The effect of interruptions from ICT systems on assembly workers in manufacturing is examined in this thesis, as is how the risks of errors, increases in assembly time, increased cognitive load and resultant stress can be mitigated, as well as ensuring that important new information is acted upon. To these ends, a literature study was conducted, followed by two studies using an experimental approach in an environment that simulated a manufacturing assembly situation, and used tasks designed to be representative of manufacturing assembly tasks. The results of the literature study and the two studies are presented in four appended papers. The body of the thesis itself introduces similar material, and takes a step towards the creation of a theoretical framework that supports analysing the tasks and environments in question from a embodied and situated (DEEDS or 4E) viewpoint on cognition. This theoretical framework uses graphical representations similar to storyboards to support the analyst in maintaining an embodied and situated viewpoint during analyses of active tasks that require an examination of the interplay between brain, body, and environment. Supporting an embodied viewpoint during analysis has the purpose of facilitating the design of interruption coordination systems that take into account the embodied and situated nature of the tasks faced in manual tasks such as assembly in manufacturing. / Sense&React

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The usage of technology is increasing in our society, and the schools are adapting ICT into education, and the use of mobile devises is increasing in the classrooms. However, there are no clear guidelines for the schools on how these devices should be used nor when and why. Therefore, the aim of this study is to ascertain if mobile devices are being used in the English language classroom to develop the pupils’ different language skills, such as writing, reading, speaking and listening. In the background, the study compares previous research with interviews. The method that was chosen are two semi- structured interviews, the first one was with a teacher in primary school, and the second one was with a former primary teacher who now works in a university to teach future teachers. The results of comparing previous research with interviews showed that mobile device can be used as a tool to develop the different language skills in K-3. The implication that were found are that the mobile devices should be used to an extent in the different lessons because they exist in the pupils’ everyday life, and the educators should take advantage of it to motivate the pupils’, still, these devices should be used for the right purpose; they are tools that the teachers should use to take learning forward.

Design guidelines are an essential part of human computer interac- tion, for they provide an outlines of the requirements and needs of a user on how best to interact with technology devices. Our research project focuses on understanding how the elderly interact with cur- rent technologies (mobile devices and digital games) and how they can benefit from mobile digital games. The goal is to come up with interface design guidelines to be used by developers when designing mobile games for the elderly. The identification of the guidelines is carried out through a literature survey that includes a literature search based on outlined keywords, and a literature review of the selected research. The evaluation process of the guidelines involves user testing of a prototype based on some of the identified guidelines. Even with minor setbacks, the evaluation process indicates that the guidelines are beneficial for the development of mobile games for the elderly.

A novel printed diversity monopole antenna is presented for WiFi/WiMAX applications. The antenna comprises two crescent shaped radiators placed symmetrically with respect to a defected ground plane and a neutralization lines is connected between them to achieve good impedance matching and low mutual coupling. Theoretical and experimental characteristics are illustrated for this antenna, which achieves an impedance bandwidth of 54.5% (over 2.4-4.2 GHz), with a reflection coefficient <;-10 dB and mutual coupling <;-17 dB. An acceptable agreement is obtained for the computed and measured gain, radiation patterns, envelope correlation coefficient, and channel capacity loss. These characteristics demonstrate that the proposed antenna is an attractive candidate for multiple-input multiple-output portable or mobile devices

With the commercialization of virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR) devices, there is an increasing interest in combining immersive and non-immersive devices (e.g., desktop computers, mobile devices) for asymmetric collaborations. While such asymmetric settings have been examined in social platforms, questions surrounding collaborative view dimensionalities in data-driven decision-making and interaction from non-immersive devices remain under-explored. A crucial inquiry arises: although presenting a consistent 3D virtual world on both immersive and non-immersive platforms has been a common practice in social applications, does the same guideline apply to lay out data? Or should data placement be optimized locally according to each device's display capacity? To this effect, a user study was conducted to provide empirical insights into the user experience of asymmetric collaboration in data-driven decision-making. The user study tested practical dimensionality combinations between PC and VR, resulting in three conditions: PC2D+VR2D, PC2D+VR3D, and PC3D+VR3D. The results revealed a preference for PC2D+VR3D, and PC2D+VR2D led to the quickest task completion. Similarly, mobile devices have become an inclusive alternative to head-worn displays in virtual reality (VR) environments, enhancing accessibility and allowing cross-device collaboration. Object manipulation techniques in mobile Augmented Reality (AR) have been typically evaluated in table-top scale and we lack an understanding of how these techniques perform in room-scale environments. Two studies were conducted to analyze object translation tasks, each with 30 participants, to investigate how different techniques impact usability and performance for room-scale mobile VR object translations. Results indicated that the Joystick technique, which allowed translation in relation to the user's perspective, was the fastest and most preferred, without difference in precision. These findings provide insight for designing collaborative, asymmetric VR environments. / Master of Science / With the commercialization of virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR) devices, there is an increasing interest in combining immersive and non-immersive devices (e.g., desktop computers, mobile devices) for collaborations across different devices. While such asymmetric settings have been examined in social platforms, questions surrounding collaborative view differences in 2D views or 3D views affect data-driven decision-making and interaction remain under-explored. A crucial inquiry arises: although presenting a consistent 3D virtual world on both immersive and non-immersive platforms has been a common practice in social applications, does the same guideline apply to lay out data? Or should data placement be optimized on each device according to each device's display capacity? To this effect, a user study was conducted to provide insights into the user experience of collaboration across different devices in data-driven decision-making. The user study tested different combinations of 2D and 3D layouts between PC and VR, resulting in three conditions: PC2D+VR2D, PC2D+VR3D, and PC3D+VR3D. The results revealed a preference for PC2D+VR3D, and PC2D+VR2D led to the quickest task completion. Similarly, mobile devices have become an inclusive alternative to head-worn displays in virtual reality (VR) environments, enhancing accessibility and allowing cross-device collaboration. Object manipulation techniques in mobile Augmented Reality (AR) have been typically evaluated in table-top scale and we lack an understanding of how these techniques perform in room-scale environments. Two studies were conducted to analyze object translation tasks, each with 30 participants, to investigate how different techniques impact usability and performance for room-scale mobile VR object translations. Results indicated that the Joystick technique, which allowed translation in relation to the user's perspective, was the fastest and most preferred, without difference in precision. These findings provide insight for designing collaborative, asymmetric VR environments.

Education plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of any nation. Researchers, pedagogists, and teachers all over the world are constantly working towards improving the process of teaching at all levels of education in order to help impart knowledge in a more effective way. One of the most fundamental branches of education is mathematics. Unless a strong foundation is laid in childhood, it becomes difficult for adults to apply mathematics to their daily lives. Mathematics is such a field that it is integrated in most of our activities. Fractions, a mathematics topic, pose significant challenges for middle school students Although the students generally understand proper fractions (i.e., the numerator is smaller than the denominator), they find it very difficult to learn improper fractions (i.e., the numerator is greater than the denominator). One cannot do away with parts of mathematics curriculum, just because the concept is hard to grasp. The solution is to come up with alternative methods to teach these concepts, such that they are easier to understand and more fun to learn. This thesis describes a digital game-based solution for teaching fractions to middle school students using iOS mobile devices, i.e., iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. We developed a universal iOS game, called Candy Factory, which runs on all iOS mobile devices. The game assigns the student the role of the owner of a Candy Factory and tasks the student to manufacture a candy bar to match the kind and size of a customer order from a whole candy bar that is retrieved from the warehouse. The game is created to teach fractions based on the concept of partitioning and iterating. The student performs various activities such as partitioning, iterating, and measuring to produce the candy bar to satisfy the customer requirements. The game consists of three levels, which help the student progress smoothly from easier problems to more difficult ones. The Candy Factory game, not only helps students learn the fundamentals of fractions, but also makes the learning process enjoyable. / Master of Science

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