During the design of sports equipment, the main focus is usually on physical performance attributes, neglecting key subjective factors such as feel and comfort. The personal protective equipment worn in sport is a typical example, where injury prevention has taken precedence over user comfort, but it is anticipated that with a new approach to the design process, comfort can be improved without sacrificing protection. Using cricket leg guards and taekwondo chest guards as an example, this study aimed to develop a systematic method for assessing user perceptions and incorporating them into the design process. Players perceptions of the factors that influence the comfort of cricket leg guards and taekwondo chest guards were elicited through the use of co-discovery sessions, focus groups and individual interviews, and analysed through an inductive process to produce a comfort model. The relative importance of each different comfort dimension was identified through the use of an online questionnaire utilising the analytical hierarchy process method. Through the combination of these methods, six general dimensions were identified with a weighting regarding the amount to which each one determines a user's perceived comfort. For both cricket and taekwondo, the majority of players ranked Fit as the most important factor affecting comfort. Experimental procedures were developed to objectively test the Fit of cricket leg guards, with regards to batting kinematics, running performance and contact pressure. These methods were combined with subjective assessments of leg guard performance, to determine if there was a relationship between users perceived comfort and objective test results. It was found that shot ROM and performance were not significantly affected by cricket leg guards, despite perceptions of increased restriction whilst wearing certain pads. Wearing cricket leg guards was found to significantly decrease running performance when compared to running without pads (p<0.05). In addition, it was found that the degree of impedance depended on pad design and could not solely be attributed to additional mass. These results correlated with the subjective assessment of three different leg guards, with respondents identifying the pad which had the largest influence on their running biomechanics and impeded their performance the most, as the most restrictive pad. Contact pressure under the pad and straps was also measured for four different leg guards whilst running. The results found that the top strap applied the greatest amount of pressure to the leg, especially at the point of maximum knee flexion. The peak pressure under the top strap was found to reach up to three times that of any other area of the pad. These results were reflected in the subjective assessment of the leg guards, with all nine subjects identifying the top strap as an area of discomfort for certain pads. The results also suggested there was a preference for pads with a larger more consistent contact area, as pad movement was perceived to increase when contact area variation was greater. Finally the results from this research were used to develop a product design specification (PDS) for a cricket leg guard, specifying size, mass, contact pressure and shape. The PDS was used to develop a concept design which would maximise comfort, whilst maintaining protection.

Uppsatsen Ingenjörkompaniets förändring från NBG-08 till NBG-11 – En myt eller sanning? behandlar ingenjörkompaniet under Nordic Battlegroup-08 respektive Nordic Battlegroup-11. Uppsatsens skildrar de skillnader vilka fanns på respektive kompani avseende organisationen, materiel och utrustning samt de krav och uppgifter vilka kompaniet hade. Detta har genomförts med en komparation mellan de respektive kompanierna. Syftet med uppsatsen är att se vilken inverkan tidigare organisationer har på framställandet av en ny organisation under respektive Nordic Battlegroup. I detta fallet ingenjörkompaniet under respektive Nordic Battlegroup. En komparation mellan de två olika kompanierna innefattande tre av de grundläggande förmågorna verkan, rörlighet och uthållighet har genomförts kopplat mot två av krigsföringsförmågorna, konceptuella- och fysiska förmågorna. Resultatet av studien visar att slutsatser kopplade till i huvudsak brister kring kommunikationen mellan respektive ingenjörkompani där inget eller mycket begränsat erfarenhetsutbyte genomförts mellan dessa. Detta resulterade i att ingenjörkompaniets utveckling kan sammanfattas som uppbyggnaden av en helt ny organisation snarare än en reorganisation där erfarenheter och lärdommar hjälpt till att bygga upp den ”nya” organisationen. / The essay "Changes in the engineer coy between NBG-08 to NBG-11 -  A myth or truth?" deals with the engineer company under Nordic Battlegroup-08 and Nordic Battlegroup-11. The essay depicts the differences that existed between the respective companies regarding organization, material and equipment, as well as requirements and tasks, and has been conducted through a comparison between the respective companies. The purpose of the essay is to see which effect earlier organizations has on the preparation of a new organization under the respective Nordic Battlegroup. In this case, the engineer company under the respective Nordic Battlegroup. A comparison between the two different companies, containing three of the basic skills: effect, movement and endurance, has been conducted linked to two of the warfare skills, conceptual and physical skills. The result of the study shows conclusions connected to mainly lack of communication between the respective engineer companies, where no, or very limited, experience exchanges have been made between them. This resulted in that the development of the engineer company can be summarized as the construction of a completely new organization rather than a reorganization, where experience and lessons learned could have helped building the "new" organization.