This thesis considers claims of discrimination and the interfaces that six platforms use as companies in the sharing economy. In 2015, Benjamin Edelman, Michael Luca, and an Svirsky did an experiment with Airbnb to test the discrimination of names that sounded distinctly African American. Before and after their findings, there were members of the community who claimed that they had been discriminated against, some suing the company for not upholding their anti-discrimination policy. This leads to the question of how is one able to discriminate against someone whom they have never met and lives thousands of miles away? What information do they have to hold against them? As a result, this thesis provides a rhetorical analysis of the interfaces of six companies of the sharing economy.

A bachelor thesis conducted over the spring term of 2018, the final exam of the Innovation and Design Engineering program at Karlstad University. The contractor of this thesis project was Parfum Lombard AB in Svedala, Sweden, a market leading within the hairdressing equipment industry in Sweden. They provide a high level of innovation and product development to improve its assortment.   The project of this thesis will focus on the frequent used shampoo units at the hair salons in particular. The shampoo units will be analyzed from an ergonomic point of view, because the current sitting position can cause discomfort and pain for customers with neck problems. Today, neck and back pain are amongst the most common chronic pains issues, which requires further development of this type of equipment in order to make it more suited for the end-user. The chosen target group for the project are people with neck-related disabilities as the starting point for formulating the design problem and developing the solution.   The main objective of the project is to develop a concept that offers the customer a more ergonomic position, while washing the hair at the salon. By following a user-centered product development process, the problem will be addressed in the following parts: Pre-study, product specification, idea generation, concept development and finally construction in the layout design phase. The product specification forms a key part, which as a dynamic document links together both customers, clients and professionals perspective of the issue, and underlines the final concept selection.   Key findings: To improve the current washing position the sharp angle between the upper body and the head needs to be reduced. That could be solved in two ways; The backboard of the upper body leans back even further to accomplish a more recumbent position or by an additional support to the neck in order to gain a more up-right position. The last mentioned, which also represent the final concept ensures that not only the neck is supported but also the head. This means that the heavy load that the head’s own weight previously caused has now been drastically reduced.   The presented concept in the report differs from the similar existing product by its support surface. It provides a wider support area to the customer’s neck and head. With a slim design that only depends on a few centimeters of the basin´s geometry, the chances of matching as many models of shampoo units as possible increases. The developed concept are presented in both CAD- and mock-up models.

abstract: Overview: Transition from the pediatric to adult care setting for 'emerging adults' (ages 18- 26) continues to develop as a growing concern in health care. The Adolescent Transition Program teaches chronically ill 'emerging adults' disease self-management skills while promoting a healthy lifestyle. Transferring this knowledge is vital for successful health care outcomes. Unfortunately, patients who have been transferred to the adult care setting, report that they felt lost in the system due to lack of communication between care teams, inadequate support systems, and insufficient disease management knowledge. To address these gaps, the design of the physical environment must adapt to these challenges while also meeting the needs of various chronic illnesses. Methodology: Design thinking or human-centered design was utilized as the vehicle to discover unmet 'emerging adult' and adolescent health clinician needs. Ethnographic research methods involved observations at adolescent health clinics and in learning environments outside of the healthcare setting as well as interviews with 5 outpatient adolescent clinicians. A survey was also conducted with 16 'emerging adults' to understand how they learn. Lastly, a literature review explored the history of the adolescent, adolescent development, adolescence and chronic illness, and The Adolescent Transition Program. Results: Findings revealed that physical environment must be conducive to meet a variety of clinical and education activities such as chronic disease management, support adolescent development, and should be more human-centered. The space should transform to the patient education or clinical activity rather than the activity transforming to the space. Five design recommendations were suggested to ensure that the outpatient clinic supported both clinician and 'emerging adults' needs. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.D. Design 2014

The intranet usage is continuously growing, but many companies have yet to advanceto mobile intranet solutions for employees who work out in the field. Also due to this,many of the existing mobile intranet solutions are not designed with the field employeesuser experience in mind, who would benefit most from the mobile intranets. In the case ofdesigning for employees in the field, what would the design look like? The objective of this thesis is to find a mobile intranet application concept that furthermostconsiders the field employees user experience. In this thesis, intranet, mobile intranetand design for intranets are investigated. Furthermore in the thesis, guidelines of mobiledesign for iOS and Android are examined. The evaluation of three current mobile intranetapplications are also presented. Ideation sketches, prototypes and a final concept applicationare developed based on interviews, literature and feedback from actual field employees. Theresults includes findings from the interviews, figures of the ideation sketches, illustration ofthe high-fidelity prototype and screenshots of the final concept application. At the end ofthe thesis, the concept application is discussed and problems that arose during the thesisare brought up.

Context. User Experience has become key to product development in recent years, as manyorganizations have realized its role in maintaining high user acceptance ratings. User ExperienceDevelopment and Agile Software Development are two highly iterative processes and user-centricprocesses. While both methods stack up well theoretically, there are many challenges encountered whenthey are integrated together in real-world development scenarios. Similar to Agile development, UserExperience Development, has many phases: performing user research, gathering UCD (User-CenteredDesign) requirements, iterating design activities, and performing usability evaluation through user tests.Executing both processes in parallel and mapping their corresponding phases is a major issue andapplying these principles in development environment is even more challenging. This integration bearseven more significance in the field of healthcare technology, where user-centered requirements ofpatients and medical practitioners need to handled systematically, as there are a wide range ofspecifications that cater to unique individuals. Hence, a case study was conducted in two majororganizations involved in the development of Interactive Healthcare Technology (IHT) applications. Objectives. Through a case study, the author attempts to investigate the factors that influence theintegration between UX development and Agile methodologies. These factors include the contemporarytools, processes and methods (TPMs) that are being used integration and the challenges that persistwhen it is applied in industry. The study aims to analyze the Agile-UX development approaches of twodistinct organizations, involved in the same domain, to get an understanding of the mentioned factors. Methods. The multiple case study was conducted through interviews, surveys and direct observation.The qualitative data analysis of the surveys was done through thematic analysis. Quantitative dataanalysis was performed on the data gathered from the surveys. A literature review was conducted priorto the case study to gain knowledge on this issue, which also partially answers the research questions.The case study design was kept consistent across both organizations. Results. Through the results of the case study and a literature review, current UX development practicesin the industry have been identified. The challenges encountered at both case organizations have been studied. These results are further validated and contrasted with the results of the literature review.Following, a retrospection of the methods employed at the case environments, a set of recommendationsfor better integration was generated. A detailed comparative analysis of Agile-UX integration at twoorganizations has been documented. At the end a generic framework has been proposed based on theanalysis of results acquired. Conclusions. Numerous conclusions were drawn from the results and data analysis. Several challengeswere identified through the study, in addition to those suggested by relevant literature. Some of thesewere uniquely prevalent in the field of IHT development. It was found that dynamically changing usercenteredrequirements and late integration of usability and UX development with Agile practices werethe most profound challenges. Adoption of UCD techniques such as Design Studio played a positiverole in easing integration. Usability evaluation and user research are also major factors in the integrationprocess. Lack of time to iterate design and issues in scheduling and performing usability testing had abig impact. Involving users in the design and development process from an early stage is essential toensure high usability and good user experience of the product. The framework designed to counter thesechallenges, takes into account, all these aspects to provide a meticulous Agile-UX integrationframework. Some key conclusion drawn from this framework, are that the application of the “One SprintAhead” approach diminishes many challenges, while performing usability testing in parallel withsystem testing can support integration.

Essa dissertação está fundamentada em experiência de atuação no mercado da moda e em elementos históricos sobre a indústria têxtil e de confecção, nas duas últimas décadas do século XX e nas primeiras décadas do século XXI. Ela pretende contextualizar a questão do design de moda neste tempo globalizado sob o ponto de vista do olhar interdisciplinar de uma engenheira têxtil e designer de moda. Questiona-se aqui o dilema vivido pelos jovens designers, seus pares dentro das organizações em que atuam e alguns pontos da realidade da prática do design dentro das empresas de vestuário no Brasil. Nesse contexto, se discute a importância de redefinir o processo de desenvolvimento das coleções, o papel do designer de moda e de viabilizar o diálogo entre os diferentes sujeitos do processo de criação, durante o ciclo de vida de desenvolvimento do produto, a partir da sua conceituação a sua execução. Por fim, o estudo apresenta uma proposta de design integrado e interdisciplinar para a indústria da moda por meio de plataformas colaborativas, utilizando como referencial as teorias de design centrado no usuário e a participação em projetos de transformação por meio de Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) em empresas de confecção no Brasil / This study is based in the actual experience of the author in the fashion market and refers to historical elements of the Brazilian Textile and Clothing industry. The impact of the globalized moment on the intricated context of Brazils contemporary fashion is approached in an exploratory manner through the point of view of a textile engineer and fashion designer. The dilemma faced by young designers when practicing design and their relationships with peers is discussed with the aim of introducing best practices inside the Apparel Industry of Brazil. It is relevant to discuss the role of the fashion designer as well as to investigate the product development processes in the Brazilian companies to stimulate dialogues between the different actors involved in the product development cycle, from concept to execution. The study proposes an integrated and interdisciplinary method of user centered design by means of collaborative platforms of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) in Change Management Projects for Brazilian Apparel Industries

When needing software, using the services of an IT consulting rm is todaya common solution for companies nowadays. To make a system suited forthe intended users it is important to focus on usability.There are many dierent approaches possible to use when developinga usable system. The purpose of this study was to study if any of theapproaches, goal-directed design, could be used when a customer orders asolution from a consulting rm. This was to be studied through a case studywhich was conducted at the IT consulting rm Sigma. One of Sigma's customersis Toyota Material Handling Group which is a supplier of forkliftsand additional services like the online eet management platform ToyotaISite. The platform is about to be further developed by connecting it to amobile application with the purpose of making the platform more accessibleand ecient. The assignment in the case study was to develop a prototypefor this mobile application. This was done using the goal-centered design approach.Further, in order to understand the work at Sigma today, interviewswere conducted with developers at the company.The data collected led to an analysis about how Sigma and other similarIT consulting rms could use the goal-centered design approach when developingsoftware. The conclusion drawn was that parts of the method couldbe motivated to the customer and thereby be used in future projects, whilesome parts would be harder to motivate for the customer. The includedsteps were user research, context scenarios, requirements and high-delityprototyping. These conclusions can be used to integrate usability work inthe development process in the context of an IT consulting rm deliveringa system to a customer.

Uppsatsen har som syfte att identifiera utmaningar som medborgarmedverkan medför inom en offentlig verksamhet vid utveckling av offentliga digitala tjänster. Utifrån dessa utmaningar diskuteras potentiella möjligheter som uppstår när utmaningarna klaras av samt vilken roll IKT och Government 2.0 har i dessa utmaningar och möjligheter. Vidare diskuteras även Participatory Design som tjänstedesignansats utifrån identifierade utmaningar och potentiella möjligheter vid utveckling av offentliga digitala tjänster. Uppsatsens teoretiska referensram redogör främst för forskningsämnena e-Government och Government 2.0 samt tjänstedesignansatser så som Participatory Design och User-Centered Design, samskapande och vikten av att involvera användare. En fallstudie har genomförts i en svensk kommun för att öka förståelsen om medborgarmedverkan vid utveckling av offentliga digitala tjänster. Genom förståelsen av kommunens kontext identifieras nio olika utmaningar: Utmaningar: Arbete för öppenhet och transparens mot medborgare Skapa mångfald i utvecklingsprojekt Identifiera fler faktorer, utöver mångfald, för en lyckad medborgarmedverkan Sprida kunskapen om vilka faktorer som är viktiga för lyckad medborgarmedverkan Tillfoga sig kunskapen om hur man når ut till medborgare på bästa sätt Motivera medborgare till att medverka (kommunicera vilket värde medverkan ger för varje enskild medborgare – dvs. kunna svara på frågan ”Varför ska just jag medverka i detta projekt?”) Bibehålla medverkande medborgare Öka datakunnigheten hos medborgare och andra aktörer Använda IKT och Webb 2.0 till dess fulla potential Dessa utmaningar ligger sedan till grund för potentiella möjligheter. Möjligheter som innebär öppenhet och transparens där offentliga digitala tjänster kan utvecklas utifrån medborgares och användes behov. Detta genom att använda sig av PD som tjänstedesignansats, IKT och Webb 2.0 – plattformar för samskapande, nätverkande, dialog och kunskapsspridning.

The aim of this master thesis is to investigate how a procuring organization can use personas and scenarios to gather user-requirements in the procurement of software. To reach this understanding a case study is carried out to answer the questions of research; which is a definition that suits IKEA Components, which tools and how to use them; and what are the obstacles and enablers for working with personas and scenarios in procurement of software. The thesis consists of a theoretical study in the usability area followed by an empirical investigation with semi-structured interviews and observations. The study resulted in 4 personas and 8 connected scenarios that are based on user requirements. The first finding due to the question of research includes a usability definition applied to a real context. The second reveals examples of how personas and scenarios can make the development team understand the user requirements and thus contribute to procurement. The last finding is that the main obstacles and enablers for IKEA Components is the complexity of the main system, lack of resources and the management support.

Web Accessibility emerged as problem when disabled and elder people started interaction with web contents soon after the inception of World Wide Web. When web based GIS applications appeared on the scene of web and users of these kinds of applications increased, these applications faced the similar problem of accessibility. The intensity of web accessibility problems in GIS based applications has increased rapidly during recent years due to extensive interaction of user with maps. Web Accessibility problems faced by users of GIS applications are identified by content evaluation and user interaction. Users are involved in identification of accessibility problems because guidelines and automated tools are not sufficient for that purpose. User Centered Approach is used to include users in the development process and this has also helped in identification of accessibility problems of the users at early stages. The thesis report identify the accessibility issues in Web based GIS application by content evaluation and user interaction evaluation. MapQuest, a web based GIS application, is taken as a case study to identify the web accessibility problems in GIS applications. This thesis report has also studied that how accessibility of the web based GIS applications can be enhanced by using UCD approach in development process of GIS applications. / Webbtillgänglighet fram som problem när funktionshindrade och äldre människor började interaktion med webb-innehåll strax efter starten av World Wide Web. När webbaserade GIS-applikationer på scenen av webb och användare av dessa typer av tillämpningar ökat, dessa tillämpningar mötte liknande problem med tillgängligheten. Intensiteten av problem webbtillgänglighet i GIS-baserade applikationer har ökat snabbt under senare år på grund av omfattande interaktion med användaren med kartor. Webbtillgänglighet problem som användare av GIS-applikationer är identifierade med innehåll utvärdering och interaktion med användaren. Användare delta i identifieringen av tillgänglighetsproblem eftersom riktlinjer och automatiserade verktyg är inte tillräckliga för detta ändamål. Användarcentrerad metoden används för att inkludera användarna i utvecklingsprocessen och detta har också bidragit till en kartläggning av tillgängligheten problem för användarna i ett tidigt skede. Avhandlingen rapport identifiera tillgänglighetsfrågor i Webbaserade GIS-applikation av innehåll utvärdering och användarinteraktion utvärdering. MapQuest, en webbaserad GIS-applikation, tas som en fallstudie för att identifiera problemen webbtillgänglighet i GIS-applikationer. Denna uppsats Rapporten har också studerat hur att tillgängligheten av webbaserade GIS-applikationer kan förbättras med hjälp UCD strategi i processen för utveckling av GIS-applikationer.