This thesis explores home energy management (HEM), an emerging field for interface design and sustainability. Section 1 introduces HEM’s broader context. In Section 2, I review the literature surrounding HEM. Section 3 outlines the usability study on the ecobee Smart Thermostat, to evaluate the technology’s ease-of-use, and better understand users’ experience with current HEM technology. Section 4 describes a “Critical Making” workshop, where participants investigated HEM through material interaction and discussion. Section 5 describes and evaluates the potential design spaces gleaned from previous sections. In Section 6, I return to the literature to investigate key concepts underlying the design intervention for the chosen design space. Section 7 describes my design intervention and experimental evaluation. In Section 8, I present the study results, which suggest enhanced display labelling had a significant and directional effect on user-selected temperatures. In Section 9, I discuss these results, study limitations, and make conclusions and recommendations.

This thesis explores home energy management (HEM), an emerging field for interface design and sustainability. Section 1 introduces HEM’s broader context. In Section 2, I review the literature surrounding HEM. Section 3 outlines the usability study on the ecobee Smart Thermostat, to evaluate the technology’s ease-of-use, and better understand users’ experience with current HEM technology. Section 4 describes a “Critical Making” workshop, where participants investigated HEM through material interaction and discussion. Section 5 describes and evaluates the potential design spaces gleaned from previous sections. In Section 6, I return to the literature to investigate key concepts underlying the design intervention for the chosen design space. Section 7 describes my design intervention and experimental evaluation. In Section 8, I present the study results, which suggest enhanced display labelling had a significant and directional effect on user-selected temperatures. In Section 9, I discuss these results, study limitations, and make conclusions and recommendations.

Although most modern, highly-computerized flight decks are known to be robust to small disturbances and failures, humans still play a crucial role in advanced decision making in off-nominal situations, and accidents still occur because of poor human-automation interaction. In addition to the physical state of the environment, operators now have to extend their awareness to the state of the automated flight systems. To guarantee the accuracy of this knowledge, humans need to know the dynamics or approximate versions of the dynamics that rule the automation. The operator's situation awareness can decline because of a deficient mental model of the aircraft and an excessive workload. This work describes the creation of a computational human agent model simulating cognitive constructs such as situation awareness and mental models known to capture the symptoms of poor human-automation interaction and provide insight into more comprehensive metrics supporting the validation of automated systems in aviation.

Antalet haverier som är orsakade av den mänskliga faktorn minskar inte. En del av den mänskliga faktorn ligger i kommunikation mellan olika parter inom sjöfarten, både sjö- och landbaserade. Denna studie är en litteraturstudie vars syfte är att undersöka hur den verbala kommunikationen har praktiserats och vilken betydelse den haft vid kollisioner och grundstötningar. Studien är baserad på haverirapporter från Statens Haveri-kommission som har analyserats med hjälp av ett verktyg specifikt framtaget för denna studie. Resultatet visar på en kommunikationsbrist i en betydande majoritet av de analyserade haverierna. Ofta brister det i kommunikationen mellan VTS och fartyg samt mellan lots och befälhavare. Vanligt förekommande är även språkförbistring där inte alla parter förstått det språket som använts vid kommunikationen.  Med hjälp av ett mer utbrett utövande av redan kända kommunikationstekniker skulle antalet olyckor och tillbud kunna minskas. / The number of marine accidents caused by the human error does not decrease. A part of the human error is in the communication between different agents within the maritime cluster, at sea and also in the landbased sector. This study is a literature study whose purpose is to investigate how the verbal communication has been practiced and what significance it has had in collisions and groundings. The study is based on reports from the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority with a tool specifically developed for this particular study. The result shows a communication gap in a decisive majority of the analyzed accidents. There is often a lack of communication between VTS and vessels as well as between pilots and commanders. Common prevalence is also language problem where not all parties understand the language used in the communication. With the help of a more widespread practice of already known communication technologies, the number of accidents could be reduced.

Cette recherche a pour objet d’étudier la conception qu’ont les élèves du cycle de vie des plantes à fleurs, en Alsace et au Baden-Württemberg, dans des établissements du primaire et du secondaire, de rechercher les facteurs d’influence potentiels et de dégager les principaux obstacles aux apprentissages. Trois éléments structurent cette thèse : 1) une enquête exploratoire par entretiens (n=49) ; 2) une analyse contextuelle des références en sciences naturelles et dans le champ socio- culturel, des “curricula à enseigner”, à travers les programmes et manuels scolaires, et des “curricula enseignés” ; 3) une enquête principale par questionnaires (n=1388). Les outils de recueil interrogent les concepts-clés (graine, fleur, fruit) et les processus-clés (pollinisation, fécondation, fructification, formation des graines, dissémination) qui caractérisent le cycle de vie des plantes à fleurs. Les élèves ont été priés d’ordonner différents stades de développement des plantes et d’expliquer ce placement. Différents modèles mentaux ont été élaborés à partir des résultats. D’autre part, les résultats sont mis en lien avec ceux de l’analyse contextuelle. La conceptualisation du cycle de vie végétal dépend, entre autres, de celle de la reproduction sexuée et ainsi du type de plante (fleur, au sens commun, ou d’un arbre fruitier). Des différences culturelles ont également pu être relevées. / This research aims to investigate students’ conceptions about the life cycle of flowering plants in both Alsace and Baden-Württemberg, in primary and secondary schools, to detect potential factors influencing student’s conceptions and to identify main learning obstacles. Three elements structured this PhD-thesis: 1) an exploratory investigation with the help of interviews (n=49) ; 2) a context analysis of references in natural sciences and in the socio-cultural domain, of “curricula to teach” through school programmes and manuals, and of “taught curricula” ; 3) a main investigation using questionnaires (n=1388). The instruments included questions to key concepts (seed, flower, fruit) and processes (pollination, fecundation, fructification, formation of seeds, dissemination), which characterize the life cycle of flowering plants. Students were especially asked to order different development stages of plants and to explain their ordering. Different mental models could be derived from the results. Moreover, results were related to those of the context analysis. Conceptualizations of the life cycle of plants depend, amongst others, on those of the sexual reproduction and thus the type of plant (flower, fruit tree). Cultural differences were also identified.

This dissertation is based on my research into distinction processes (Calhoun, 1994; Cerulo 1997) between tourists and inhabitants of West Sumba in Eastern Indonesia. The imaginiaries (Castoriadis, 1987; Strauss, 2006; Lacan, 1977; Anderson, 1991; Salazar, 2012) of West Sumbanese people about foreigners also emerge from diving rumors (Bysow, 1928; Allport and Postman, 1947/1965). Their origins, dissemination, and sharpening processes, as well as their consequences will be analysed herein. This case study demonstrates how mental models of otherness are formed and reified, how they clash, and for what purposes they may be utilized. It will also analyze how imaginaries influence behavior and may lead to miscommunication in West Sumba.

Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht die Anwendung des Groupware Systems cAR/PE!, das auf der Mixed Reality Technologie basiert. cAR/PE! wurde im Forschungszentrum Ulm der Daimler- Chrysler AG speziell für Ingenieure entwickelt, die in verteilten Gruppen zusammenarbeiten. Im Rahmen zweier Studien fand eine Testung der Software in verschiedenen Werken der DaimlerChrysler AG statt. Interviews mit verteilt arbeitenden Ingenieuren als auch deren Beobachtung bei Projektmeetings bildeten die Grundlage für die Konzeption beider Studien. In der ersten Studie wurde der erste Prototyp von cAR/PE! untersucht. Hierbei zeigte sich kein signifikanter Unterschied in der Lösungsgüte von Gruppen, die eine Aufgabe mit geringer Komplexität in cAR/PE! oder in einem realen Meeting zu bearbeiten hatten. Bei der Bearbeitung der komplexen Konstruktionsaufgabe schnitten Gruppen in realen Meetings besser als cAR/PE!-Meeting Gruppen ab. Auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse dieser ersten Studie wurde cAR/PE! Zu cAR/PE!2 weiterentwickelt und in einer zweiten Studie wiederum evaluiert. Die zweite Studie bestand aus zwei Forschungsbedingungen, in denen die Gruppen die komplexe Konstruktionsaufgabe amphibious car bearbeiten mussten. Unter der ersten Forschungsbedingung schnitten reale Meetings2 Gruppen weiterhin signifikant besser als cAR/PE!2-Gruppen ab. Der Problemlöseprozess dieser Gruppen war vergleichbar und somit nicht mehr - wie in der ersten Studie - strukturell unterschiedlich. Die Unterschiede in der Lösungsgüte lassen sich vielmehr auf die stärkere softwarebedingte Beeinträchtigung durch die Nutzung von cAR/PE!2 zurückführen. Unter der zweiten Forschungsbedingung wurde der Einfluss der Arbeitsumgebung auf die Qualität der Gruppenarbeit untersucht. Die Arbeitsumgebung weist einen direkten, allerdings nicht signifikanten Einfluss auf den Problemlöseprozess der Gruppen auf. Somit konnte abgeleitet werden, dass die Arbeitsumgebung für eine erfolgreiche Kommunikation lediglich relevante Informationen für die Problemlösung und die Bestimmung des Sprecherortes beinhalten sollte. Auf der theoretischen Ebene konnte das mit task awareness erweiterte Rahmenmodell von Vertegaal et al. (1997) untermauert werden. Außerdem erwies sich das Model for the elements of distributed group work als sehr geeignet zur strukturierten Darstellung von Unterschieden in Gruppenarbeit. Auf der praktischen Ebene wurde cAR/PE! durch die Ergebnisse beider Studien weiterentwickelt und etablierte sich als Groupware System in den Werken bei der Daimler-Chrysler AG zwischen Sindelfingen und Bremen. / The aim of this thesis is to examine the use of the groupware system cAR/PE!, which is based on Mixed Reality technology. cAR/PE! was developed at the DaimlerChrylser Research Center in Ulm dedicated to distributed engineering group work and subsequently tested in two studies at various plants of DaimlerChrysler AG. Interviews and observations of engineer meetings in distributed project groups provided the basis for the conception of the two empirical studies. In the first study the first cAR/PE! prototype was tested. The study confirmed that less complex tasks could be solved equally well in both a conventional meeting room and in cAR/PE! Meetings. However, when solving a complex task, the conventional meeting was more favorable than cAR/PE!. These results were exploited for further developments of cAR/PE! resulting in cAR/PE!2. In the second study, the modifications were evaluated under two conditions to solve the complex design task amphibious car. Under the first condition, groups were still better at solving a complex task under the conventional meeting2 condition compared with cAR/PE!2, even the problem-solving processes were comparable and no longer structurally different than in the first study. The differences in the group results were caused by the software when using cAR/PE!2. Under the second condition, the influence of the meeting workspace was tested; this had a direct influence on the problem-solving processes of the groups, but the result was not significant. However, from this outcome it was deduced that only the relevant information for the tasks and the physical placement of the speaker leads to a successful conversation. On the theoretical level, the enhancement of the framework developed by Vertegaal et al. (1997) introducing the concept of task awareness and the appropriateness of the Model for the elements of distributed group work were confirmed. On the practical level, cAR/PE!2 was improved based on the results of both studies, then implemented and established as a permanent running groupware system between DaimlerChrysler´s plants in Sindelfingen and Bremen.

Mgr. Věra Pilecká The interaction of information science and cognitive sciences with emphasis on information retrieval (dissertation thesis) (Vzájemné ovlivňování informační vědy a kognitivních věd s důrazem na vyhledávání informací) Abstract Focus of this thesis is on the description of the interaction of information science and cognitive sciences with emphasis on information retrieval which is influenced by some of the cognitive aspects. The introductory chapter deals with the definition of information science and paradigms inspired by a cognitive approach (cognitive and socio-cognitive paradigm). Then a cognitive science is defined including its basis, methods and application. In the third chapter, a comparison between information and cognitive science is included, and their interaction and common interests are described. Fourth chapter focuses on information retrieval and influencing factors, including search methods, user information behaviour, and user cognitive characteristics and mental models. The final chapter presents two surveys focused on the use of intuitive and analytical information retrieval styles during searching on Google, and the perception of the differences between traditional and online teaching of the effective reading techniques. Both surveys illustrate the influence of users'...

This dissertation considers digital games and simulations as complex systems of information representation and explores their specific aspects influencing the process of knowledge acquisition. It focuses on process of mental model creation, information behavior and situational emotional and cognitive engagement. The methodological approach is grounded in variety of disciplines including information science, educational science, new media studies and computer science. The main method used is educational experiment. The use of digital game-based and non-digital game-based educational intervention is compared to similar program based on traditional schooling methods and classic lectures. The experiment outcomes are divided into four large segments exploring influence of digital games on process of mental models creation, motivation for future information behavior, situational emotional experience and social interaction.

This pilot study has the twofold purpose of analyzing the effect of XAI explanations on the mental models of economic games participants, and testing the feasibility of the methodology devised for it. To achieve this, we compared the contribution behavior and mental models of 30 participants playing a public good game. Playing in pairs, a total of 10 participants played in each of three different conditions: i) a condition with a decision support system providing suggestions for contributions; ii) a condition with the decision support system and explanations for its suggestions; iii) a control condition. Upon finishing the game, all participants completed a Retrospection Task questionnaire to elicit their mental models about the game’s goals and partner’s behavior. Our results showed differences in the contribution behavior and mental models of the participants between the three conditions, with the condition with explanations presenting consistently higher contributions and participants reporting prosocial attitudes. Through these findings, this pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of the methodology and argues for the need of a larger-scale study to further investigate the effect of XAI explanations on the users’ mental models. / Denna pilotstudie har det dubbla syftet att analysera effekten av XAI-förklaringar på de mentala representationerna hos deltagarna i ekonomiska spel och att testa genomförbarheten av den metod som utarbetats för studien. För att uppnå detta jämförde vi bidragsbeteendet och de mentala representationerna hos 30 deltagare som spelade ett spel om kollektiva nyttigheter. Totalt 10 deltagare spelade parvis i var och en av tre olika behandlingar: i) en med ett beslutsstödsystem som ger förslag på bidrag, ii) en med beslutsstödsystemet och förklaringar till dess förslag, iii) en kontrollgrupp. Efter att ha avslutat spelet fyllde alla deltagare i ett frågeformulär om en retrospektionsuppgift för att utvärdera deras mentala representationer om spelets mål och partnerns beteende. Våra resultat visade skillnader i deltagarnas bidragsbeteende och mentala modeller mellan de tre behandlingarna, där behandlingen med förklaringar presenterade genomgående högre bidrag och deltagare som rapporterade prosociala attityder. Genom dessa resultat visar den här pilotstudien att metoden är genomförbar och argumenterar för behovet av en studie i större skala för att ytterligare undersöka effekten av XAI-förklaringar på användarnas mentala modeller.