför reparation, men också instruktioner under själva reparationen. Detta flöde är ett resultat av den behovs och funktionsanalys som utfördes och vars komponenter har som avsikt att bemöta användarnas behov och förutsättningar för att få fler att laga sin cykel.

Research has focused heavily on the study of Clinical Decision Support Systems. However, CDS systems have generally had little impact on clinical practice. One of the most important reasons is the lack of human-computer interaction (HCI) considerations in designing these systems. Although physicians play an essential role in healthcare decision-making, there is little literature describing physicians' expectations and preferences prior to the development of these systems, which is an essential phase in user-centered design.This study aims to answer the following research question: What do physicians expect of interacting with future clinical decision support systems? An exploratory qualitative study was conducted, and data were collected by interviewing 9 physicians practicing in Sweden. A thematic analysis was used for data analysis, and the findings are four themes: 1) physicians' Expectations related to clinical practice; 2) physicians' expectations related to physician-patient relationship; 3) physicians' expectations related to the physician's role 4) physicians' expectations related to CDS governance.The research findings contribute to the knowledge of Anticipated UX in the context of healthcare and CDS systems. The empirical findings on potential user expectations are valuable for understanding the diversity of user experience and user expectations as phenomena in the specific domain of CDS systems. Service designers can utilize and build on the empirical findings to develop positive user experiences of future CDS systems

Having diversity at companies comes with many benefits, such as outperforming other companies due to having more perspectives. In Sweden's tech industry, diversity is lacking in many ways. There are several reasons, but one contributing factor is that we are biased. Bias is the tendency to prefer or dislike something without a valid reason. It is often unconscious and can be found in job ads. Having biases in job ads can make competent people avoid applying for jobs for which they are qualified. The wording in job ads plays a huge difference in getting diverse applicants.  This master’s thesis, conducted in the spring of 2024 in collaboration with Tromb focuses on developing a proposition of a new digital prototype for the NoBias tool. The tool aims to promote inclusive communication by using AI and machine learning, and the primary users are people working within recruitment. The NoBias project wants to contribute to increasing diversity in the Swedish tech industry. The current NoBias tool is a website where text can be analysed to identify biased words or phrases based on age, gender, and ethnicity. Then, the tool suggests a new text that is more inclusive, which the user can use. This master’s thesis centres around creating an interface that analyses the text and promotes learning of biases to make the user more aware of biases. The interface should be norm- creative, inclusive and easy to use.  To create the proposition of the interface, the design thinking process was used as the framework, containing the phases: empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test. Users were involved in all the process phases to get new perspectives and feedback regularly. The usability framework was applied to create the user experience by conducting user tests throughout the design process. To create an accessible interface, the WCAG guidelines were applied.  The project resulted in a digital interface consisting of a dashboard with an overview of the learning progress and the effect of using the tool to motivate the user to learn. On the dashboard, an overview of the documents is provided, and the user can either create a new document or upload a document that can be analysed. The text gets analysed in the document view, where words or phrases that contain bias get highlighted in the document, and a box with more information about the bias appears. The box contains information about why using that word or phrase is problematic and the benefit of using a more inclusive formulation. The user gets to create a better alternative with guidance from the prototype to promote learning of biases.  To ensure the robustness and inclusivity of the NoBias tool, I strongly recommend conducting extensive user testing on the final prototype. This user testing should involve a diverse range of users to gather a broad perspective. Additionally, I emphasise the importance of adhering to the WCAG accessibility guidelines during the development of the prototype to ensure that the NoBias tool is inclusive and can be used by everyone. / Att ha mångfald inom företag kommer med många fördelar, såsom att prestera bättre än andra företag på grund av att de har fler perspektiv. I Sveriges tech-industri saknas mångfald på många plan. Det finns flera anledningar till det, men en bidragande faktor är att vi är bias. Bias är tendensen att föredra eller ogilla något utan en giltig anledning. Det är ofta omedvetet och kan finnas i jobbannonser. Att ha bias i jobbannonser kan göra att kompetenta personer undviker att ansöka till jobb de är kvalificerade till. Formuleringar i jobbannonser spelar stor roll för att få bredd bland sökande.  Denna masteruppsats, genomförd våren 2024 i samarbete med Tromb, fokuserar på att utveckla en ny digital prototyp för NoBias-verktyget. Verktyget syftar till att främja inkluderande kommunikation genom att använda AI och maskininlärning, och de primära användarna är personer som arbetar inom rekrytering. NoBias-projektet vill bidra till att öka mångfalden i den svenska tech-industrin. Det nuvarande NoBias-verktyget är en webbsida där text kan analyseras för att identifiera ord eller fraser som är bias baserat på ålder, kön och etnicitet. Sedan föreslår verktyget en ny text som är mer inkluderande, som användaren kan använda. Denna masteruppsats fokuserar på att skapa ett nytt gränssnitt som analyserar texten och främjar lärande om bias för att göra användaren mer medveten om bias. Gränssnittet ska vara normkreativt, inkluderande och lätt att använda.  För att skapa förslaget till gränssnittet användes design thinking-processen som ramverk, innehållande faserna: empatisera, definiera, idégenerera, prototypa och testa. Användare var involverade i alla faser för att få nya perspektiv och regelbunden feedback. Användbarhetsramverket tillämpades för att skapa användarupplevelsen genom att genomföra användartester under hela designprocessen. För att skapa ett tillgängligt gränssnitt följdes WCAG-riktlinjerna.  Projektet resulterade i ett digitalt gränssnitt bestående av en hemskärm med en översikt över utvecklingen av lärande och effekten av att använda verktyget för att motivera användaren att vilja lära. På hemskärmen ges en översikt över dokumenten, och användaren kan antingen skapa ett nytt dokument eller ladda upp ett dokument som kan analyseras. Texten analyseras i dokumentvyn, där ord eller fraser som innehåller bias markeras i dokumentet, och en ruta med mer information dyker upp. Rutan innehåller information om varför det är problematiskt att använda ordet eller frasen och fördelen med att använda en mer inkluderande formulering. Användaren får skapa ett bättre alternativ med vägledning från prototypen för att främja lärande om bias.  För att säkerställa kvalitén och inkluderingen av NoBias-verktyget rekommenderar jag starkt att genomföra omfattande användartester av den slutliga prototypen. Dessa användartester bör involvera mångfald av användare för att få ett brett perspektiv. Jag föreslår att följa WCAG-riktlinjerna under utvecklingen av prototypen för att säkerställa att NoBias-verktyget är inkluderande och kan användas av alla.

In this work, the vector equation of a straight line, a topic in vector geometry that students often struggle to understand, was investigated in an interactive, immersive augmented reality (AR) experience. In a user test, 28 undergraduate engineering students solved different collaborative tasks using the AR tool during a student-centred learning activity in a university mathematics course. Augmented reality combines virtual content with the reality to a create a coherent experience. Compared to desktop or mobile applications, immersive AR experiences, often using head-mounted displays (HMD), can be more engaging due to its multi-sensory user interaction, such as hand gesturing, spatial movement, and the perception of true three-dimensionality in a stereoscopic view. Due to recent improvements in hardware and decreasing costs, AR has been used more frequently in educational settings. Still, compared to the mobile form factor, HMD-based AR studies are underrepresented. While multiple studies report benefits of AR in education, such as increased student performance, achieving these benefits depends on the context of use and the specific AR implementation. The results of this work suggest that the three-dimensional and dynamic nature of immersive AR is well suited to investigating mathematical concepts such as the vector equation of a straight line. Compared to virtual reality (VR) experiences, immersive AR facilitates peer-to-peer interaction. Students were motivated to use the technology and reported task-related learning outcomes from the activity. For university curricula to benefit from immersive AR, interdisciplinary teams need to share knowledge to create appropriate AR experiences. Moreover, an AR implementation should follow a long-term approach and include students from both educational and technical domains into the design process.