This paper is a study of the aspects that are important to consider when designing an unobtrusive interaction for wearable devices in the area of extreme sports. The work is based on an analytical study of seemly-unrelated areas with the common facet that they all call for an unobtrusive interaction in their devices. The findings of the analysis conclude that it is necessary a change of direction in the design because it is not possible to design an unobtrusive interaction that relies on active manipulation. Activity theory and affective computing present theoretical principles with the potential to be used as a framework for HCI and solve the mentioned issues. Finally, I design the user interface of a specific case in the areas of mountain biking and skiing to use it as design-oriented research. An essential aspect of this case is the use of expert feedback and video simulations to drive the design process. Another important point is the definition of the situations and variables that will be observed by the system to adapt itself so it is able to continue being unobtrusive and helpful through the changes.

Kritisk design är ett forsknings- och innovationsområde under utveckling. Teorin har använts inom många designrelaterade områden och ämnar få konsumenterna att bli mer kritiska när det kommer till hur deras vardagliga liv styrs av olika föreställningar, värderingar, ideologier och behavioristiska mönster som finns införlivade i design (Dunne & Raby, 2001). Eftersom kritisk design är en teori som strävar efter att förändra i praktiken ligger utmaningen idag i att skapa praktiska exempel som visar hur utförandet kan gå till, vilket är en nödvändighet för att teorin ska kunna utvecklas (Bardzell et al., 2012). Denna studie ämnar vara metodutvecklande genom att skapa en uppsättning verktyg utifrån utvalda delar (teoretiska metoder och perspektiv) ur kritisk design. Målet med dessa verktyg är att de ska kunna användas som ett hjälpmedel för att kunna arbeta praktiskt med kritisk design i en design- och produktionsprocess. I denna studie har vi testat våra verktyg i design/produktionsprocessen av en musikvideo för att undersöka hur man kan applicera kritisk design i en specifik produktionsprocess. Till vår hjälp har vi förhållit oss till designorienterade forskningsmetoder och då främst Daniel Fällmans triangelmodell för interaktionsdesign och design forskning (2008). Genom att föra samman kritiska designperspektiv och videoproduktion ämnar denna studie att ge ett bidrag till ett metodutvecklande arbete för att överbrygga det befintliga glappet mellan teori och praktik inom kritisk design. / Critical design is a research- and innovationarea under development. The critical design theory has been used in many design-related areas and intends to get consumers to become more critical when it comes to how their everyday lives are controlled by different beliefs, values, ideologies and behavioral patterns that are incorporated into design (Dunne & Raby, 2001). Since critical design is a theory that seeks to transform in practice the challenge today lies in creating practical examples that show how it can be done, which is a necessity for the theory to develop (Bardzell et al., 2012). This study intends to be method developing by creating a set of tools based on selected parts (theoretical methods and perspectives) from critical design. The goal of these tools are to function as an instrument enabling practical implementation of critical design in a design/production process. In this study we have tested our tools in a specific productionprocess of a music video to explore how to apply critical design practically. In doing so we used design-oriented research methods, in particular Daniel Fällmans triangelmodel for interactiondesign and design research (2008). By bringing together critical design perspectives and video production purposes, this study hopes to make a contribution to the method fulfilling work of bridging the existing gap between theory and practice in critical design.

Early communication of organizational values helps job seekers self-select out of the recruitment process and make proper career decisions. Recruitment websites are the major tools for learning organizational values and filtering suitable job opportunities but they often fail to provide real and comprehensive values-related information. To satisfy the information needs of job seekers and facilitate values-based job-seeking, this paper conducted design-oriented research, aiming to understand job seekers’ attitudes towards values-based recruitment websites and core considerations for facilitating values-based job-seeking when designing such websites. A clickable prototype of a values-based recruitment website for technical developers to find employers based on shared values was developed with a user-centered and iterative design process and evaluated by 10 users using qualitative methods. The findings revealed that participants’ attitudes toward the website varied among individuals. Core considerations were, for example, organizational trust, person-job fit evaluation, and values-based filter design. Furthermore, specific features to address these considerations are proposed to inspire future designs. / Tidig kommunikation av organisatoriska värderingar hjälper arbetssökande att själv välja ut ur rekryteringsprocessen och fatta korrekta karriärbeslut. Rekryteringswebbplatser är de viktigaste verktygen för att lära sig organisatoriska värderingar och filtrera ut lämpliga jobbmöjligheter, men de misslyckas ofta med att tillhandahålla verklig och heltäckande värderelaterad information. För att tillgodose informationsbehovet av värderingar och underlätta värderingsbaserat jobbsökande, genomförde denna artikel designorienterad forskning, som syftade till att förstå arbetssökandes attityder till värderingsbaserade rekryteringswebbplatser och centrala överväganden för att underlätta värderingsbaserat arbetssökande vid utformning sådana webbplatser. En klickbar prototyp av en värderingsbaserad rekryteringswebbplats för tekniska utvecklare för att hitta arbetsgivare baserad på gemensamma värderingar utvecklades med en användarcentrerad och iterativ designprocess och utvärderades av 10 användare med hjälp av kvalitativa metoder. Resultaten visade att deltagarnas attityder till webbplatsen varierade mellan individer. Kärnöverväganden var till exempel organisatoriskt förtroende, utvärdering av passform mellan person och jobb och värderingsbaserad filterdesign. Dessutom föreslås specifika funktioner för att hantera dessa överväganden för att inspirera framtida design.

This thesis proposes a concept for exploring cities with an inclusive map. Most of current studies and projects only include one kind of user groups if creating systems for navigation and exploring new areas. Often, if creating a system for a very exclusive user group, e. g. visually impaired, other user groups are not considered. Though in order to create an accessible system, studies should include the user in the range of the most inclusive and most exclusive user groups. This is why we tried to create the concept of a design for an accessible city map under the approach of inclusive design. Since around 15 per cent of the world population suffer from some kind of disability, we decided to start with the most exclusive users of a city map – visually impaired. Therefore, theoretical and practical human-centred design methods are used to create a prototype hand in hand with the future user groups. The details used in the design process incorporates data from 10 survey answers from visually impaired people as well as data from 10 interviews with sighted people and a workshop with six people from different professions out of sociology, tourism marketing, HCI and language sciences. Additionally, at the end of the process, an evaluation with three visually impaired and two sighted people was used to prove the concept of the created prototype. The prototype was created with different digital fabrication and IoT tools and technologies. It should help to make public spaces more accessible and explorable. We hope to deliver a base idea of an accessible city map, which shows how to include inclusive design in the regular design process, in order to design without exceptions. The evaluation showed that our idea worked and that even though the users' groups are very different, they have a lot in common.

Where do beginner readers read in the English, mainstream primary school and where could they read? Emma Jane Dyer This thesis explores design for the beginner reader in Year One by evaluating existing spaces in the English primary school and imagining new ones. Three significant gaps identified in the literature of reading, the teaching of reading and school design are addressed: the impact of reading pedagogies, practices and routines on spatial arrangements for beginner readers inside and beyond the classroom; a theoretical understanding of the physical, bodily and sensory experience of the beginner reader; and the design of reading spaces by teaching staff. The study uses a design-oriented research methodology and framework proposed by Fällman. A designed artefact is a required outcome of the research: in this case, a child-sized, semi-enclosed book corner known as a nook. The research was organized in three phases. First, an initial design for the nook was created, based on multi-disciplinary, theoretical research about reading, school design and architecture. Secondly, empirical research using observation, pupil-led tours and interviews was undertaken in seven primary schools to determine the types of spaces where readers read: spaces that were often unsuitable for their needs. Thirdly, as a response to the findings of phases one and two, the nook was reconceived to offer a practical solution to poorly-designed furniture for reading in schools and to provoke further research about the ideal qualities of spaces for the beginner reader. The study demonstrates how the experience of the individual reader is affected by choices made about the national curriculum; by the size of schools and the spaces within them where readers can learn; by the design of classrooms by teachers; and by regulatory standards for teaching and non-teaching spaces. In developing a methodology that can stimulate and facilitate communication between architects, educators, policy-makers and readers, this thesis offers a valuable contribution to the ongoing challenge of improving school design for practitioners and pupils.