For over two decades user-centric methods and techniques have been proposed to assist the production of usable, useful, and desirable software products. Despite these approaches, usability problems are still identified in finished software products creating problems at systems acceptance, rework and impacting end user experience. Part of the reason for these continuing problems is that user-centric approaches are not part of the traditional software engineering process. The literature review shows that software engineering and human-computer interaction are largely different communities. The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether the incorporation of user modelling and usability modelling into software requirements specifications would improve design quality and usability of software products. This research study used a Design Science dominant mixed research methodology consisting of case study and action research for creating, analysing and evaluating artefacts for improving the effectiveness of user-centred design and usability of software artefacts. Using the functional specification of an existing system in a government agency, ten designers created screen and interaction designs. The specification was then enhanced with usability specifications and the designers redeveloped their designs in the light of the enhanced specification. Both designs were subject to pre-defined usability tests and designers described their design experience as they worked. The results of the research demonstrated that enhancing traditional software requirements specifications with additional specifications of user modelling and usability modelling made a positive difference to both designer perception as well as design quality of user interface artefacts. The theoretical and practical values of these findings are explored.

A university library web site is created as a means for providing information resources and services without the limitation of time or space. To ensure that the design of the web site will not be an obstacle to their users, usability is a key issue raised among librarians. In the tertiary context, information literacy is also widely promoted since it is regarded as the skills that can empower human development in the Information Society. These two issues, web site usability and information literacy, have motivated this thesis which is a case study influenced by phenomenography. The research was conducted with the purpose of investigating the relationship between the design of a university library web site, in particular its usability, and the development of students' information literacy through their experience of using the web site. The understanding found within this research is informed by three clear phases of data collection: Phase 1: Development of the Criteria, Phase 2: Assessment of a Usable University Library Web Site Fostering Information Literacy, and Phase 3: Investigation of Students' Conceptions of Information Literacy Development. Various research methods were used in each phase: questionnaires, focus groups, and experts' selection of the criteria for Phase 1, heuristic evaluation and usability testing for Phase 2, and focus groups, think aloud protocols, and interviews for Phase 3. The data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Two major outcomes are revealed as a result of the research. The first is the usability measures/criteria capable of reinforcing information literacy that can be useful in evaluating the design of a university library web site. The second is a model describing students' conceptions of information literacy development through the use of a university library web site. Results of the research also reveal that there is a relationship between the design of a university library web site, in particular its usability, and the development of students' information literacy through their experience of using the web site. This applies particularly at the information level, especially Information Literacy Attribute #2: finding and accessing the needed information efficiently and effectively. The students experience information literacy development through the use of a university library web site by experiential learning. Their conceptions of information literacy development can be divided into three categories: "no development", "restricted development", and "transferable development". Interestingly, there is no difference between students from different disciplines in terms of their ways of experiencing information literacy development through the use of a university library web site. Considering the results, the hypothesis that there is no relationship between the design of a university library web site, in particular its usability, and the development of students' information literacy through their experience of using the web site is rejected. In contrast, the hypothesis that there is no noticeable difference between students from different disciplines in their ways of experiencing information literacy development through the use of a university library web site is accepted. The research makes contributions to both theory and practice. Theoretically, it proposes a model describing students' conceptions of information literacy development through the use of a university library web site as well as the chronology and continuity of their conceptions. Practically, there are implications for university library web site design: implications for usability evaluation methods, for usability measures/criteria capable of supporting information literacy that can be used to evaluate the design of a university library web site, and for the usable and information literacy-supportive design of a university library web site. In addition, it also suggests some implications for information literacy development: implications for investigating the students' conceptions of information literacy development, for information literacy education in regard to the academic environment, and for information literacy education in regard to a university library. The study concludes with recommendations for possible future research in the hope that further insights into the design of a university library web site and information literacy development may be revealed.

<p> </p><p>Internet har utvecklats till att bli den enskilt största källan för information och tjänster från myndigheter och företag. Webbsidor produceras dock sällan med användbarhet i fokus. Detta innebär en risk för att informationssökning och utnyttjande av tjänster försvåras eller omöjliggörs för stora grupper av befolkningen. I denna uppsats fokuseras på äldres problem med att tillgodogöra sig information via Internet på grund av syn-, koordinations- och kognitiva problem, dess bakomliggande orsaker och hur detta kan och bör åtgärdas.</p><p>Sammanlagt 65 webbsidor har studerats och vi konstaterar att ingen av dessa uppfyller de krav och rekommendationer som finns för att producera användarvänliga webbsidor. Vidare konstaterar vi att de riktlinjer som World Wide Web Consortium utvecklat och som bland annat rekommenderas av Verket för förvaltningsutveckling inte ger någon garanti för att webbsidor blir mer användarvänliga.</p><p>Uppsatsen avslutas med några rekommendationer för att skapa mera användarvänliga webbsidor.</p><p> </p> / <p> </p><p>Internet has grown to the biggest individual source of information and service from governmental authorities as well as companies. Web pages are, despite of this, rarely produced with usability in mind. This leads to a risk that information and use of services will be more complicated or even impossible to reach for large groups of people in the community. This thesis focuses on older people's problem using Internet because of reduced sight and problems with coordination and cognition. We also discuss the cause of those problems and how Internet pages should be designed to meet the needs of those affected.</p><p>Within the work 65 web pages has been analyzed and we establish that none of those pages fulfil the requirements and recommendations that are in use. We also establish that the guidelines that World Wide Web Consortium has developed and that is recommended by the Swedish Administrative Development Agency, is not a guarantee for usability of web pages.</p><p> </p>

<p>The purpose of this report is to present the findings from the thesis work performed at Qurius Sweden (former Ibitec). The goal was to evaluate how usable Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) was in general and how usable two portal solutions created for MOSS 2007 were in particular. The goal also consisted ofevaluating how SharePoint could be improved in terms of usability and accessibility. The last part of the thesis work was to create a dynamic help tool, from where application specific help could be created.The usability was evaluated with a variant of usability engineering. Not all of the original method could be used because the products analyzed were already finished. The results from the analysis show that MOSS 2007 is quite usable, especially when it comes to document handling. It is also possible to create web pages and sites with ease. MOSS 2007 lacks in usability when it comes to presenting information to the user regarding what is going on in the system and. The system can also be quite complex and much to grasp for an end user. Solutions created in MOSS 2007 follows closely the usability of MOSS 2007 but they can be made very usable if only certain aspects are considered. Example of improvements could be the placement of the help system, clearer error messages and an overlook of managing user rights.The dynamic help tool was created in the programming language C# and based on the .NET platform. The implementation is a so-called Web Part that can easily be inserted on a page in MOSS 2007. The help tool uses the built in help system in MOSS 2007 for editing present help files and for adding new files to it. The help tool has a very minimalistic design and the focus was on the tasks it should be performing rather than a nice-looking interface. To ensure usability for the help tool, future work should be done, testing the product with real users and apply other usability methods to improve the help tool. As of now, no usability methods have been used while developing the help tool, nor have any tests with real users been performed. This is to be considered as future work.As a conclusion, both MOSS 2007 and the solutions created for it can be said to have a certain degree of usability shown from the evaluations. Improvements can be done, and should be, in order to increase the users’ experience. With the help tool, it is now possible to create solution specific help for a project intended for MOSS 2007.</p>

<p>Denna fallstudie avser att undersöka vilka behov användarna vid Kriminalvårdsverket har av att få de hjälpfunktioner som finns i verksamhetens applikationer samlade till en och samma plats. Definitioner om hur applikationer skall vara utformade för att uppnå god användbarhet förklaras, för att senare länkas ihop med det resultat som inkommit genom en utförd enkätundersökning av användarna i verksamheten. </p><p>Resultatet av enkätundersökningen tillsammans med egna och andras teorier diskuteras i slutet av uppsatsen. Det visar sig att det centrala problem som finns i verksamheten inte är direkt knutet till att man samlar användarhjälpen på en och samma plats, utan verksamheten lider av stora organisatoriska problem såsom bristande utbildning i de olika programmiljöerna, skiftande kompetens och ovilja hos användarna att utnyttja de olika applikationerna som finns i verksamheten. </p><p>I uppsatsen föreslås en rad konkreta punkter att tänka på, innan arbetet med att samla användarhjälp på en och samma plats kan påbörjas. Några av dessa punkter är bland annat utbildning av användare, start av en projektgrupp med deltagare ur alla yrkeskategorier som är berörda av en förändring, såsom systemförvaltare, IT-inspektörer, kanslister, vårdare etc. Även ett förslag på hur utformningen av en centrerad användarhjälp inom verksamheten skulle kunna vara uppbyggd diskuteras. </p> / <p>The purpose of this case study is to examine what needs the users of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service have in getting different kinds of help functions put together at one place. The definitions of how applications should be designed to obtain usability for the users are analysed. An opinion poll with a representative selection of users is also done. </p><p>The result from the opinion poll and the conclusion from different theories is that the biggest problem for the administration is not that the help functions can’t be found at one place. The problem is rather lack of training in the different applications, resistance of using computers and varied competence regarding information technologies. These problems must be solved before the work of collecting all the help functions to one place can be launched. </p><p>The study recommends many concrete suggestions to solve these problems, some of these are: educate the users and start a project where participants should be found from all different categories of employees. The study also presents a suggestion on how the place, with the help functions, should be designed.</p>

<p>Företaget Ritkonsult är ett företag på Västkusten som utför diverse konsulttjänster, främst rituppdrag inom brandskydd. De har den senaste tiden sett ett uppsving för främst prisjämförelser på Internet. Detta arbete har därför gått ut på att utveckla en prisjämförelsetjänst för lokala företag på Internet. Tanken är att företag själva ska kunna lägga till uppgifter och administrera dessa. Informationen ska kunna gå att söka efter och jämföras med annan liknande information. För att användare med olika Internetvana ska kunna använda tjänsten har webbsidan gjorts så användbar som möjligt med Usability Engineering metoden. Ett antal tester har utförts med riktiga företag för att upptäcka användbarhetsproblem och rätta till dem till den slutgiltiga webbsidan. </p><p>Resultatet har blivit en dynamisk webbsida med fokus på användbarhet och flexibilitet; den kan användas av olika företag och av olika personer som vill söka efter information. En hel del hade kunnat göras annorlunda under arbetets gång, till exempel hade flera metoder för att skapa användbarhet kunnat studeras. Trots de brister som finns är beställarna och jag nöjda med resultatet.</p>

<p>The Web has opened up many possibilities for disabled people to interact with society, but there is unfortunately a lack of parity between the user interface presented to different users.</p><p>This dissertation presents a proof of concept on designing a spatial layout presentation for blind users using a screen reader. This is done in three steps by first conducting a survey to determine current practices of web developers, then implementing an instant spatial feedback and comparison function that present the spatial layout, and ends with an evaluation of the spatial layout presentation by the way of user testing</p><p>The survey yielded a set of guidelines for the realistic development of web technologies for disabled persons based on the participants answered. From the implementation a concept for spatial feedback functions that are portable and expandable is presented. The evaluation shows that the created spatial presentation method passes both objectively and subjectively.</p>

<p>Interactive media in public environments, such as touch screen kiosks, is a strongly growing toolfor offering service, information, advertising and entertainment. In order to achieve goodusability when designing the graphical user interface for a customer terminal, it is important tobe aware of the very specific requirements involved with such application. This master thesiscontributes to a framework for the interaction design of touch screen terminals in stores.</p><p>The purpose of the thesis was to discover usability problems and solutions to usability problemsin existing touch screen terminal interfaces. Moreover the work aimed at revealing what designpatterns can be used or created in order to meet the observed problems. Usability problems stemfrom underlying use qualities. These can be seen as forces in design patterns. It was found thatthe patterns would be more useful if structured into a pattern catalogue, containing both highand low-level patterns.</p><p>The study was preformed at Instoremedia, a company that, among other things, develops instore touch screen terminals. The product in focus was an interactive product cataloguedeveloped for Telia. The application was partly studied in situ. The study consisted of five steps:analytical evaluation, stakeholder interview, contextual inquiry, user analysis and design patterndevelopment. The study revealed problems, solutions, needs, goals etc, related to the use of theterminal. The final result is a proposed human computer interaction (HCI) design patterncatalogue for in-store touch screen terminals, which helps prevent the observed problems. Itconsists mostly of already known patterns. Three new patterns have been created. The aim isthat the pattern catalogue should be a helpful tool when making designs-decisions for new touchscreen terminals in the future.</p> / <p>Interaktiv media i publika miljöer, såsom pekskärmsterminaler, är på stark uppgång när detgäller att erbjuda service, information, marknadsföring och underhållning. För att uppnå höganvändbarhet i en kundterminals grafiska gränssnitt är det viktigt att vara medveten om despecifika krav som ställs på en sådan applikation. Detta examensarbete bidrar till ett ramverk fördesignen av pekskärmsterminaler i butiker.</p><p>Syftet med examensarbetet var att hitta användbarhetsproblem och lösningar till potentiellaanvändbarhetsproblem i existerande gränssnitt för pekskärmsterminaler. Vidare syftade arbetettill att ta reda på vilka designmönster som kan användas eller skapas för att möta de observeradeproblemen. Användbarhetsproblem bottnar i underliggande användarbehov. Dessa kan ses somkrafter i designmönster. Det visade sig att designmönster är mer användbara om de ordnas i enmönsterkatalog, som innehåller både hög- och lågnivå mönster.</p><p>Studien utfördes på Instoremedia, ett företag som bland annat utvecklar pekskärmsterminalerför butiker. I fokus stod en interaktiv produktkatalog utvecklad för Telia. Applikationenstuderades delvis in situ. Studien bestod av fem steg: analytisk utvärdering, intressentintervju,kontextuell undersökning, användaranalys och designmönsterutveckling. Studien avslöjadeproblem, lösningar, behov, mål etc., relaterade till användandet av terminalen. Det slutgiltigaresultatet är en föreslagen designmönsterkatalog för pekskärmsterminaler i butiker, somerbjuder lösningar till de observerade problemen. Katalogen består till största delen av redankända mönster. Tre nya designmönster har utvecklats. Målet är att mönsterkatalogen ska kunnaanvändas som ett redskap under framtida design.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study has been to research how to implement a graphical interface for presenting information security information to management. The major conclusion of the study is that management use this kind of information mainly for financial and strategic matters. Hence the information must be presented in a way that enhances this use of the information.</p><p>The study also concludes that people act insecure mainly due to:</p><p>a) Insufficient knowledge of how/why to act secure.</p><p>b) The users do not want to act secure due to social and organisational factors.</p><p>To fight the first factor, the management need a tool that helps them to see where to spend their resources. To fight the second factor, the organisation needs to be well educated and the company culture should allow the users to act secure.</p><p>Three heuristics for the design of information security solutions for management and a design solution for the interface are also presented in the study. The three heuristics are:</p><p>1. Provide overview information very early in the program. The ordinary manager does not have the time or the knowledge to make this overview by himself/herself.</p><p>2. Do not overwhelm the user. The ordinary management man/woman is not interested in the details of the information security and/or do not have time to read this sort of information. If he or she wants to access the details, he or she is likely to find them (if they are placed in a logical place).</p><p>3. Provide information in a way that is common to the manager. Use wordings that the user understands. Provide contextual help for expressions that must be presented in a technical way.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to: obtain and review guidelines for designing on a small screen </p><p>from several theoretic sources and to purpose own guidelines for this context. There was </p><p>chosen for the development of 3 different prototypes meant for the use on 3 different mobile </p><p>devices. Those mobile devices had a different screen size and were: an e-reader, PDA and </p><p>mobile phone. The prototypes provided the user with a future e-newspaper service (a TV </p><p>schedule). </p><p> </p><p>First design principles for good usability on small screens were abstracted from literature. </p><p>With this knowledge the three prototypes were developed. The development started with </p><p>writing down the functional and user requirements for the prototypes. After that the </p><p>developing process had two stages. The first stage was a low-fidelity prototype, this were </p><p>sketches of the graphical user interface that was commented by users. The second stage was </p><p>a high-fidelity prototype, this stage consisted of three fully functional prototypes. The three </p><p>different prototypes were used in a user evaluation. After the evaluation interviews with the </p><p>users took place to obtain additional information. </p><p> </p><p>In this research the main question was: “What are the challenges for designing the </p><p>(graphical) user interface, as a part of an e-newspaper service which is aimed at use on </p><p>multiple devices with heterogeneous screen sizes, to be recognized as the same service?”. </p><p> </p><p>The results from this research are three challenges in designing the (graphical) user interface </p><p>for devices with small screens. These challenges are: how to make the user recognize the </p><p>service in the software (recognition of service), how to develop one service on multiple </p><p>devices (use on multiple devices) and how to develop software that it is useful and pleasant </p><p>to use (usable software). In total fifteen guidelines derived from theory were found, this </p><p>research shows that thirteen of them are applicable when designing for small screens. Three </p><p>of those thirteen are reformulated in this study to make them fit better in the context. Next to </p><p>this, seven additional guidelines were proposed in this study. Examples of the purposed </p><p>guidelines are: reconstruct the layout from the non-digital service in the interface as much as </p><p>possible, explore the targeted user group, built further on their mental model and pay </p><p>attention to possible disabilities of the group, implement extra’s that give users a good reason </p><p>to use the service and make it easy for the user to select the sought information.</p>