The Ozlab user-test facility at Karlstad University needs to be reprogrammed. This paper will be used as a decision support document for the redesigning. Ozlab is currently depending on a discontinued software, the learning curve is too steep for new users and there are a number of flaws in the system that force the user to take detours to complete some simple tasks. Ozlab uses the Wizard-of-Oz technique. The Wizard-of-Oz technique is a method used for conducting user tests on prototypes with no functionality; instead a “wizard” controlling the test person’s computer from the next room provides the interaction. There are no general Wizard-supporting tools in the world except for Ozlab. When developing the solution for Ozlab it is important to keep this unique concept, but make the Ozlab system fit for the future and long term sustainable.   For this paper, interviews with different kinds of users were conducted to map what is most important for them in a future Ozlab. Moreover, reliance on other programs and file formats than the present ones is also discussed. These other programs and file formats are evaluated on how well they support the optimal workflow for creating and testing a prototype in Ozlab. Recommendations are made with the conclusion that an XML-based solution is the most appropriate option, because the biggest concerns are to make Ozlab as independent from software and file formats as possible, and to make sure that maintenance is easy. Other solutions discussed are based on the Adobe Photoshop software and the HTML5 format.

<p>This thesis reports on two studies in the field of multimedia. The older one, completed in 2002, has as a general aim to explore, describe and analyse the concept of multimedia in relation to the concept of information systems. Four areas are investigated: product, process, requirements work and knowledge exchange between developers of multimedia systems and developers of information systems. The main research question has been: What are the distinguishing features of multimedia and how can multimedia be characterised from an information systems perspective? The investigation has shown that multimedia development is characterized by co-operation between people from many different areas of expertise who respect each other’s knowledge. The development work requires creativity, rationality and a systematic approach Detailed explicit requirements specifications are seldom produced in the companies studied. Specifying requirements for multimedia products is complicated which seems to stem from the nature of multimedia which makes the products hard to describe using traditional means such as text.</p><p>A more recent study, completed in 2004, continues the investigation of the challenges concerning requirements specifications for multimedia products reported in the first study. For this purpose, a new methodology for experimenting with graphical user interfaces to obtain acceptable design solutions has been developed and tested. This methodology is based on an experimental technique called ‘Wizard of Oz’. In Wizard-of-Oz experiments a test person thinks he communicates with the computer in front of him when in actual fact the test manager sits in the next room interpreting the user’s commands and providing the desired responses. In order to use this technique for experimenting with graphical user interfaces a prototyping tool called Ozlab has been utilized. Ozlab has been used to allow doctors and nurses to participate in the design of a new user interface in a robot application for hip surgery. The results show that graphical Wizard-of-Oz prototyping can be a useful tool for exploration, visualization and communication of interaction requirements in multimedia product development.</p><p>The most recent study is placed first in this volume, followed by the older study (Karlstad University Studies 2002:24).</p>

This thesis reports on two studies in the field of multimedia. The older one, completed in 2002, has as a general aim to explore, describe and analyse the concept of multimedia in relation to the concept of information systems. Four areas are investigated: product, process, requirements work and knowledge exchange between developers of multimedia systems and developers of information systems. The main research question has been: What are the distinguishing features of multimedia and how can multimedia be characterised from an information systems perspective? The investigation has shown that multimedia development is characterized by co-operation between people from many different areas of expertise who respect each other’s knowledge. The development work requires creativity, rationality and a systematic approach Detailed explicit requirements specifications are seldom produced in the companies studied. Specifying requirements for multimedia products is complicated which seems to stem from the nature of multimedia which makes the products hard to describe using traditional means such as text. A more recent study, completed in 2004, continues the investigation of the challenges concerning requirements specifications for multimedia products reported in the first study. For this purpose, a new methodology for experimenting with graphical user interfaces to obtain acceptable design solutions has been developed and tested. This methodology is based on an experimental technique called ‘Wizard of Oz’. In Wizard-of-Oz experiments a test person thinks he communicates with the computer in front of him when in actual fact the test manager sits in the next room interpreting the user’s commands and providing the desired responses. In order to use this technique for experimenting with graphical user interfaces a prototyping tool called Ozlab has been utilized. Ozlab has been used to allow doctors and nurses to participate in the design of a new user interface in a robot application for hip surgery. The results show that graphical Wizard-of-Oz prototyping can be a useful tool for exploration, visualization and communication of interaction requirements in multimedia product development. The most recent study is placed first in this volume, followed by the older study (Karlstad University Studies 2002:24).

Det webbaserade Wizard of Oz-verktyget Ozlab är ett system som möjliggör skapande ochutförande av tester med interaktiva prototyper. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka ochutvärdera verktyget för att hitta brister och förändringsförslag. Denna uppsats utgör en kvalitativ studie och datainsamling har skett genom observation och intervju med Ozlab-användare. Utifrån analys av data som samlades in under observation och intervju togs flertalet förändringsförslag fram. För att kontrollera att förändringsförslagen som togs fram accepterades av andra Ozlab-användare skapades en enkät som några få utvalda användare med kunskap om Ozlab-metodiken fick svara på.  Resultatet från studien visar att Ozlab är ett webbverktyg som är accepterat av användarna men det behöver förbättras på några punkter. De punkter som är tydligast är att Ozlab behöver bättre stöd för mobila enheter, kortare svarstider vid test, dokumentation och hjälpavsnitt men även avhjälpa mindre funktionsmässiga problem.

CriseIT är ett projekt som arbetar med att bidra till god krisberedskap genom att skapa mindre gränsregionala hinder i krisövningar över den svenska och norska gränsen mellan Värmland och Hedmarks Fylke. I tidigare krisövningar över gränsen har det varit tydligt att det uppstår språkliga barriärer. Därför har en parlör tagits fram i syfte att överbrygga dessa hinder. Syftet med detta arbete i att designa en digitalt utbildningsmodul är att ta reda på hur man kan lägga upp en utbildning som hjälper användaren i att öva på svenska och norska kristermer. Det kan vara genom att lära sig ord utantill eller genom att öva på att söka på ord och begrepp i parlören. Som metod användes ett pilottest med 11 deltagare från området krisledningsövning av en prototyp innehållande ett par olika typer av ordinlärningsfrågor samt ett kortare frågeformulär. Pilottestet gjordes på distans via det webbaserat systemet Ozlab. Upplägget av frågorna i utbildningsdelen i pilottestet fungerar övervägande bra som ett sätt att lära sig ord och som en övning i att leta på ord och begrepp i ordlistan. I slutsatserna diskuteras lämpligt LMS (Learning Management System) för en sådan utbildningsmodul. Testpersonernas kommentarer var övervägande positiva kring parlören och att hitta svar i den till utbildningsmodulen. Bland de brister som uppmärksammades var själva sökfunktionen i den pdfbaserade parlören. Det ges även synpunkter kring utveckling av parlören.