Designing for sustainability is a complex process that requires to reduce the perceived risk of designing out of the traditional method, to prioritize the end-users' needs and preferences in the design, while considering the product-service dual-nature of infrastructure systems. To address such complexities, this research looks into prototyping from design thinking. Prototyping is a feedback mechanism that enriches the design process by emphasizing user experience and removing designers' fear of failure. This critical step is often absent during the design of physical infrastructure (e.g., transportation systems, water systems), in part, because of the size and complexity of these socio-technical systems. This research aims to understand how civil engineers can adopt prototyping design for large-scale and complex urban infrastructure systems and how prototyping influence design cognition among infrastructure stakeholder groups. To measure the effect of physical prototypes on users and designers, the researchers conducted nineteen interviews with community members, engineers, planners, and city officials in two prototyped projects: a road network in Macon, Georgia and a re-designed city block in Akron, Ohio. The researchers coded the interviews for evidence of how prototyping enhanced citizen engagement and how the design team was willing to adopt unconventional designs after prototyping. Improved understanding of prototyping as a design methodology for infrastructure can lead to more user-centered and innovative solutions. This research provides tools to manage design decisions in engineering and urban planning better, and new approaches for urban infrastructure problem-solving. Future research can compare how this process may inform design if immersive virtual experiences are used to prototype. / Doctor of Philosophy / Designing sustainable infrastructure is a complex process that requires designers and engineers to ‘think out of the box’ and to increase the considerations of the users’ needs and preferences in the design. The inclusion of users’ needs and preferences in the design is challenging because designers restrict themselves to come up with non-traditional ideas due to the high risks that are in play when developing infrastructure. This research looks into adapting the prototyping process of design thinking into the planning, design, and construction of infrastructure systems because of its user-centered and innovate design characteristics. Particularly, this research studied the cases of an urban transit design in Macon, Georgia and an urban revitalization design in North Hill, Akron, Ohio. Overall, the researchers conducted nineteen interviews among the design team members, project promoters, city officials, and users such as neighborhood residents, property and business owners, and community advocating groups. The interviews questioned how prototyping enhanced citizen engagement and how designers were willing to adopt unconventional designs after prototyping. This study aims to contribute to the development of more user-centered and innovative solutions in the design of infrastructure. Engineering and urban planning problem-solving practices can use the decision-making tools this study provides. Future studies can use the fast-growing technology of virtual and augmented reality to enrich the prototyping process to deliver more sustainable infrastructure systems.

Syfte - Studiens mål var att bidra med kunskap om arbetsmiljö vid distansarbete och saknaden av föreskrifter för arbete utanför arbetsgivarens lokaler. Vidare har arbetsmiljön forskats djupare i för att förstå vilka aspekter inom arbetsmiljö som distansarbetare drabbas mest av som grund för designarbete för en produkt som lösning till problemen. Metodologi - Studien har genomförts med användarcentrerad design, co-design samt ergonomi i fokus. Dessa teorier har varit nödvändiga för bakgrundskunskap samt designprocessen. Under studiens gång har deltagare använts som hjälp för att förstå personer som drabbas av problemområdets erfarenheter och åsikter om deras arbetsmiljö men även vid viktiga designbeslut i processen. Upptäckter - Deltagarna visade att de generellt var nöjda med sin arbetssituation vid distans. Dock fanns det vissa problem som de var mindre nöjda med som främst gällde sociala aspekter. Flera deltagare menade att de hade svårheter med att mentalt skilja på sin arbetsplats och hem. Det kunde leda till att arbete gjordes under tider på dagen där de vanligtvis hade varit lediga, att inte tillräckligt mycket raster togs under arbetsdagen, att de hade svårt att komma igång med arbetet på morgonen eller att de hade svårt att avsluta arbetsdagen på kvällen. Förslag - Ett förslag på en skrivbordslampa designades med samarbete tillsammans med studiens deltagare. Som lösning på problemen med att ha svårigheter att skilja på arbetsplats och hem har lampan en interaktion likt en fönsterpersienn. Tanken bakom interaktionen är att en mänsklig interaktion krävs för att komma in i läge för arbete, likt hur man drar upp persiennerna när man vaknar på morgonen. / Purpose - The aim of the study was to contribute to knowledge about the work environment in remote work settings and the lack of regulations for work outside the employer’s premises. Furthermore, the work environment has been researched in depth to understand which aspects within the work environment remote workers are most affected by, as a basis for designing a product to address these problems. Methodology - The study has been conducted using user-centered design, codesign, and ergonomics as the main focus. These theories have been essential for both background knowledge and the design process. Throughout the study, participants have been utilized to understand the experiences and opinions of individuals affected by the problem area regarding their work environment, as well as for making important design decisions during the process. Findings - Participants generally expressed satisfaction with their remote work situation. However, there were certain issues they were less satisfied with, primarily concerning social aspects. Several participants reported difficulties mentally separating their workspace from their home environment. This could lead to work being done during times of the day when they would typically be off, insufficient breaks taken during the workday, difficulty starting work in the morning, or trouble ending the workday in the evening. Suggestions - A proposal for a desk lamp was designed in collaboration with the study’s participants. As a solution to the difficulties in distinguishing between workspace and home environment, the lamp features an interaction similar to a window blind. The idea behind this interaction is that a human interaction is required to transition into work mode, similar to how one opens the blinds upon waking up in the morning.

The media consumption on the Internet is increasing rapidly and people at all ages are getting used to live in an on demand world. Due to this, streaming platforms have to appeal to a broad audience containing children, teenagers and adults. One approach to appeal a broad target audience is to divide the streaming platform into two separate platforms, where one is aiming for children and the other one, for the rest of the users. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how the user experience can be improved, to help users of ages 10-13 years old to find their way from one streaming plat- form, to another as they are growing up. The thesis investigate how existing streaming platforms appeal to a broad audience and determines reasons of why a gap can be created between streaming platforms. Based on interviews, work- shops, user tests as well as literature, a final prototype and a set of concluding suggestions have been produced as a result of this study.

Classrooms, libraries, student unions, and university campuses shape students’ learning experiences. These physical learning spaces set the stage for college student engagement and academic performance. Most of the research about the role of physical spaces in learning lacks the student perspective. The goal of this study was to offer a student-centered vision of ideal learning spaces. Students are the learners for whom learning spaces are designed, and this thesis examines the way students of one summer class at Oklahoma Baptist University conceptualized and interacted with their learning spaces. Data collection included surveys of the students, a focus group with members of the class, participant observation in the classroom, and interviews with students and the professor. Students viewed physical spaces as the backdrop for human action and chose spaces that supported their learning styles and goals. Students described supportive spaces as warm, purposefully crafted spaces, and full of other people who were seriously pursuing the same goals. This thesis explores the ways students conceptualized and interacted with learning spaces as a network of support for their learning and provides recommendations for the design of learning spaces that facilitate this support.

This master thesis concerns the development of a refilling position and solution, for washer fluid. As well as a study and development of the use of a secondary washer fluid for winter and summer use. The focus of this work, however, has been on the development of the regular washer fluid with regards to creating a user-friendly ergonomic solution with a premium feel, that improves the user experience and simplifies the refilling process for the user. The automotive industry today is constantly evolving and always strive to improve their products in most areas when it comes to the environment and their clients, etc. Despite this, the process of refilling washer fluid has not been developed in the modern automotive history. The refilling of washer fluid today, looks the same as it ”always” has done. This takes place under hood in a small dirty compartment, with a relatively small tube opening where the user must aim the washer fluid when pouring. To get there, the user must carry out several unnecessary steps to get under the bonnet, where the user does not necessarily have anything to do. This, even though other areas around the washer fluid has evolved a lot, in terms of wiper blades and washer fluid nozzles. The work is done with Volvo Cars Cooperation as clients. Volvo Cars is a Swedish car manufacturer that manufactures passenger cars, which they have done since 1927, when the company started. They are aiming to become the world’s most modern and attractive premium car brand, a leader in innovation and people-centered development. They strive to make the life easier and more enjoyable for their users. Since Volvo has the intention to always improve their products to their users and make life easier for them, this project has used a human-centered design process. The work was done together with the demands and requests from the involved departments at Volvo Cars as well as customer surveys and interviews with mechanics. To find a solution that satisfies all stakeholders and Standards it required an iterative approach and design work.  The work resulted in two concepts where both ordinary and secondary washer fluid can be filled, these prototypes were made and built into a Volvo XC60, 3D renderings of these, as well as an interface for the secondary washer fluid. These solutions have made the process of refilling washer easier with less steps for the and gives a feeling of a premium and innovative solution.

Globe Group, a company under the brand Greenworks Tools, is one of the industry leaders in battery-powered outdoor equipment, developing tools that deliver the performance of a gasoline-powered tool without the hassle and emissions associated with it. Gasoline-powered tools are still prevalent in the field of arboriculture where arborists work daily with chainsaws while performing tree felling and pruning. Now a new type of chainsaw is in development by Globe Group which is characterized by its lightweight and large battery capacity, which brings extraordinary battery life. This feature is possible by redesigning the chainsaw to support an external battery, which is housed in a separate battery pack instead of placing the battery directly inside the tool. The aim of the project is to adapt and design the battery pack for arborists by using a user-centered design approach with focus on ergonomics. This is done by having a close cooperation with the arborists during the whole project, from pre-study to final concept evaluation, to explore and fulfill the needs of the user. By using a wide range of research and design methods, a final concept is developed to reach the needs of the user and company. / Globe Group, som står bakom varumärket Greenworks Tools, är branschledande inom batteridriven utomhusutrustning och levererar verktyg med samma prestandanivå som hos ett bensindrivet verktyg, fast utan utsläpp och krångel som det typiskt är förknippat med. Bensindrivna verktyg är fortfarande mycket vanliga inom trädvårdssektorn där arborister arbetar med motorsågar dagligen vid trädfällning och grenbeskärning. Nu är en ny typ av motorsåg under utveckling av Globe Group som kännetecknas av sin lätta vikt och stora batterikapacitet, vilket ger extra lång batterilivslängd. Denna kombination är möjligt genom att ha ett externt batteri vilket är huserat i ett separat batteripaket istället för att placera batteriet direkt in i verktyget. Projektets mål är att anpassa och konstruera batterifickan specifikt för målgruppen arborister genom att använda en användarcentrerad designapproach med fokus på ergonomi. Detta görs genom ett nära samarbete med arboristerna under hela projektets gång, från förstudie till utvärdering av resultat, för att utforska och uppfylla användarens behov. Ett slutligt koncept är utvecklat för att tillgodose både användarens och företagets behov/krav.

String trimmers or weed cutter or strimmer is one of the inevitable tool for a professional gardener. They are helping gardeners for maintaining the lawn and farmland. These machines have been used by human for a quite long time. Professionals normally uses the bike handle type string trimmer and the amateurs who has small gardens normally uses loop handle one. The bike handle models are more powerful and gives more comfort for long time working. While performing the trimming process users are using the handles to steer and control the machine. Handle is the main touch point of the machine and it needs to provide enough comfort and assist the functions.Cramer, a German garden tools brand owned by The Globe Group, is focusing on researching and developing Garden power tools for amateurs as well as professional users. For them it is important to satisfy the customer and improve the user experience of their products.This project is focused only on the handle of the string trimmer to improve the overall user experience. This project mainly deals with the ergonomic aspects of the handle for a larger percentile of population. It is very important to make a handle were the professional users are going to use longer period of time. Along with the comfort this project put stress on increase the user experience by giving modern, friendly and premium expression visually as well as physically. Even though the project is to develop a handle concept, it needs to go along with the overall brand language.

Esta investigação tem o objetivo de apresentar as contribuições do Design Thinking para concepção de interfaces de Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVA) centradas nas necessidades e expectativas do usuário. A literatura aponta que o Design Thinking utiliza a sensibilidade e os métodos dos designers para catalisar a colaboração, a criatividade e a busca por soluções inovadoras pela observação empática e a partir da prototipagem rápida, com análise de diferentes realidades. Assim, partiu-se do pressuposto que a adoção do Design Thinking poderia contribuir para a concepção de interfaces de AVA centradas em fatores humanos, mas que também atendessem a demandas educacionais dos sujeitos envolvidos no ensino e na aprendizagem do Curso de Licenciatura em Ciências (CLC) da Universidade de São Paulo/Universidade Virtual do Estado de São Paulo. A pesquisa, de abordagem qualitativa, foi realizada com 21 estudantes, duas professoras e 16 tutores que participaram de Grupos Focais e entrevistas para discutir, propor soluções e melhorias para as interfaces do AVA do CLC. Pela compreensão de suas necessidades, criou-se um protótipo composto por interfaces alternativas para o AVA investigado. O protótipo foi apresentado para os participantes da investigação que deram novas sugestões para aperfeiçoá-lo. Tais sugestões subsidiaram a elaboração de um segundo protótipo, cujas interfaces foram consideradas inovadoras e de implementação viável por especialistas entrevistados que o avaliaram. Os resultados deste estudo demonstraram que a adoção do Design Thinking apresentou relevantes contribuições para a concepção de interfaces de AVA, tendo em vista que o processo, plano de pensamento (mindsets), métodos e ferramentas da abordagem levaram à criação de interfaces de AVA que atendem às necessidades e expectativas dos seres humanos envolvidos no processo educacional do CLC no que tange à proposta de usabilidade, design gráfico, organização dos conteúdos, ferramentas pedagógicas, de interação/comunicação e de gestão. / This research aims to present Design Thinking contributions for the design and development of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) interfaces focused on users needs and expectations. Literature suggests that Design Thinking uses the sensitivity and methods of designers for catalyzing collaboration, creativity and the search for innovative solutions through empathic observation, rapid prototyping and analysis on different realities. This study was based on the premise that the adoption of Design Thinking could contribute to the design and development of VLE interfaces centered on human factors, and would also meet the educational needs of those involved in teaching and learning at the undergraduate Teaching Science program (Curso de Licenciatura em Ciências - CLC), offered by the University of São Paulo / Virtual University of São Paulo. The research adopted a qualitative approach, and was carried out with 21 students, two teachers and 16 tutors who took part in focal groups and interviews to discuss, propose solutions and improvements to the programs VLE interfaces. Understanding the participants needs led to the creation of a prototype consisting of alternative interfaces for VLE. The research participants were presented to the prototype and offered suggestions to improve it. Such suggestions supported the development of a second prototype, whose interfaces were considered innovative and feasible for implementation by the experts interviewed. This studys results have shown that the adoption of Design Thinking presented outstanding contributions to the design and development of VLE interfaces, given that the approachs process, mindsets, methods and tools led to the creation of interfaces that meet the needs and expectations of people involved in the educational process at the CLC program in regards to the interfaces usage proposal, graphic design, content organization, educational, interaction/communication and management tools.

A popularização dos dispositivos computacionais portáteis ao longo dos últimos anos, principalmente os smartphones e tablets, tem motivado o desenvolvimento de aplicações, que possuem um grande potencial para facilitar o acesso a informação e auxiliar os usuários na realização de tarefas do cotidiano. Entretanto, notamos que essa tecnologia não é acolhida por todos os nichos de usuários de modo semelhante. Apesar do envelhecimento natural das populações possibilitar um crescimento considerável de pessoas idosas nos últimos anos, observa-se que a taxa de utilização dos dispositivos táteis pelos idosos, atualmente, pode ser considerada baixa em relação às demais faixas etárias. Esta menor participação dos usuários idosos do mercado de aplicação para dispositivos móveis ocorre devido ao desenvolvimento tecnológico não considerar as especificidades para permitir seu uso, limitando a satisfação dos usuários por meio da concepção de componentes de interface e funcionalidades que dificultam a utilização pelo público idoso, contribuindo até para uma rejeição a essa tecnologia. Assim, neste projeto busca-se propor recomendações de usabilidade específicas para o desenvolvimento de aplicações em dispositivos móveis voltadas para os usuários idosos, a partir do desenvolvimento centrado no usuário, de uma aplicação de interesse para esse público alvo, que foi denominada Eldernote. Em direção a esse objetivo realizamos estudos para identificarmos na literatura as principais recomendações e diretrizes de usabilidade para a implementação de aplicações móveis voltadas para os usuários idosos. A partir desses estudos, iniciamos um levantamento sobre esse perfil de usuários e dos requisitos da aplicação. Com base nas informações coletadas, foi desenvolvida a aplicação Eldernote. Todo o processo de desenvolvimento é descrito neste trabalho, desde a concepção das interfaces até a realização de testes preliminares com usuários reais, com o objetivo de investigar as principais características de projetar-se uma aplicação com usabilidade especialmente para usuários idosos. Finalmente, foram realizados os testes de usabilidade com os usuários em um ambiente real de utilização, que propiciou inferirmos as preferências dos usuários, componentes de interface prejudiciais a utilização e a análise da navegação dos usuários durante o uso da aplicação. Ao final, não só foi possível identificar recomendações de usabilidade mas também resultou na disponibilização da aplicação Eldernote à comunidade de usuários no intuito de contribuir para a melhoria da qualidade de vida dos usuários idosos. / The widespread use of portable devices in the last few years, particularly smartphones and tablets has encouraged the development of applications that have the potential to facilitate access to information and help users in day to day activities. However it is important to notice that this technology is not welcomed by all users. In spite of the fact that the natural process of overall aging of the population is increasing the number of elderly people, it is noticeable that the usage of such devices by this group is relatively low compared with other age groups. This apparent exclusion of the elderly from the market of mobile applications is due to its technological development not take this group particular necessities into consideration to allow its free use, this seriously limits the users satisfaction with the usage of interface elements and functionalities that hinder its utilization by the elderly public and contribute to this groups rejection of this technology. Therefore, this project seeks to propose specific recommendations for the development of applications in mobile devices for elderly users from the development of a user centered application named Eldernote. Seeking this purpose we have studied and identified the literatures main recommendations and guidelines used in the implementations of mobile applications directed to elderly users. Coming out of this research, we initiated the survey of the users profile and their guidelines for the application from interviews with a group of users. Based on this information the job of implementing the Eldernote application began, and in this work we illustrate all of its development process, from its interface conception to the realization of preliminary tests with real users. Finally, after the conclusion of its implementation, we tested the applications usability with users in a real usage environment. From the tests collected data it was possible to conclude the users preferences, prejudicial interface elements and to analyze the users navigation inside the application. With the conclusion of this work it was possible not only to determine usability recommendations but it also resulted in Eldernotes availability to the users community with the intention to contribute to the improvement of the users life quality.

Technology needs to be designed considering various usage contexts. Today many parents use social media. Children are allowed to have a social media account by some social media websites if they are above a certain age. Social media is diverse in content that it is sometimes suitable for viewing by children and sometimes not. Parents sometimes wish to show some specific content from their social media page to their children. The page that they wish to show could have a content that is not suitable for viewing by children. This presents a problem to both the parent and child as users who sit together to view the intended content. This thesis intends to study on the different use contexts when the parent and child would want to sit together viewing a social media page sharing the same device. The study would also try to understand how the parent would envision to have the social media user interface during such usage contexts. This study also aims to trigger further research on the problems related to computer mediated interaction of people and children using the virtual sphere especially in social media encompassing the data analytics that would be needed in the background to ease such a communication.