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This study appears to be one of few intervention studies with focus on eyestrain and lighting on non-computer workplaces. Previous studies have shown strong connections between eyestrain and musculoskeletal strain. The eyes “lead the body” and if the picture on the retina is unfocused the body adjusts the posture, trying to improve the image through changing the viewing distance. This can lead to an unnatural body posture which can contribute in the development of musculoskeletal disorders. A good visual environment with proper illuminance, good luminance contrast relationship, good uniformity value of the illuminance and no glare are the best conditions in order to function well at a visually demanding work. Sorting mail is a task that needs good visual ergonomics and can therefore be improved by a change in the visual environment. The overall purpose of this thesis is to investigate if a good visual environment have an impact on eyestrain, musculoskeletal strain, productivity, wellbeing, and work induced stress. This thesis is based on a literature review and a lighting intervention, with one part before the intervention and two follow-up parts, summer and winter. The results are based on objectively measurements; lighting, time studies, and optometric eye examinations, and two questionnaires. The first questionnaire concerned visual ergonomics and the second had a focus on wellbeing and experience of work related tasks. The postmen experienced the new lighting and labeling as improvement. A small decrease in the amount of eyestrain was present, and the younger postmen had a decrease of the musculoskeletal strain. The postmen with eyestrain got a small improvement of the sorting time. When the lighting was improved another factor that could cause strain appeared, the need for good correction in their glasses was identified as the main remaining factor that could cause the observed strain. / Report code: LiU-Tek-Lic-2008:8.

<p>This study appears to be one of few intervention studies with focus on eyestrain and lighting on non-computer workplaces. Previous studies have shown strong connections between eyestrain and musculoskeletal strain. The eyes “lead the body” and if the picture on the retina is unfocused the body adjusts the posture, trying to improve the image through changing the viewing distance. This can lead to an unnatural body posture which can contribute in the development of musculoskeletal disorders.</p><p>A good visual environment with proper illuminance, good luminance contrast relationship, good uniformity value of the illuminance and no glare are the best conditions in order to function well at a visually demanding work. Sorting mail is a task that needs good visual ergonomics and can therefore be improved by a change in the visual environment.</p><p>The overall purpose of this thesis is to investigate if a good visual environment have an impact on eyestrain, musculoskeletal strain, productivity, wellbeing, and work induced stress.</p><p>This thesis is based on a literature review and a lighting intervention, with one part before the intervention and two follow-up parts, summer and winter. The results are based on objectively measurements; lighting, time studies, and optometric eye examinations, and two questionnaires. The first questionnaire concerned visual ergonomics and the second had a focus on wellbeing and experience of work related tasks.</p><p>The postmen experienced the new lighting and labeling as improvement. A small decrease in the amount of eyestrain was present, and the younger postmen had a decrease of the musculoskeletal strain. The postmen with eyestrain got a small improvement of the sorting time. When the lighting was improved another factor that could cause strain appeared, the need for good correction in their glasses was identified as the main remaining factor that could cause the observed strain.</p> / Report code: LiU-Tek-Lic-2008:8.

Purpose: There are many factors that affects the interior prospect in a teaching environment and the difficulty is to find a balance between seclusion and openness. The aim of the study is to examine the interior prospects impact on a teaching environment and which opportunities and limitations the lines of sight gives depending on how the have been designed. Method: This is a qualitative study and the used method is a case study of a F-6 school. A literature study and interviews were used as the data collecting technic. The interview with the principal of the school, the architect in charge and a co-architect for the same schools were performed. Findings: The results of the literature study and the interviews gave that the factors that affects the interior prospect were flexibility, relationship between the different functions, extent and visual environment. In the result different parameters emerged that were conducive reasons to the factors. One of the parameters for flexibility were form, for the relationship between functions one was placement, for extent one was size and one parameter for visual environment were the share of transparent surfaces. The result showed that the stance on the interior prospect between architects and teachers accords with each other. Implications: The conclusion of the study is that there are distinct parameters that cooperates with each other to create an interior prospect, but there are no obvious solutions since there are no general solutions to the problem. Limitations: The case study is only implied on one school. This choice was made to get a deep understanding of the reality and to get at overview of the parameters that has an impact on the interior prospect. For the result to be more generalized more schools had to be studied to see if more parameters were to be find.

The importance of visual culture is emphasized in an emerging post-modernist society; besides, visual characteristics are regarded as an extremely important educational means in achieving various social, cultural, and educational goals. Through visual perception of environment humans experience various aesthetical emotions. The visual quality of environment reflects the spiritual culture of society, shapes aesthetically attractive cultural landscape, and cultivates traditions of environmental adjustment that create unique surroundings of our living place. The visual quality is objective and can be measured; but the aesthetical quality is a product of evaluation determined by cultural background and personal features. In the contemporary context of globalisation and multicultural trends, a rapidly changing environment requires from us not only a simple adaptation, but the maintenance of positive, creative, inseparable from aesthetical, relationship as well. Relationship between personality and the world begins from attitude that is an instrumental way of evaluation of environment and determines individual����s reaction to the environmental changes. Tenaciously cultivated relationships and attitudes towards the environment, the objects of art and the values they represent in due course develop into person’s value-oriented convictions that form the core of personality. The attitudes stabilization begins in adolescence, when their outlines, together with personal... [to full text]

The importance of visual culture is emphasized in an emerging post-modernist society; besides, visual characteristics are regarded as an extremely important educational means in achieving various social, cultural, and educational goals. Through visual perception of environment humans experience various aesthetical emotions. The visual quality of environment reflects the spiritual culture of society, shapes aesthetically attractive cultural landscape, and cultivates traditions of environmental adjustment that create unique surroundings of our living place. The visual quality is objective and can be measured; but the aesthetical quality is a product of evaluation determined by cultural background and personal features. In the contemporary context of globalisation and multicultural trends, a rapidly changing environment requires from us not only a simple adaptation, but the maintenance of positive, creative, inseparable from aesthetical, relationship as well. Relationship between personality and the world begins from attitude that is an instrumental way of evaluation of environment and determines individual’s reaction to the environmental changes. Tenaciously cultivated relationships and attitudes towards the environment, the objects of art and the values they represent in due course develop into person’s value-oriented convictions that form the core of personality. The attitudes stabilization begins in adolescence, when their outlines, together with personal self-actualization... [to full text]

Bakgrund: Evidensbaserad Design (EBD) är en process som har utvecklats för att säkerställa att beslut om planering och utformning av vårdmiljön bygger på trovärdig forskning med målet att skapa bästa möjliga resultat för personal, patienter och närstående. Vårdmiljöforskning visar att en välplanerad och genomtänkt fysisk vårdmiljö spelar en viktig roll för patientsäkerhet, patientnöjdhet och arbetstillfredsställelse hos personalen. Inom begreppsramen för EBD ingår den visuella miljön som en variation av den fysiska miljön. Det finns redan mycket forskning som undersöker olika aspekter av den visuella miljön inom vården, men det finns dock lite forskning som beskriver åtgärder som syftar till att förbättra vårdmiljön på en akutmottagning.   Syfte: Att beskriva personalens upplevelse av den visuella miljön på akutmottagningen.   Metod: En kvalitativ induktiv intervjustudie genomfördes vid två akutmottagningar i södra Sverige. Femton (n = 15) intervjuer med legitimerade sjuksköterskor, undersköterskor och läkare utfördes. Intervjuerna analyserades med hjälp av innehållsanalys. Resultat: Personalen vid akutmottagningen upplevde att en balanserad visuell miljö främjar välbefinnande. Balansen består av en integration av klinisk funktionalitet och estetiska intryck. Den visuella miljön kan distrahera på olika sätt, vilket skapar en avledning från stressiga upplevelser. Det kan också uppmuntra nyfikenhet och reflektion. Aspekter av den visuella miljön kan emellertid vara distraherande på ett provocerande sätt vilket i sin tur kan ökar stress. En balanserad visuell miljön skapar atmosfär för vårdande. Den visuella miljön har en stimulerande känslomässig inverkan som kan vara både positiv och negativ samt stimulera delaktighet och dialog.   Slutsats: Att skapa en balanserad visuell miljö på akutmottagningen kräver en helhetssyn som inkludera funktionella och personliga perspektiv. Man kan dra slutsatsen att en balanserad visuell miljö i slutändan kan förbättra atmosfären på akutmottagningen och därmed bidra till en stödjande miljö som främjar en känsla av välbefinnande hos personal, patienter och närstående. / Background: Evidence-based Design (EBD) is a process that has been developed to ensure that decisions on planning and design of the healthcare environment are based on credible research with the goal of creating the best possible outcomes for staff, patients and next-of kin. Research on health care design shows that a well-planned and thought out physical environment plays an important role in patient safety, patient satisfaction and job satisfaction for the staff.  Within the conceptual framework of EBD, the visual environment is included as a variation of the physical environment. There is a substantial amount of research that examines different aspects of the visual environment within healthcare, there is however little research describing interventions aimed at improving the healthcare environment in an emergency department (ED). Purpose: To describe the staff experiences of the visual environment at an ED. Method: A qualitative inductive interview study was conducted at two emergency departments in southern Sweden.  Fifteen (n=15) interviews including registered nurses, assistant nurses and emergency physicians were conducted. The interviews were analyzed using content analysis. Result: The staff at the emergency department experienced that a balanced visual environment promotes well-being. The balance consists of an integration between clinical functionality and aesthetic impressions. The visual environment can be distracting in various ways, creating a diversion from stressful experiences. It can also encourage curiosity and reflection. Aspects of the visual environment can however be equally distracting in a provocative manner, reinforcing stress. The visual environment has a stimulating emotional impact that can be both positive and negative as well as stimulating participation and dialogue. A balanced visuell environment creates an atmosphere which supports caring. Conclusion: Creating a balanced visual environment in the emergency requires a holistic approach incorporating practical and personal perspectives. It can be concluded that providing a balanced visual environment can ultimately improve the atmosphere of the emergency department and thereby promote a sense of well-being in staff, patients and next-of kin.

Le point de départ de cette thèse a pour origine les difficultés constatées dans la communauté EIAH pour concevoir des applications éducatives exploitant des informations géographiques. A terme, il s'agit de proposer une nouvelle plateforme susceptible de rendre possible et opérationnel la conception d'applications Web géographiques portées par des utilisateurs non-informaticiens de façon autonome. La proposition scientifique est basée sur un processus de conception piloté par les contenus et par les interactions. Il est opérationnalisé dans une plateforme nommée WINDMash offrant aux concepteurs un environnement visuel de spécification et d'évaluation des interactions. Nous proposons un modèle unifié sous-jacent de description des applications Web géographiques comportant trois facettes qui permettent de représenter les contenus géographiques manipulés, de les afficher sur une interface graphique et de décrire le comportement de l’application (scénario d’interaction) à l'aide d'un langage visuel dont le formalisme graphique est inspiré du diagramme de séquence UML. En utilisant des techniques d'Ingénierie Dirigée par les Modèles, la plateforme WINDMash permet de générer automatiquement le code de l'application finale sur la base des instances de trois facettes du modèle unifié. La plateforme WINDMash utilise pour cela l’API WIND (Web INteraction Design) que nous avons programmée. Les concepteurs peuvent ainsi prototyper rapidement des applications Web géographiques correspondant à leurs besoins. / The starting point of this thesis is to deal with the difficulties encountered in the TEL community for designing educational applications exploiting geographic information. Ultimately, it is to provide a new framework allowing for the operational design of geographic Web applications for experts in the domain (and particularly for teachers). The scientific proposal is based on a design process driven by contents and interaction. It is operationalized on a framework called WINDMash offering designers a visual environment for simply specifying and immediately evaluating interactions. The unified model for describing geographic Web applications has three parts: one for representing geographic contents, one for displaying them on a graphical user interface (GUI) and one for describing the behaviour of the application using a visual language whose graphical formalism is based on the UML diagram sequence. Using Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) techniques, the WINDMash framework can automatically generate the code of the final application based on the instances of three parts of the unified model. The WINDMash framework used for this the WIND API (Web INteraction Design) that we programmed. Designers can thus rapidly prototype geographic Web applications corresponding to their needs.

Syfte: Det råder brist på utvärderingar av belysningsanläggningar, vilket är ett viktigt verktyg för att få förståelse för brukares upplevelse, säkerställa en anläggnings kvalitet och förvärva kunskap till kommande projekt. Inomhusmiljön påverkar i hög grad människans hälsa och välbefinnande, där belysningen är en stor påverkningsfaktor. I samverkan med konsultföretaget WSP har utvärderingar genomförts i två kontorsmiljöer på Domstolsverket i Jönköping. Målet med studien var att undersöka hur en kvalitativ och kvantitativ utvärderingsmetod stod i relation till brukarnas uppfattningar av visuell trivsel. Metod: En kombination av kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder användes för att förstå ljusmiljöns perceptiva och fysikaliska uppbyggnad, samt förstå brukarnas subjektiva uppfattning. Använda metoder var enkät, observation utifrån PERCIFAL och mätning av luminansförhållande. Resultat: Inga tydliga samband återfanns mellan brukarnas uppfattning av visuell trivsel och observation, eller analyserade. Svaga tendenser fanns dock på att i de områden observatörerna upplevde ljusare, var även respondenternas attityd till den visuella miljön mer positiv. Både höga och låga luminansförhållanden resulterade i att respondenterna erhöll en positiv attityd till den visuella miljön och välbefinnande. En positiv inställning till ljusmiljön visade sig gynna den visuella trivseln. Starkast samband fanns mellan inställning till ljusmiljön och upplevelsen av den visuella miljön, där en positiv inställning gynnade upplevelsen av den visuella miljön. Konsekvenser: Studiens slutsats är att varken en mätning eller observation är tillräcklig att användas enskilt för att säkerställa brukarnas visuella trivsel, eller för att beskriva hur ljusmiljön uppfattas av användarna. Därför rekommenderas det att inkludera brukare vid utvärdering, och att utföra mer omfattande utvärderingar för att generera kunskap kring kopplingen mellan mätbart ljus, perceptiv upplevelse och subjektiv uppfattning av visuell trivsel. Om utvärderingar och efterkontroller som även tar hänsyn till brukarnas subjektiva uppfattning prioriteras högre i byggprocessen, kan det säkerställa att ljusmiljöer erhåller ännu högre kvalitet. Begränsningar: Att enkäten utfördes på distans kan ha påverkat resultatet, samt att respondenterna ofta valde det neutrala mittenalternativet. Vissa begrepp kan även ha tolkats på annat sätt än förväntat. Observation och mätning utfördes endast vid ett tillfälle och inte i samtliga zoner där respondenterna var positionerade. Observation och mätning utgick endast från belysningens grundinställningar och bildskärmarna var inte tända vid detta tillfälle. Valet av antalet lokaler och skillnad i användningsfrekvens kan också ha påverkat resultatet. Mätning av luminans visade sig vara mer komplext än vad som förväntats. Intervjuer hade troligtvis givit en djupare förståelse kring det undersökta fenomenet än vad som generades från enkäten. Resultatet är enbart tillämpbart i det undersökta fallet och är därmed inte generellt giltigt. / Purpose: There is a shortage of evaluations of lighting constructions, which are crucial to understand the user, ensure the environmental quality and generate knowledge for future projects. The users’ well-being is affected by the indoor environmental quality, where the lighting has a major impact. In collaboration with the consulting company WSP, evaluations have been executed in two office environments at Domstolsverket in Jönköping. The aim with the study was to investigate how one qualitative and onequantitative evaluation method is related to the users’ perceptions of visual well-being. Method: A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods were used to understand the perceptive and physical construction of the lighting environment, and to understand the users’ subjective experience. Used methods were questionnaire, observation based on PERCIFAL and luminance ratio measuring. Findings: No significant connection were found between the users’ experience of visual well-being and the observation, or between the luminance ratios. There were weak tendencies that those areas of which the observers experienced the brightest, the users experienced the visual environment in a more positive way. Both high and low luminance ratios resulted in a positive attitude to the visual environment and the wellbeing. A positive attitude to the lighting environment favored the visual well-being. The strongest connections were found between the attitude to the lighting environment and the experience of the visual environment, where a positive attitude favored the experience of the visual environment the most.  Implications: Since either the measuring or the observation hadn’t any connection to the users’ subjective experience, the conclusion of the study is that either luminance ratios or a visual evaluation individually are sufficient to ensure the users visual wellbeingor to describe how the lighting environment is experienced by the users.Therefore, it is recommended to include users in evaluations, and to execute more comprehensive evaluations to generate more knowledge regarding the connection between measurable light and perceptive and subjective experience of visual wellbeing. If this is included in the process, it might increase the quality of the lighting environment. Limitations: The questionnaire was responded to at a distance and the respondents tended to choose the neutral central option and those factors might have affected the result. Some terms might also have been interpreted in another way than expected. The observation and the measuring were only executed once, and not in all the areas where the respondents were positioned. While measuring and observing, only the most used light setting was used and the computer screens where not on. Luminance measuring was more complex than expected. Interviews might have given a deeper understanding about the investigated phenomenon than what was generated from the questionnaire.The result is only applicable in this specific case and therefore not universal.