The goal of this study is to design and evaluate a mobile augmented reality (AR) game application prototype to assist and motivate adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to maintain a conversation and identify the necessary design aspects to achieve this. The problem is that people with autism can have difficulties with communicating with others and handling social situations, which makes it hard for them to make friends. To solve this problem the use of pedagogical games and AR is examined as a potential tool. The use of technology and computer-based learning has been found to be helpful in improving the social and communication skills of individuals with ASD. Pedagogical games have also been effective in assisting people with disabilities to manage their daily lives. AR has been useful for contextualizing what the user sees and feels to apply digital instructions. AR games have been developed to help people with ASD become more comfortable in social situations. The study used design science methodology to develop the game prototype and tests with observations and pre/post-test interviews to evaluate the prototype. The results show that clear instructions, accessibility options, and individual adaptation are necessary design aspects to create an effective tool. The use of AR is not suitable according to the results due to increased stimuli, and a better suitable reward system is needed to motivate continued use of the game. Future research areas are also discussed, such as the use of more participants which are a part of the intended target demographic.

Intima relationer sker nu ofta via mobila dejtingappar, vilket kräver att människor navigerar i ny teknologi, men det möjliggör även för utforskning av intimitet. Ett exempel på detta är hur Tinder, en av de mest populära applikationerna för dejting, har blivit en representation för nätdejting i vardagliga konversationer på 2000-talet. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur Tinders sociotekniska struktur ser ut och hur användare uppfattar applikationens struktur och design. Studien använder en kvantitativ forskningsstrategi i form av enkäter följt av en genomgångsmetod för att observera applikationens struktur, funktioner och design. Enkäten fick totalt 102 svar. Utifrån studiens resultat och analys kan det stora användandet av applikationen bero på två faktorer. Det första är hur applikationens struktur och design är uppbyggd. Tinder har (1) underlättat den sociala interaktionen med hjälp av dess kärnfunktioner, (2) använder färre element som leder till snabba beslutstagande och (3) anpassat applikationen utifrån spelliknande egenskaper. Utifrån resultatet av datainsamligen kan det indikera att Tinders anpassning till plattformisering och Web 2.0 haft en påverkan på hur användare upplever hur social interaktion ska ske och därigenom påverka hur interaktioner skapas och relationer byggs. / Intimate relationships take place on mobile dating apps, requiring people to navigate new technology, but also the opportunity for exploration of intimacy. An example of this is how Tinder, one of the most popular applications for dating, has become a representation for online dating in everyday conversations in the 21st century. The aim of this study is to investigate the sociotechnical structure of Tinder and how users perceive the structure and design of the application. The study uses a quantitative research strategy in the form of surveys followed by a walkthrough method to observe the application's structure, features and design. The survey received a total of 102 responses. Based on the results and analysis of the study, the high usage of the application may be due to two factors. The first is the structure and design of the application. Tinder has (1) facilitated social interaction through its core features, (2) used fewer elements that lead to quick decision-making, and (3) adapted the application based on game-like features. Based on the results of the data collection, it may indicate that Tinder's adaptation to platforming and Web 2.0 has had an impact on how users perceive social interaction to occur, thereby influencing how interactions are created and relationships are built.

Within the discipline of urban planning and design, this thesis introduces urban atmos-pheres as a theoretical concept, interlinking the urban dweller’s perception of the urban environment with the disposition of social interaction. The aim is to research how urban environments, such as main streets, are being perceived through different senses and which urban atmospheres are disposing social interaction. Framed by the literature within the discipline, the conducted case study within this thesis is revealing the multisensory perception of streets as well as a vision-dominance. Observations and interviews in Barer Strasse in Munich suggest that the interplay of multiple sensory stimuli as well as small businesses on ground floors are creating a lively atmosphere, thereby enhancing social interaction. Despite the vision dominating the perception, this thesis argues for a multi-sensorial approach, including smelling, feeling and hearing within the urban planning and design discipline to create lively cities by strengthening the social function of streets through creating atmospheres that enhance social interaction.

Companies and organizations are predominantly divided into several departments. The departments are generally isolated from each other since the members often work with different projects internally and are constrained from socializing with others outside their department. Therefore, as a result, lack of social engagement within the departments and organizations is induced[1]. The focus of this study is to develop a web application and implement it at a company to encourage staff to socialize more within the company. The web application, whose primary function is to register a user’s interest of lunch, is eventually expected to match a colleague who also has applied for a similar interest. The work follows a design-implement-test methodology with a quantitative interpretation of the test results. Conclusively, the results indicate that the developed web application can be interpreted as a potential tool and aid for utilization of larger companies and organizations. The results also show tendencies for the users to reutilize the application, hence possibly encouraging the social networking within the company. / Större företag och organisationer delas ofta upp i flera enheter med spetskompetens inom olika områden. Dessa enheter blir ofta isolerade från varandra, där anställda ofta arbetar med olika projekt internt och förhindras att socialisera med andra utanför sin enhet. Som resultat leder detta till social segregation inom organisationer[1]. Fokuset på studien är därmed att utveckla en webbapplikation och implementera webbapplikationen på ett företag för att uppmuntra anställda att socialisera och nätverka mer inom företaget. Webbapplikationens främsta tillämpning utgörs av att en användare anmäler sitt intresse för lunch för att sedan slumpas ihop med någon annan kollega som också har anmält intresse. Studien följer en design-implement-testmetod med en kvantitativ tolkning av resultaten. Resultaten av studien indikerar på att den framställda webbapplikationen är ett potentiellt verktyg och hjälpmedel för bruk av större företag och organisationer. Undersökningen visar även en benägenhet att användarna skulle kunna använda applikationen igen.

This paper aims to understand whether there is a difference in how socially interactive robots are perceived based on the material they are constructed out of. Two studies to that end were performed; a pilot in a live setting and a main one online. Participants were asked to rate three versions of the same robot design, one built out of wood, one out of plastic, and one covered in fur. This was then used in two studies to ascertain the participants perception of competence, warmth, and discomfort and the differences between the three materials. Statistically significant differences were found between the materials regarding the perception of warmth and discomfort / Denna uppsats undersöker huruvida det finns en skillnad i hur socialt interaktiva robotar uppfattas baserat på vilket material de är tillverkade i. Två studier gjordes för att ta reda på detta: En pilotstudie som skedde fysiskt, och huvudstudien skedde online. Deltagarna ombads att skatta tre versioner av samma robotdesign, där en var byggd i trä, en i plast och en täckt i päls. Dessa användes sedan i två studier för att bedöma deltagarnas uppfattning av robotarnas kompetens, värme och obehag, samt skillnaderna i dessa mellan de tre materialen. Statistiskt signifikanta skillnader hittades i uppfattningen av värme och obehag.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vad social interaktion är förförskollärare och förskollärarstudenter och hur de främjar social interaktionmellan flerspråkiga barn och vilka dilemman de har mött. Det här är enkvalitativ intervjustudie som använde sig av en narrativ ansats. Studien äruppdelad i två intervjuer, den första intervjun har identiska frågor, intervju tvåutgår efter skrivna narrativ som pedagogerna fick diskutera. I urvalet ingår tvåförskollärarstudenter och tre förskollärare. Resultatet på studien visade attsynen på vad social interaktion är kunde variera men det fanns begrepp somåterkom i fler intervjuer. Nyfikenhet och intresse är två av begreppen, alladeltagare berättade också att ett verbalt språk inte är ett måste för positiv socialinteraktion. Pedagogerna hade liknade strategier för att främja socialinteraktion, det inkluderade gemensamma intressen, estetiska ämnen,förebyggande teman osv. Det var svårare att få svar runt möjliga dilemman irelation till flerspråkighet och social interaktion. / The purpose of this study is to investigate what social interaction is for pre-school teachers and pre-school teacher students and how they promote socialinteraction between multilingual children and what dilemmas they have faced.This is a qualitative interview study that used a narrative approach. The studyis divided into two interviews, the first interview has identical questions,interview two is based on written narratives that the educators were allowed todiscuss. The sample includes two preschool teacher students and threepreschool teachers. The results of the study showed that the view of what socialinteraction is could vary, but there were concepts that recurred in moreinterviews. Curiosity and interest are two of the concepts, all participants alsotold that a verbal language is not a must for positive social interaction. Theresults also showed that the educators had similar strategies to promote socialinteraction, it included common interests, aesthetic subjects, preventionthemes, etc. It was more difficult to get answers about possible dilemmas inrelation to multilingualism and social interaction.

There are currently a lot of training applications on the market where users can share their progress or compare their achievements with other users. It is hard to find a training application without the option of sharing one’s progress. By exposing users to an application without social interaction or an option to display one’s achievements, as well as an application with those functions. One can collect their thoughts on the different experiences. To be able to perform this comparison of applications with and without social features, an application without social features is developed in this thesis. The main conclusion is that some users have a strong preference whether they want social features or not. There is no strong majority for using social features or not using them. There are users who want social features, users who don’t want them, and users who don’t care. So when developing an application, developers should consider which users they want to satisfy and what is already on the market. / Det finns för tillfället många träningsapplikationer på marknaden som har sätt för användarna att dela deras utveckling eller jämföra deras prestationer med andra användare. Det är svårt att hitta en träningsapplikation där det inte finns något alternativ att dela ens utveckling. Genom att få användare att använda applikationer utan sociala interaktioner och en applikation med de funktionerna, kan en samla deras tankar på de olika upplevelser. För att kunna göra denna jämförelse mellan applikationer med och utan sociala funktioner, har en applikation utan sociala funktioner utvecklats. Den viktigaste slutsatsen som dras är att vissa användare har starka preferenser om de vill ha sociala funktioner eller inte. Det finns ingen stark majoritet för om de flesta användare föredrar sociala funktioner eller inte. Det finns användare som vill ha sociala funktioner, användare som inte vill ha dem och användare som inte bryr sig. Så när man utvecklar en applikation, bör man tänka på vilka användare som ska tillfredsställas och vad som redan finns på marknaden.

One of the pillars of a democratic society is social trust. It strengthens the perception of group values and creates a social environment that may influence attitudes toward immigrants. This paper delves into the dynamics of frequent social interaction (FSI), attitudes towards immigrants (ATI), and the mediating role of social trust (ST). The research aims to investigate the connections that underpin the relationships within this democratic system in Sweden. Does social trust and frequent social interaction influence attitudes toward immigrants? This paper uses the European Social Survey (ESS), particularly the 2018-2019 Round 9, focusing on Sweden. Hayes Process Macro Model 4 simple mediation is used to regress and explore the relationship between these variables. The quantitative analysis result indicates that there were statistically significant relationships between FSI and ATI with the presence of social trust as the mediator. The research paper provided findings that are beneficial in the study of International Migration and Ethnic Relations (IMER) and added information on how attitudes toward immigrants influence Swedish society. Lastly, a proposal for future research is then discussed and concluded.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is adopted fast and wide across consumer industries and digital marketing. This new technology has the potential to enhance online customer experience and outcomes of customer experience. However, research relating to the impact of AI is still developing and empirical evidence sparse. Taking a consumercentred approach and by adopting Social Response Theory as theoretical lens, this research addresses an overall research question pertaining to the implications of online customer experience with AI on consumer behaviour. A quantitative research strategy with positivist approach is adopted to gather a large sample (n= 489) of online consumers who have previously interacted with AI-enabled technology. The collected data is analysed statistically utilising Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Empirical findings show strong positive effects of anthropomorphism of AI, para-social interaction with AI, and performance expectancy of AI on all three customer experience dimensions of informativeness, entertainment and social presence. Additionally, there is strong statistical support for the positive effect of informativeness and social presence on continued purchase intentions (β= .379 and β= .315), while the effects of entertainment are less strong. The mediating effects of customer experience have been assessed, highlighting social presence as most important mediator. This research contributes to knowledge by extending previous customer experience theory and quantifying the influence of online customer experience with AI on purchase intentions and eWOM. The theoretical insights also translate into direct implications for marketing practice relating to the design, integration, and implementation of more consumer- and outcome-oriented AI applications. / Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences studentship

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