In today’s modern society large amounts of learning materials and lectures have beendigitalized and made available in different forms as video, text and images on variousplatforms. Platforms specific to e-learning are common and having a design that is bothresponsive and with high usability plays a great part in how users can absorb information.Making content available across different devices in a usable way enables users to performsome (if not all) tasks on devices more suitable "on the go", like mobile phones or tables.This thesis concerns the development and evaluation of an usable and responsive ad-ministration tool for e-learning. The intent of the tool is to improve and possibly replacethe platforms used today by adding missing functionality in the current tools. The imple-mented tool is evaluated using heuristic evaluation on both desktop and mobile devices inorder to evaluate the usability and responsiveness of the design.

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When developing mobile apps, multiple factors must be considered when choosing between native or cross-platform technologies. The latter offers deployment of one codebase to multiple operating systems, such as Android and iOS. However, we argue that common design techniques lack an understanding of specific needs that separate iOS and Android users. This work presents an experimental approach using UI prototypes and existing native iOS and Android mobile applications to identify issues in usability of the two systems. We conduct a large amount of usability tests involving 34 participants and find that our prototypes and apps that follow Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines are easier to use in terms of one primary usability metric, notably task time, with a statistically significant difference between iOS and Android testers in two out of four tests. On this basis we investigate what key UI elements and design patterns cause disruptions in otherwise smooth User Experiences. Alongside documenting those, we also list key elements that influence the usability on a more general level. We provide suggestions to app designers and developers on avoiding designs that are considered producing usability issues by at least one of the two groups of iOS and Android users and on design patterns to improve the User Experience.

Gamification is used in a wide range of industries to motivate user engagement and increase the utilization of products. Most gamification applications are designed and developed through gamification platforms. However, due to the different industry users, requirements and goals, gamification design and development is usually perceived to be complex and requires a lot of time and money for developing. This research uses a design research methodology to explore how to improve the effectiveness of the use of gamification platforms. Based on interviews with practitioners, this study summarizes the points of difficulty with the gamification platform, optimizes the framework and processes for using the gamification platform on this basis, and then iterates the design of the gamification platform in conjunction with the onboarding model to guide gamification design practitioners to be able to quickly understand the operation of the gamification platform and to perform gamification design and development without relying on professionals. The results show that the simplified operation of the gamification platform and the optimized design and development framework and processes can be applied in the future.

This thesis will cover the entirety of the development process of Skara Skyddsängels virtual reality test platform. The platform means to support their efforts in creating a lighting drone service that assists pedestrians and cyclists in areas lacking proper lighting infrastructure while at the same time promoting sustainable modes of transportation. Unreal Engine 4 was used since it provides all the tools needed in order to create the desired product. All changeable parameters requested by the supervisor are fully implemented, such as drone altitude, light angle, and light intensity. Beyond the required parameters, some additional miscellaneous features, such as ambient sound, are also implemented to increase the immersion further. The result is a functioning test platform with an environment resembling a rural road in Skara that can assist the Skara Skyddsängel project in accelerating its testing. / Denna kandidatrapport handlar om den kompletta utvecklingsprocessen för Skara Skyddsängels virtual reality testplatform. Denna plattform skapas för att assistera Skara Skyddsängel i deras arbete att utveckla och utvärdera belysningsdrönare för fotgängare och cyklister i områden där traditionell belysningsinfrastruktur inte är lönsam. Genom att erbjuda alternativ infrastuktur strävar projektet mot en ökad användning av mer miljövänliga transportmedel. Samtliga av projektledarens krav är implementerade, såsom till exempel drönarhöjd, ljusvinkel och ljusintensitet. Dessutom finns några övriga funktioner implementerade, så som ljud från omgivningen för att göra miljön mer verklighetstrogen. Den slutgiltliga produkten är en fungerade testplatform med en miljö som efterliknar en väg på landsbygden utanför Skara. Denna plattform kommer hjälpa Skara Skyddsängel i att göra tester för att hitta optimala drönarinställningar / Skara Skyddsängel

From before enclosure, platforms have defined use and purpose within the physical and social world. The demarcation of space through levelling, texture and surface acting together to both enable and restrict use, platforms would later give their name to the socio political construct of the platform as ideological stage. Pier Vittorio Aureli and Martino Tattara write on this at length in the text Platforms: Architecture and the Use of the Ground, where they discuss the relationship between the physical and the public or social aspect of the platform, recognising its ability to both give voice and take it away, and the role they play in creating social asymmetry. The first part of this diploma explores, through novel methods of engagement, this social aspect of public space. By embracing distance and dialogue, it uses correspondence to investigate the physical and social structures that come together to delineate and define the hazy idea of what constitutes public space. This diploma chooses to pose these questions through the lens of cooking and the shared practices that accompany it, manifesting itself in the second part as a meanwhile use of a disused public building that celebrates local food culture, alongside a speculative proposal for an unprogrammed urban terrain that plays on the notion of platforming.
What if such platforms could provide a canvas for a more spontaneous, democratic public life, one where use, access and public rights are less regulated and defined?

The number of social media platforms (SMP hereinafter) is ever-increasing, and all of these platforms compete for more attention and content. The global social media market is expected to grow to $223.11 billion in 2022 (Social Media Global Market Report, 2022). In an era characterized by the meteoric rise and evolution of Social Media Platforms (SMPs), understanding the interplay between platform features and user behaviors is both critical and complex. In this dissertation, we aim to elucidate the relationship between SMPs and society, with the ultimate objective of fostering a healthier social media ecosystem. This dissertation is comprised of two incisive essays, both of which are underpinned by robust theoretical frameworks. The first essay adopts an expansive purview of the SMP ecosystem. Grounded in Uses and Gratifications Theory and media studies, it establishes a user typology based on the previous typologies and examines the interaction between user motives, SMP scores, and SMP features. Employing the Analytic Hierarchy Process, a sophisticated decision-making tool, the study quantifies utility-driven choices across platforms. A notable revelation is the heterogeneity in user reliance on SMP features, contingent upon their underlying motives. This essay offers critical insights into the multifaceted nature of SMP utilization. The second essay focuses specifically on Reddit's ChangeMyView community, an exemplar of constructive discourse in the SMP environment. It constructs a theoretical model premised on the Elaboration Likelihood Model and the concept of pre-suasion, and utilizes a mixed-methods approach to explore the persuasive strategies using Content Analysis. We also utilize ChatGPT in the Content Analysis to corroborate our inferences. The findings confirm our theorization about the role of the Delta reward system in fostering reflective engagement with content, which leads to informed opinion formation. Collectively, with these essays, we aim to provide extensive insights into the dynamic interplay between SMPs and users. Both essays hold significant implications for research community, SMP decision-makers, organizations that use SMPs, and a broader audience interested in optimizing their social media repertoire. Through a theory-driven and empirical lens, employing several epistemologies, this dissertation provides a holistic depiction of the SMP ecosystem. / Doctor of Philosophy / The landscape of social media is constantly evolving with an ever-growing number of platforms vying for user attention. In this dissertation, we aim to analyze the relationship between social media platforms and their users, seeking ways to foster a healthier and more constructive social media environment. This dissertation is structured into two distinct yet interconnected essays. In the first essay, we look at the broader ecosystem of social media platforms. It categorizes users based on their motivations for using social media, such as seeking information or connecting with others. We examine how different features of social media platforms cater to these diverse motivations. To accomplish this, we employ a method known as the Analytic Hierarchy Process, which is a decision-making tool used to measure and analyze choices. The key insight from this essay is the diversity in how users interact with social media features, and how this interaction is influenced by their underlying motivations. In the second essay, we take a closer look at a specific community on Reddit called ChangeMyView. This community is unique as it encourages users to engage in thoughtful and reasoned debates. In this essay, we develop a theoretical model to understand the mechanisms through which information is processed and opinions are changed within this community with a strong focus on Delta system, a feature that rewards users for successfully changing someone's opinion through challenging their view and pointing the flaws in their thinking. Collectively, the dissertation provides an in-depth understanding of the dynamic relationship between social media platforms and users. It does so through rigorous analysis underpinned by theoretical frameworks. This research is not only academically significant but also has practical implications. It provides valuable insights for decision-makers to improve social media platforms, aids organizations in understanding how best to engage with social media, and informs users on optimizing their social media interactions. In essence, this dissertation serves as a comprehensive analysis that bridges the gap between the ever-evolving features of social media platforms and the multifaceted behaviors of their users.

Mobile applications are a critical part of everyday life. Animations in mobile applications demand optimized performance, which developers are persistently striving to achieve. This study examines the performance of mobile applications developed using native approaches for iOS and Android, as well as the Flutter framework for cross-platform approach, while executing animations. This was motivated by the fact that while cross-platform development offers advantages in terms of development efficiency, it often results in decreased performance. Since the field of mobile development is continuously evolving, it is important to explore new capabilities of mobile technologies. The purpose of this study is to understand the differences in CPU and RAM usage between native and cross-platform applications by examining two types of animation implementations, thereby aiming to identify the causes of the performance gap and propose solutions to decrease the performance gap. This study involved experiments, a literature study and an analysis of the results to address the research questions and fulfill the purpose. The findings of this study showed that the cross-platform approach resulted in higher CPU and RAM usage than the native approaches. However, the performance gap was less noticeable in one of the animation implementations. Thus indicating that the performance of mobile applications can be significantly influenced by the choice of animation implementation. Therefore, a strategic approach to mitigating the performance gap could involve careful selection of Flutter widgets or the incorporation of efficient libraries.

Social media and platforms utilise moderation to removeunwanted content such as cyberbullying, an aggressive acttowards an individual or group that occurs over any type ofdigital technology, e.g. social platforms. However,moderating platforms manually is nearly impossible, and thedemand for automatic moderation is rising. Research ontechnical solutions for cyberbullying detection on socialplatforms is scarce and is mostly focused on MachineLearning models to detect cyberbullying without theconnection to platform moderation. This study aims toenhance the research on cyberbullying detection models byusing a GPT-3 Large Language model and reduce the gap toplatform moderation. The model is tweaked and tested todetect cyberbullying using popular cyberbullying datasetsand compared to previous Machine Learning- and LargeLanguage models using common performance metrics.Furthermore, the latency of the model is measured to test if itcan be used as an auto-moderation tool to detectcyberbullying on social platforms. The results show that themodel is on par with the previous models and that finetuning a Large Language model is the preferred way totweak the model in cyberbullying detection. Further, theresults show that Large Language models have higherlatency than Machine Learning models but can be improvedby using multiple threads and can be used as a platformmoderation tool to detect cyberbullying.

This thesis examines the implementation of an Always On VPN solution for Windows 10 and macOS, focusing on the configuration of a Palo Alto Firewall to enable their GlobalProtect VPN as Always On. This means that the VPN solution is enabled on a device at all times. The primary objective of this thesis is to present a solution, where the GlobalProtect VPN is configured to be Always On for both Windows 10 and macOS devices. Furthermore, the objective is to evaluate the performance impact of the VPN solution on network throughput, packet loss, and jitter. The study compares performance in both AES 128-bit GCM and AES 256-bit GCM encryption modes, as well as performance without the VPN, to determine its potential impact on employee workflow. The employee workflow consists of file uploads of varying sizes across a single stream as well as multiple streams. Here, our study finds that performance is reduced with the VPN solution active and can limit upload speeds by up to 45% depending on the tested scenario. Jitter and packet loss can also increase by more than 50% for jitter and roughly 10% for packet loss. It is worth noting that the practical differences such as time lost through lower network throughput when enabling the VPN solution or added jitter and packet loss is till very low for the majoirty of the scenarios tested in this thesis.  Additionally, the thesis analyzes the functional and performance differences between Windows 10 and macOS when utilizing the VPN solution. Performance wise, the loss is similar between Windows 10 and macOS in certain scenarios but can differ in others. The thesis also highlights a significant limitation of the GlobalProtect VPN, specifically concerning its ability to enforce an Always On VPN experience on macOS devices. Unlike Windows 10, macOS users can still uninstall the VPN agent, posing challenges in ensuring continuous VPN connectivity. The thesis proposes removing administrative rights from macOS users as an optimal solution to prevent agent uninstallation and to maintain an Always On VPN experience with Palo Alto's GlobalProtect VPN.