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This thesis begins with a philosophical question: What if we could amplify our waking experience with the aesthetic qualitiesof dreams? Through a discourse on experiential dream related aspects in philosophy, design and daily life it examines what itmeans, and has meant, to dream, and how these qualities already permeate the physical world. I hypothesize that objects capable of representing dream related physiological data as physical output have the potential to amplify our waking experience. To formulate a set of considerations for the design of such objects, an ethnographic study of dream experience, comprising a survey, a cultural probe study and interviews, has been conducted. The text concludes by exploring how dream elements like ambiguity, synesthetic sensibility, and affective self-exploration may benefit interaction design, raising questions about how digital media can facilitate personal, meaningful experiences.

The What If Collection is a visual narrative that confronts white supremacy, the social, economic, and political ideology used to subjugate black civilization via colonial rule and enslavement in history and via structural racism today. Many white people have been socialized into a racial illiteracy that fosters white supremacy. This racial illiteracy fails to realize and understand the destructive effects of Western dominance on the rest of the world, particularly on past and present Africa and her diaspora. In response, utilizing discursive design, the collection constructs a counter-story that depicts a shift in the power structure in which the white oppressor is placed in the historical experience of the black oppressed. Moving forward from the past, a contemporary society is visualized where black people are the dominant force.

Ce travail de recherche contribue au questionnement sur les nouveaux enjeux de conception soulevés par le design critique. À plusieurs égards, le corpus de cette thèse repose sur une histoire de la contre-histoire. Une manière de faire et de penser dont l’historicité la plus évidente se situe à la fin des années 1960, lorsque certains designers ont souhaité porter le projet vers la mise en œuvre d’un écart afin d’interroger la société par les moyens du design. Une attitude qui instaure la conception à l’instar d’une logique de la désadaptation des habitudes et des manières conventionnelles de penser. La notion de critique, du grec krinein, qui signifie «séparer», «distinguer», prend ici tout son sens en instaurant, non pas une rupture, mais un déplacement, qui aménage des entre-deux et ménage des porosités de la pensée et de la conception. De l’individu augmenté à l’individu modifié, cette thèse révèle de surcroît, l’inquiétude d’une mainmise au delà de l’invention de l’artificiel et aux abords du biologique. Au gré d’un épuisement de la question du critique en design, nous décelons des moyens de déconstruire les systèmes de la discipline et ses réinventions. / This research work aims to contribute to the study of the new challenges of conception raised by critical design. In several respects the corpus of this thesis is based on a history of coun¬ter history, a way of doing and thinking whose conspicuous historicity takes place in the late sixties when a few designers decided to reconsider the notion of project and stray from the straight and narrow in order to question society through the means of design. The notion of criticism - from the Greek krinein meaning «separate», «discriminate» - takes on its full meaning by introducing a shift (not a break) which makes room for inter¬vals and allows sensitive thinking and conception. From human enhancement to human modification, this thesis also reveals a number of concerns which go beyond the invention of artificial means and touch upon biological aspects. Considering that the critical dimen¬sion in the field of design has been exhausted, this research highlights a few ways to deconstruct the operating principles of this discipline as well as its reinventions.

Digital platforms such as social media are big part of people's everyday life and social network. Recent studies shows that the ability to act anonymously on social media has increased harassment behaviors online. For marginalized groups, digital platforms are important for the act of freedom of speech and harassments online can limit these groups in the digital environment. Within the framework of this study we found, that there is a lack of studies that specifically research sexual harassments online and what different factors that may have an impact on the problem. Therefore, the aim for this study was to research what values, attitudes and emotions users of social media services experiences online. We wanted to research, from a user perspective, what existing counter-strategies options are provided on social media against sexual harassments online, and if there are other technical design solutions for social media interfaces. Within the framework of this essay we have conducted a focus group interview and a participatory design workshop. The empirical data that was collected has been analysed with different theories such as power, resistance, empowerment in design, master suppression techniques in social media, feminist HCI and social norms and participatory design. The study also use previous research on harassment on social media to further understand the empirical data for the analysis. In this study there are findings from the focus group that has been placed in three different themes. 1) The importance of social relationships for counter-strategies against sexual harassment online. 2) Social norms and normalization of sexual harassment online. 3) The importance of technical aspects for dealing with sexual harassment online. Our study shows that the counter-strategies options on social media services today are not sufficient enough for these different aspects. The participatory design workshop in this study resulted in eight possible technical design solutions. These solutions can be implications for design on social media interfaces and can work as counter-strategy tools against sexual harassments online. This study only research one focus group, therefore the study can be used as a basis for further research. By including users with participatory design methods, values made from users of social media in relation to sexual harassments online can unfold and hopefully decrease the problem.

Att sociala normer omedvetet inbäddas i interaktionsdesign har kommit att bli ett problem i takt med den ökade digitaliseringen. Tidigare forskning visar på att interaktionsdesign inte är en neutral plattform utan kan bidra till exkludering genom att förstärka uppfattningen om vem produkten riktar sig mot inom ramarna för de sociala normer som existerar i samhället. Kunskapsgapet ligger således i bristen på teoretiska och metodologiska tillvägagångssätt som hjälper designers att ifrågasätta normativa designkonventioner och navigera designrymden för alternativa metoder och praktiker. Denna kvalitativa studie med socialundersökning som forskningsstrategi grundar sig i att besvara forskningsfrågan: Vilka tillvägagångssätt använder UX-designers för att designa normkritiskt inom interaktionsdesign? I denna studie syftar tillvägagångssätt på olika metoder och principer som UX-designers använder i sitt normkritiska arbete. Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer intervjuades tio UX-designers med frågor som utgick från fyra perspektiv: kulturella representationer, interaktivitet, teknik och användningssammanhang. Data analyserades utifrån en tematisk analys och ställdes sedan i relation till dessa fyra perspektiv med kunskap från tidigare studier för att kunna besvara forskningsfrågan. Studien visade på att det fanns flera tillvägagångssätt till att designa normkritiskt, nämligen genom användarcentrerad design, tillgänglighetsgranskning, samt ifrågasättande av normativa designval. Vidare identifierades ett antal ekonomiska, strukturella och tekniska barriärer som motverkar UX-designers tillvägagångssätt för normkritisk interaktionsdesign. / In line with increased digitalisation, the fact that social norms subconsciously are embedded in interaction design has become a topic of discussion. Previous research shows that digitally designed platforms aren't as neutral as we once thought but excludes users by reinforcing the perception of a target audience within the framework of societal norms. The knowledge gap lies in the lack of theoretical and methodological approaches to assist designers in questioning normative design conventions and help navigate the design sphere for alternative methods and practices. By collecting data from social surveys, this qualitative study aims to understand and answer the research question: What approaches do UX designers use to design norm-critically within interaction design? In this study, approaches refers to methods and principles that UX designers use in their norm-critical design work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants with questions based on four norm-critical perspectives: cultural representation, interactivity, technology, and context of use. Later, the data was analysed by the use of thematic analysis and examined in relation to these four perspectives with data collected from previous studies to be able to answer the research question. The study showed that UX designers have several approaches to working norm-critical, namely through user-centered design, accessibility reviews, and questioning normative design practices. However, a number of financial, structural, and technical barriers have been identified that counteracts UX designers approaches to norm-critical interaction design.

Biometric monitoring as part of workplace surveillance is an emerging phenomenon alongside the widespread use of self-tracking technologies. Among tools that are used for biometric monitoring of employees are technologies for menstrual tracking, and companies who have access to their employees menstrual data could use it against them to exert power, control, and discrimination. This project critically addresses questions of surveillance, privacy and productivity at the workplace as menstrual tracking technologies are being inserted into the workplace. It does so by applying a Research through Design (RtD) methodology and creating the fictional menstrual tracking application Career Cycles, which invites users to consider how menstrual technologies at the workplace could and should work. This project contributes to HCI research by demonstrating how a design artifact can engage users in critical discussion about the quantification of the menstruating body, menstrual surveillance at the workplace, and productivity. / Biometrisk övervakning av anställda som är ett framväxande fenomen vid sidan av den alltmer utbredda användningen av teknologier för självspårning. Bland verktyg som används för biometrisk övervakning av anställda finns teknologier för menstruationscykelspårning, och företag som har tillgång till deras anställdas menstruationsata data kan använda den för att utöva makt, kontroll och diskriminering. Detta projekt adresserar kritiskt upp frågor om övervakning, integritet och produktivitet på arbetsplatsen i samband med att teknologier för menstruationscykelspårning införs på arbetsplatser. Det görs genom att tillämpa en Research through Design-metod (RtD) och genom skapandet av den fiktiva mensspårningsapplikationen Career Cycles, som uppmanar användare att överväga hur mensteknologier på arbetsplatsen kan och bör fungera. Detta projekt bidrar till HCI-forskning genom att visa hur en designartefakt kan engagera användare i kritisk diskussion om kvantifiering av den menstruerande kroppen, menstruationsövervakning på arbetsplatsen, och produktivitet.

Recherche par le design / Face à l'impératif de transition écologique, il est essentiel de produire des connaissances et d’imaginer des futurs préférables - écologiques et collectivement désirables - pour faciliter le passage à de nouveaux modes de vie consommant radicalement moins de ressources. Les impacts environnementaux méconnus et grandissants liés à nos activités numériques appellent à repenser cette dimension afin de la conjuguer à des futurs plus écologiques. Alors que la métropole montréalaise rayonne à l’international pour ses artistes numériques et son industrie du jeu vidéo, force est de constater que le développement de la culture numérique y est déconnecté du projet de transition écologique. Ces constats empiriques nous amènent à formuler un nouveau projet : faire de Montréal une «métropole culturelle numérique durable». La formulation de cet horizon inconnu constitue une opportunité de recherche à aborder par le design. Cette opportunité nous a incités à réaliser un projet de recherche par le design visant à explorer les futurs possibles pour faire de Montréal une métropole culturelle numérique durable en mobilisant les approches du design participatif, de la prospective et du design critique. Cette recherche a poursuivi deux objectifs principaux : explorer les futurs possibles pour Montréal en tant que métropole culturelle numérique durable en générant des idées qui enrichissent cet inconnu et étudier le croisement des approches théoriques en situation de projet. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, nous avons d’abord mené une enquête par recherche bibliographique et entretiens semi-dirigés pour définir le «numérique durable» et enrichir nos constats empiriques initiaux. Nous avons ensuite conçu un dispositif participatif et créatif en mobilisant des méthodes de prospective et de design critique, notamment pour produire des artefacts déclencheurs (des scénarios de prospectives accompagnés d’affiches) racontant les futurs possibles de la métropole culturelle numérique durable de 2035. Le dispositif a ensuite été utilisé lors de deux ateliers de codesign. Une interprétation des effets combinés de la prospective, du design critique et du design participatif sur la performance générative et les raisonnements de conception observés en atelier conclut le projet. La recherche fournit à la fois des avenues pour penser Montréal en tant que métropole culturelle numérique durable en esquissant les principes d’une nouvelle politique publique et une meilleure compréhension de l’intérêt du croisement des approches du design participatif, de la prospective et du design critique. / Given the urgent need for a sustainable transition, it is essential to generate knowledge and envision preferable futures - sustainable and collectively desirable - to facilitate the shift towards new lifestyles consuming radically fewer resources. The unrecognized and growing environmental footprint of our digital activities are calling for some rethinking in order to reconcile this dimension with greener futures. While the city of Montreal is internationally recognized for its digital artists and video game industry, it is also clear that the development of Montreal's digital culture is disconnected from the ongoing sustainable transition. These empirical observations have led us to propose a new project: to make Montreal a "sustainable digital cultural metropolis." This opportunity sparked a research-through-design project aimed at exploring possible futures to make Montreal a sustainable digital cultural metropolis, drawing on the approaches of participatory design, foresight and critical design. This research had two main objectives: to explore possible futures for Montreal as a sustainable digital cultural metropolis through the generation of insights that enrich this unknown concept, and to study the interplay of the theoretical approaches in the context of a project. To achieve these objectives, we first conducted an inquiry using desk research and semi-structured interviews to define "digital sustainability" and enrich our initial empirical observations. We then designed a participatory and creative device, mobilizing foresight and critical design methods, to produce "trigger" artifacts (foresight scenarios accompanied by posters) depicting the possible futures of the sustainable digital cultural metropolis of 2035. The device was then used in two codesign workshops. An analysis of the interplay between foresight, critical design and participatory design in relation with the generative outputs and design thinking processes observed in the workshops concludes the project. The research provides new avenues to envision Montreal as a sustainable digital cultural metropolis and drafts the principles of a new public policy as well as it provides a better understanding of the benefits stemming from the interplay of participatory design, foresight and critical design.

The thesis theme is the design of 3 MW high-speed permanent magnet synchronous motor. The work is divided into several parts, and contains the information given on the topic. The first part lists trends and new technologies of high-speed electric machines, and the issues and construction of high-speed synchronous machines are also listed here. In the second part, the machine is analytically designed from the specified values, which is then modelled in the RMxprt program. In the penultimate part, the engine is simulated by programs that are included in the ANSYS Electronics Desktop package, they are RMxprt and Maxwell. The modified engine model in RMxprt is simulated using defined formulas and then converted to Maxwell 2D, where the engine is simulated using the finite element method. In the last part, the results from the analytical calculation are compared with other high-speed machines. In addition, the results of simulations from RMxprt and Maxwell were compared in the last part.

Green Relationship is a design solution attempting to raise awareness toward the environment and reduce consumerism. Waste generation and pollution have become major concerns of many governments, municipalities, organizations and individuals around the world since they are affecting human wellbeing and the environment. As an MFA student with VCUQatar, I chose to use design to contribute in protecting the environment hoping to make a difference in life. The thesis includes a research and a design component. The research explores the recycling programs and facilities in Qatar, the governmental and private sector actions toward waste generation and collection, as well as precedent solutions applied around the world. Furthermore, it includes a survey on recycling to gather and analyze the community’s feed back in order to come up with a solution that aims to change people’s behavior toward waste generation and to promote green lifestyle. The design component defines the Green Relationship as the personal connection between the individual and the silent partner, “the environment.” It fulfills the basic survival needs, “food and water,” and the one and only independency need, “oxygen.” The elements of the Green Relationship are the projection of the generic relationships elements we know of through the theory of “Humimicing” that I introduce in my thesis. Humimicing is the design theory that mimics human innate attributes and behaviors to develop design concepts to be applied in different industries. Every element of the Green Relationship is visualized through a different design discipline similar to its nature. Therefore, interactive, product and critical designs are the mediums used to represent Green Communication, Care and Ethics respectively through public installation, experimentation and conceptual design definition. The thesis methodology, which is “Make it Personal,” concludes in creating the Green Relationship that aims to change the behavior of individuals and ultimately to reach out to the wider community. Under the maxim, “Green is not just a color; it is a Lifestyle,” the thesis promotes the use of design to inspire people, designers and manufacturers to consume less and generate less waste in order to save natural resources and the environment.