Today’s environment conditions have reached a critical stage that challenges us to revertthe current paradigm of production and waste into new ways to fulfill needs. The wholesociety needs a shift away from the individual ownership, being it one big reason of environmentalcrisis.This thesis project is an exploration into the field of sustainability in housing contexts thatseeks a different approach in the matter by encouraging the collective use of resources.The resulting design is a product service system that uses indeed a combination of artifactsand services to enhance and augment behaviors towards sustainability, by usingcalm technology as main touchpoint with the users. This means that the project tries toestablish a dialog with the user at a level that presents a valuable aesthetic of interactionbecause of the fluency of communication.

Aujourd'hui, l'environnement sonore n'est plus uniquement considéré comme une gène ou une nuisance par notre société, mais comme pouvant être porteur de qualités. La directive européenne 2002/45/CE,relative à la gestion du bruit dans l'environnement demande aux états d'identifier les «zones calmes» en vue de leur préservation et de leur valorisation en raison de la ressource qu'elles constituent. Elle présente les «zones calmes» comme des zones préservées du bruit. Dans ce contexte, les parcs et les jardins apparaissent dans de nombreuses études comme étant plébiscités par les usagers pour la qualité de leur environnement sonore sans que ces qualités ne soient bien identifiées. Si la directive européenne tend à considérer la qualité sonore en fonction d'un seuil de niveau sonore et des seules notions d'agrément ou de désagrément, les différents champs de recherche sur l'environnement sonore, de la psychoacoustique jusqu'aux ambiances,on montré qu'elle relève d'une expérience esthétique plus complexe. L'environnement sonore est chargé de valeurs affectives, sémantiques, fonctionnelles, esthétiques.Nous proposons ici une identification précise des qualités sonores qui semblent propres au parcs et aux jardins urbains en abordant la qualité sonore dans une perspective plus descriptive qu'hédoniste à travers l'étude de l'expérience vécue des usagers dans six parcs et jardins de la région parisienne. Dans un premier temps nous présentons une description des différentes facettes de l'environnement sonore du jardin établie à partir d'observations de terrains, de mesures acoustiques, et d'entretiens réalisés auprès des usagers. L'environnement sonore du jardin est présenté à partir de ses configurations sonores, d'effets perceptifs,des représentations qu'il suscite, ou encore des pratiques qu'il induit ou qui participent à son actualisation. Pour aller au delà des relations entre niveau sonore et agrément, nous proposons dans un second temps de révéler des ponts entre les aspects matériels et immatériels des ambiances sonores. Bien que les ambiances sonores relèvent d'une dimension immatérielle : le son et l'expérience esthétique des usagers, nous faisons l'hypothèse qu'elles peuvent être manipulables par les aménageurs ou faire l'objet de mesures de protection ou de valorisation si elles sont considérées comme des effets de dimensions physiques observables : structures paysagères ou indicateurs acoustiques. Nous abordons ainsi la qualité sonore à travers le prisme de la diversité architecturale et conceptuelle propre à l'art des jardins et nous proposons de comprendre les relations entre les différentes qualités sonore identifiées, les structures paysagères et l'acoustique des jardins. / Nowadays, the sound environment is no longer only considered as potential annoyance, but it is sometimes recognize for the qualities it can bear. The European directive 2002/45/CE, relative to the management of environmental noise, requires the european states to identify «quiet areas» for their preservation and valorization due to the resource they represent. It defines the «quiet areas» as areas preserved from the noise. In this context, numerous studies have shown that in the urban environments the parks and gardens are acclaimed by users for the quality of their soundscape, but those qualities have never been accurately identified. If the European directive seems to consider the sound quality according to a noise level and the ideas of agreement or disagreement, different fields of study on the sound environment, from the psychoacoustic to the atmosphere studies, have shown that the esthetic experience is way more complex. The sound environment is full of emotional values, semantic, functional and aesthetic values.The aim of our work is to accurately identify the sound qualities that seem specific to urban parks and gardens. The sound qualities are understood more from a descriptive than an hedonist point of view, through the study of the experience of users in six differents parks and gardens of the Parisan area. First, it present a description of the different aspects of the sound environment of the garden established from various kind of datas : observations, acoustic measurements, and interviews with users. The sound environment of the garden is presented through sound configurations, perceptual effects, representations it evokes, or through practices. To overcome the relationship between noise level and agreement, this work propose in a second time to highlight links between tangibles and intangibles aspects of the soundscape. Although the soundscape seems to fall within an immaterial dimension : sound and aesthetic experience of the users, we assume that it can be mastered by the designers, the acousticians or the urban planners if it is considered as an effect of material dimensions : landscape structures or acoustic indicators. This work approach the sound quality through the architectural diversity of the garden design. It propose to understand the relationships between the different sound qualities identified, the landscape structures and the acoustic measurments.

Various studies have taken different approaches to persuade users into adopting a healthy sitting posture. In addition to the sedentary lifestyles we have come to adopt, the importance and reasoning of these studies stem from the adverse effects of poor posture on our health and mood. However, studies approaching this area with real-time visual modality integrated into clothing are rather sparse. Utilizing this integration might potentially fulfill the requirements of the ubiquitous computing era and inform the users in a calmer way. To evaluate various aspects of this concept, a mid-fidelity prototype was developed and tested with users. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted to obtain their thoughts and opinions on such an approach. In addition to the approval of the concept, further concerns, advantages and disadvantages were disclosed, and used to inform a design space for similar concepts. Although requiring more research, the results of this study outline a primary design space consisting of essential characteristics one needs to be aware of when designing a similar concept.

This thesis report presents a method to analyze the communication architecture for the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The report also includes a case study on ASN.1 notation and analysis of its encoding rules. Included in the report is also: (i) accompanying instruction on how to use ASN.1 compilers to produce the C/C++ message encoder/decoder, and (ii) analysis of Non-IP communications of Communication Access for Land Mobiles (CALM-FAST) protocol stack in ITS. The thesis is a part of the research project entitled “SCOOP”, a joint project between SCANIA CV AB and KTH. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the ultimate goal, which is to equip a vehicle with necessary hardware and software technology to provide a platooning behavior in the GCDC 2011 competition. This goal is achieved by the means of wireless communication system for both vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to road side units communications in the platoon. Overall, this thesis introduces the important usage of ASN.1 in implementation of cut-edge telecommunication systems especially in V2V and V2I communication; and clarifies the CALM-FAST protocol stack in mobile nodes. / Kartlägga CALM-FAST protokollet och hur det användes tillsammans med den i tävlingen GCDC 2011 fastslanga kommunikationsprotokollet. GCDC var ett tävling i kooperativ körning arrangerad och initierad av Hollänska TNO och gick ut på att få fordon att agera tillsammans beserat på information sänt via WLAN 802.11p. ASN.1 användes och ingick i analysen.

Mötet med närstående till patienter som avlidit är ett stressfyllt möte, både för närstående och sjuksköterskan. Tidigare forskning visade att närstående önskade få tydlig information och söker trygghet hos varandra. Närstående upplevde sjuksköterskan som en stor källa för trygghet och stöd i sorgprocessen. Den professionalitet och säkerhet hon förmedlar var av stor vikt för närståendes upplevelse av hela vårdtiden. Syftet med studien var att beskriva erfarna intensivvårdssjuksköterskors reflektioner från möten med närstående till patienter som avlidit. En intervjustudie med kvalitativ ansats gjordes. Informanterna i denna studie kunde alla klassificeras som skickliga och expertsjuksköterskor enligt Benners utvecklingsstadier för sjuksköterskan. Informanterna beskrev möten som kunde delas in i följande huvudteman för att ge stöd till de närstående som, trygghet, lyhördhet, stillhet och lugn. Med hjälp av dessa huvudteman upplevde informanterna att de kunde skapa optimala förutsättningar för att skapa stillhet och lugn. / Meeting patient’s next of kin after decease is a stressful meeting for both the next of kin and the advanced practice nurse. Preceding research showed that the next of kin sought to receive information that was easy to understand and that they seek solace from each other. The advanced practice nurse was experienced as a great source of comfort and support in the grieving process by next of kin. Professionalism and support mediated by the advanced practice nurse was of great importance for the next of kin’s experience of the hospitalization period. The aim of this study was to describe experienced intensive care unit nurses reflections of meeting next of kin to patients who are diseased. An interview study with a qualitative approach was done. The informants in this study could all be classified as the skilful and the expert nurse according to Benners stages of progression for the nurse. The informants described main themes to support and comfort the next of kin, they were; feeling secure, attentiveness, stillness. With the aid of these categories the informants experienced that they could create the optimal conditions in creating stillness in the storm that the next of kin are in after death has occurred.

Skolan ska vara en lugn och trygg miljö, där eleverna ska kunna fokusera på sitt lärande utan att bli störda. Denna fallstudie syftar därför till att undersöka hur en matematiklärare kan skapa och bibehålla studiero. Genom observationer och en intervju har jag undersökt en lärares arbete med studiero. Resultatet visade att en lärare kan informera eleverna på ett tydligt sätt om vilka regler som gäller i matematikklassrummet, för att skapa studiero. Resultatet visade även att det sociala samspelet mellan elever, och lärarens tillgänglighet, har betydelse för arbetet med studiero. / The school should be a calm and safe environment, where students should be able tofocus on their learning without being disturbed. This case study therefore aims to investigate how a mathematics teacher can create and maintain a calm environment conducive to learning. Through observations and interviews, I have investigated a teacher's work with a calm environment conducive to learning. The results showed that a teacher can inform students in a clear way about the rules that apply in the mathematics classroom to create a calm environment conducive to learning. The results also showed that the social interaction between students and the teacher's availability is important for the work with a calm environment conducive to learning.

As the population of the world increases and cities grow in size, we are faced with remarkable societal problems regarding sustainable food security for the generations to come. In this paper, I present and discuss HAVE (Hydroponic Agricultural Vertical Environment), a research-through-design project that explores the design of an interactive open-source vertical kitchen garden. HAVE is designed as a shareable platform, that aims to lower the barriers of entry of getting started with home gardening, to provide an option for people to play an active role in working towards a more sustainable, resilient society. By simplifying the design of a computer-assisted garden, I present an engaging interactive system that is cheap and easy to build and maintain. With HAVE as a case study, this project also aims to expand upon how plant-based interfaces can be implemented in future design work, and builds upon the topics of calm technology and material computing. As such, this paper discusses the opportunities and challenges of designing plant-based interfaces, also in relation to how people care for and interact with plants. It is my hope, that HAVE may act as a conversation piece that addresses societal challenges regarding future agriculture practices, while contributing to the academic discussion and debate on the topics of plant-based interfaces, design for social innovation, and tangible computing, and the field of interaction design in general.

Artificial Intelligence, being recently one of the most popular topics in technology, has been in a spotlight of Interaction Design for a long time. Despite its success in software and business-oriented cases, the adoption of Artificial Intelligence solutions in home environments still remains relatively low. This study reflects on the key reasons for the low penetration of AI-based solutions in private households and formulates design considerations for possible further developments in this area with a focus on artificial light sources. The design considerations are based on literature review and studies of multiple home environments gathered through qualitative interviews and context mapping exercises. Health influence of lighting, multi-user interactions, and privacy-related and ethical concerns are taken into account as the key factors. The considerations have been validated with participants of the study through user testing sessions of a digital prototype that virtualises a home environment and explores some of the common light usage scenarios. The study argues that despite multiple efforts in this direction during the past three decades, the future of Artificial Intelligence in connected, intelligent homes does not lie in smart, autonomous systems. Instead, Artificial Intelligence can be arguably used to simplify and contextualise interactions between humans and their home environments as well as foster the development of parametric solutions for private households.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the relationally based “Calm-Driven” Service (CDS) training program from the New World Kirkpatrick model perspective. The CDS training program is designed to help automotive professionals in sales and service to relate to their customers by (a) thinking in a different way about human relationships, and (b) realizing their own role in relationships and behavior. The CDS training program is based on the relational systems theory concepts of relational triangles, chronic anxiety, and differentiation of self from the Bowen Family Systems Theory. The results suggest that the participants had a positive reaction to the training program. Specifically they found the training favorable, relevant to their professional needs, engaging, comprehendible, and capable of creating change in educational experience through time (level 1: reaction). They gained the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment to apply newly gained knowledge on the job (level 2: learning). Participants’ behavior changed in their ability to relate to their customers by being (a) able to think in defined ways, and (b) realize their own role in relationships and behavior. Notably, newly learned behaviors were maintained two months after the training program was complete due to a successful monitoring, reinforcing, encouraging, and rewarding system (level 3: behavior). The improvement of the associates’ relational skills indicates that the training helped the organization to move on track to their overall goal, which is to help the stakeholders to become the number one volume dealer (level 4: results). Evaluation results demonstrate that relational training based on the Bowen Family Systems Theory could be successfully implemented and show positive results for the organization and their associates. Therefore, it is recommended that marriage and family therapists, as specialists in relational systems thinking, would focus future research on development, application, and evaluation of relationally based trainings.

Introduktion - Syftet med det här examensarbetet var att undersöka om färgat ljus haren påverkan på högskolestudenters känsloupplevelser på kort sikt. Sinnesstämningarnastress och lugn undersöktes specifikt, men även övriga känslor var inkluderade. Studiens bakgrund grundar sig i den ökade stress som framför allt högskolestudenterupplever, och om färgat ljus kan bidra med en känsla av lugn.Metod – Experimentet utfördes genom att deltagarna satt i ett litet rum och utsattes föråtta nyanser av färgat ljus (stark och svag av röd, blå, grön och gul). Varje deltagareupplevde en slumpmässig sekvens av nyanserna, med ett vitt neutraliserande ljus mellanvarje nyans. Den valda datainsamlingsmetoden var intervjuer, som genomfördes idirekt anslutning till experimentet. Deltagarna fick uppge vilken nyans de upplevdesom mest stressande respektive mest lugnande, samt om de upplevde andra känslor tillövriga nyanser. Resultat och Analys - Den insamlade datan visar att en stark röd färg är den somöverlägset flest upplevde som mest stressande. Det var flera av deltagarna somassocierade den röda färgen till ondska, hotfullhet och allvar, vilket enligt dem självavar anledningen till att de upplevde den som stressande. En del tyckte den varklaustrofobisk eller för intensiv. Angående den lugnaste färgen visar datan mer spriddaresultat, även om svag blå var den som flest sade var lugnast. Återigen varanledningarna ofta att deltagarna associerade färgen till något särskilt som gjorde demlugna. En del blev lugna för att ljusfärgen var mer behaglig eller mer lik det neutralaljuset. Resten av den insamlade datan visar att deltagarna upplevde färgerna på väldigt olikasätt. Generellt sett säger svaren att de starka nyanserna upplevdes mer intensiva än desvaga, men vilket dem föredrog var olika. Diskussion - Resultaten bekräftar en del tidigare forskning som skett med ljus ochfärger, och framför allt bekräftar den teorier om hur associationer spelar en stor roll ihur vi upplever färger. Associationer visade sig då spela stor roll då många av svarensom inkom tyder på att det var associationer till annat som orsakade känslorna, och inteljuset i sig. En del gjorde inte lika många associationer och kunde förklara att deföredrog det ena framför det andra på grund av hur ljuset förändrade rumsuppfattningeneller hur det betedde sig. / Introduction - The purpose of this thesis was to investigate whether coloured light hasan impact on college students' emotional experiences in the short term. The differenttypes of moods such as stress and the feeling of being calm were examined specifically,other emotions were also included. The background of the study is based on theincreased stress that especially college students experience, and whether coloured lightcan contribute to a feeling of calmness. Method - To investigate what we were looking for, experiments were performed wherethe participants sat in a small room and were exposed to eight shades of coloured light(strong and weak of red, blue, green, and yellow). Each participant experienced arandom sequence of shades, with a white neutralizing light between each shade. The data collection method chosen was interviews, which were conducted in directconnection with the experiment. The participants had to state which shade theyexperienced as most stressful and most calming, and whether they experienced otheremotions to other shades. Results and Analysis - The data collected shows that a strong red colour is the one byfar the most experienced as most stressful. Several participants associated the red colourwith spite, seriousness and as threatening, which according to them was the reason whythey experienced it as stressful. Some thought it was claustrophobic or too intense. When it comes to the calmest colour, the data shows more scattered results, althoughweak blue was the one most people pointed out as calming. Again, the reasons wereoften that the participants associated the colour with something specific that calmedthem. Some shades became calm because the light colour was more pleasant or morelike the neutral light. The rest of the data shows that the participants experienced the colours in very differentways. In general, the responses implies that the strong shades were perceived as moreintense than the weak ones, but which they preferred were different. Discussion - The results confirm some previous research that has been done with lightand colours, and it especially confirms theories about how associations play a big rolein how we experience colours. Associations then proved to play a major role as manyof the responses indicated that it was associations to other things that caused theemotions, and not the light itself. Some did not make as many associations and couldexplain that they preferred one over the other because of how the light changed theperception of space or how the light behaved itself.