Svenskarna och   internet (2014) points out that the use of smartphones continues to grow,   despite this only 14 percent of the elderly in the age of 60 or more,   interacts with a smartphone daily. The reason why older people do not use   smartphones are thought to be because the technology is difficult and hard. The purpose of this   study was to find shortcomings in usability for older people when interacting   with a smartphone as well as what improvements should be made to increase the   usability. To achieve this purpose five older respondents in the age of 60   years or older were observed and interviewed. Furthermore, a separate model   has been created based on previous research to analyze the results. The analysis   resulted in a revised model with existing shortcomings and pronounced   improvement proposals. The shortcomings found in smartphone user interfaces   are lack of information on how to perform different tasks, which means they   are guessing solutions, another lack is that icons are alike. According to   the study, descriptive texts should be provided to each icon. The   improvements that older people would prefer to increase the usability are   that it should be one gesture to navigate through the phone which is the   dragged gesture, pointed information in a smartphone how they perform their   tasks and icons as well as buttons should be named after performance.   Proposals for future research are to investigate differences between older   novices and older skilled users of smartphones and at what age older people   are getting worse in interacting with smartphones.

Gathering statistics in sports is a tool to provide useful information to different parties such as trainers, club executives and spectators. They have in some instances also become mandatoryas a part of a national association. In order to provide a digital tool to improve the gathering for one such club, a web-based prototype was developed. This prototype was based on specifications outlined by an ice hockey club in the Swedish Allsvenskan division and on previous research on mobile devices. It was tested in two iterations. The result of the tests indicates that a digital, platform independent software not only helps greatly reduce the workload but also provides new abilities and benefits for the clubs.

Designing with non-visual attributes challenges ways of representation. This research explores methods for designing with invisible materiality within the research practice, as well as ways of representation through textiles when designing spaces. Exploring textiles and smells within a space, the research program investigates spatial interactions. This research focuses on designing embodied experiences using tangible materials as expressions of smells. Through the spatial installations and performances Sight of smell, Touch of smell, and Smell, space, and body movement, haptics were explored as one of the methods of interaction with smells through textiles. Through the sense of touch, this research also investigates ways of revealing, activating, and disseminating smells within a space. Smells were purposely added through the methods of dyeing, coating, and printing to the textile materials that did not inherently embody any smells, As a result, tactile surfaces create non-visual expressions of smell. Further ideas of research in this area would explore another perspective of designing with smells in spaces. As an example, by designing textiles being smell absorbers, dividers, and re ectors, could compliment the spatial concepts and deals with the already existing smells in a living environment. In this licentiate thesis thinking through the olfactive dimension to design textiles is not only novel for the textile design eld; but also, its proposal for application in the spatial design is quite unique, and o ers a new dimension for spatial design. / Horizon 2020 MSCA ITN

This master’s thesis is focused on design and development of an application for iOS platform following the requirements of the company, operating in Finland in the field of development of information systems for bioenergy industry. The application should serve as a supplement to an online wood and biomass trading portal.

The purpose of this study was to explore graduate student perceptions of use and the ease of use of multi-modal tablets to access electronic course materials, and the perceived differences based on students’ gender, age, college of enrollment, and previous experience. This study used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology to identify the constructs that may explain a graduate student’s intention to use a multi-modal tablet in graduate course work. This study administered the UTAUT to 224 graduate students from four different colleges at a regional university. The models developed from the UTAUT explained 80% of the variability in Behavioral Intention values and 55% of the reported Use values. The results of the study showed that only Performance Expectancy, Social Influence, Hedonic Motivation, and Habit showed significance in explaining Behavioral Intention. Performance Expectancy, Hedonic Motivation, and Habit also showed moderately strong to strong correlations with Behavioral Intention. The regression analysis revealed a positive significant relationship with reported Use and Habit and reported Use and Behavioral Intention. Habit and Behavioral Intention both had strong correlations with reported Use. Habit affects the relationship of Performance Expectancy and Behavioral Intention. Habit, Price Value, or Hedonic Motivation did not have a significant affect on the relationship between Behavioral Intention and Effort Expectancy or Behavioral Intention and Social Influence. When trying to explain a graduate student’s intention to use a multi-modal tablet, only Performance Expectancy, Habit, Social Influence, Hedonic Motivation, and Previous Experience appeared to sufficiently explain whether a student intends to adopt the device. Across age groups, intention to use the tablet device does not vary by age in this study. There were no differences in Behavioral Intention among groups by college enrollment. Individuals with more experience using a tablet, as measured in years, have a higher predicted intention to use the tablet in the future than individuals with no previous experience using a tablet. Individuals with 5 or more years using a multi-modal tablet have a higher intention to use the device than those with less than 3 years experience. The results of this study support the concept that Habit is the strongest predictor of Use in the framework.

M.Comm. (Industrial Psychology) / The current study investigated, by means of an experiment, the influence of nonconscious incidental haptic sensation, encountered when completing self-report questionnaires, on formal ratings of a consumer brand. In total, 178 university students (mean age = 19.82 years, males = 31.5%, females = 68.5%) participated in the study. Participants were allocated to one of two groups with Group 1 (n=88) completing a questionnaire printed on rigid paper while Group 2 (n=90) completed the same questionnaire printed on flimsy paper. The questionnaire scale was constructed using 28 sets of biploar pairs of adjectives related to the language association of rigidity and strength. An independent t-test revealed no differences between groups (t = 0.67, p = 0.50), but differences of distribution and polarisation of scores, evidenced by differences in kurtosis across groups (Group 1: kurtosis = 1.49, Group 2: kurtosis = 0.11), were apparent. In conclusion it appeared that a physically grounded mental framework, consistent with an embodied cognition approach to mental processes, had led to participants forming stronger product judgments when encountering an incidental, nonconscious, tactile experience of strength in a consumer context.

LUX studies the combination of electronics and knitted textiles from a textile design perspective. The thought of experiencing textiles without touching them sparked the idea of designing textiles where touch is essential for the visual appearance. The aim is to design knitted textiles that light up when touched, in order to create an interactive experience for the viewer. Optical fibres were chosen because of their ability to transmit light and copper yarn works as an electrical conductor that triggers the reaction of light. The shapes of the knitted textiles have been created by utilising the characteristics of the optical fibre. LUX introduces a working method in which the optical fibre is given an important role not only as a light source but also as a tool for shaping the textiles. The result of the work is three textiles that display how electronics, consisting of sensors and light, can be merged with textiles and contribute to interactive behaviour.

L’objectif de cette thèse est de comprendre et de mesurer le processus d’appropriation des étudiants masseurs-kinésithérapeutes de premier cycle d’études en ce qui concerne la compétence du toucher thérapeutique. Les travaux de la neuropsychologie montrent un enchaînement de gestes haptiques en six habiletés quel que soit l’objet à reconnaître perceptivement. En amont, nous avons montré que les étudiants en masso-kinésithérapie n’utilisent pas cette stratégie perceptive, bien qu’ils aient validé cette compétence. Notre interrogation se porte alors, sur ce que les étudiants utilisent pour répondre à la prescription palpatoire. Et en quoi une pédagogique de type socioconstructiviste peut-elle être source de développement des styles afin de répondre aux exigences du genre métier ? À la suite des résultats d’un questionnaire différentiel préalable, deux méthodes de recherche ont été réalisées. Une analyse de contenu (2010) fait émerger des paradoxes dans le genre métier et ce, indépendamment des styles. Une étude expérimentale monocentrique, randomisée montre qu’une pédagogie par imitation-modélisation-interactive à l’aide du modèle de « transposition didactique » est plus performante qu’un apprentissage constructiviste. Ce résultat est statistiquement significatif (p < 1%) dans l’acquisition de cinq habiletés sur les six et ce, indépendamment du genre et des connaissances théoriques anatomiques préalables. En perspective, cette stratégie pédagogique contributive à l’élaboration du massage haptique profond est-elle source de performances sur l’expression douloureuse de patient fibromyalgique ? / The objective of this thesis is to understand and measure the process of appropriation of physiotherapists undergraduate studies regarding the competence of therapeutic touch. The work of neuropsychology show a sequence of actions in six haptic skills regardless of the object to be recognized perceptually. Upstream, we have shown that students in physiotherapy do not use this perceptual strategy, though they validated this skill. Our question then this door, on what students use to answer the Palpatory prescription. And what kind of a social constructivist teaching styles can it be the source of development to meet the requirements of the job like that? Following the results of a preliminary survey differential, two research methods were performed. A content analysis (2010) brings out the paradoxes in the business kind, regardless of styles. An experimental single-center, randomized study shows that teaching by imitation-interactive-modeling using the model of "didactic transposition" is more efficient than a constructivist learning. This result is statistically significant (p <1%) in the acquisition of five of the six skills, regardless of gender and anatomical prior theoretical knowledge. In perspective, this contribution to the educational strategy of developing deep haptic massage is it a source of performance on the expression of painful fibromyalgia patient?

Ce travail de recherche doctorale étudie l’influence de la stimulation tactile de l’interface lors de l’évaluation en ligne du produit. A travers un plan d’expériences composé d’une étude exploratoire au design de recherche mixte et de trois expérimentations, nous cherchons à identifier, dans un premier temps, l’effet de l’absence d’interaction directe avec le produit (étude exploratoire) puis nous testons l’effet du type de test de produits sur la préférence d’achat du consommateur (i.e. physique vs. virtuel) (étude 1). Dans un deuxième temps, nous étudions l’effet de la stimulation tactile directe de l’interface sur la perception de similarité du test et l’influence de cette dernière sur l’évaluation du produit. En particulier, nous testons deux effets: celui de la congruence entre la stimulation tactile de l’interface et la texture du produit (étude 2) puis celui de la familiarité des textures (étude 3). D’une part, nous montrons que le consommateur est à la recherche d’interaction sensorielle lors de son interaction virtuelle avec les produits, ce qui lui permet de considérer cette expérience virtuelle comme plus réaliste, notamment au niveau sensoriel (étude exploratoire). Nous montrons également que le consommateur préfère l’expérience virtuelle du produit malgré le manque significatif d’interactions sensorielles, notamment tactiles (étude 1). D’autre part, nous montrons que l’interaction des textures entre l’interface et le produit influence négativement la similarité perçue du test (étude 2) tandis que, lorsque les textures ne sont pas familières, l’interaction des textures influence positivement la similarité perçue (étude 3). A partir de ces résultats, nous concluons que le consommateur est à la recherche de stimulation tactile lors de son expérience virtuelle avec le produit afin de satisfaire son besoin de toucher et d’enrichir son expérience sensorielle en ligne. En particulier, l’effet positif de l’interaction des textures, lorsque la stimulation n’est pas familière, sur la similarité perçue du test suggère que les consommateurs considèrent l’information tactile comme suffisante pour percevoir une similarité sensorielle à celle obtenue en magasin. / Our doctoral research examines the influence of tactile stimulation in online product evaluation. With an exploratory study and three experiments, we aim at identifying the effect of the absence of direct product touch (exploratory study), and then concentrate on the effect of the type of product testing on the consumer’s preference for purchasing (physical vs. virtual) (study 1). Next, we look at the influence of the interface tactile stimulation on the perceived product test similarity, of which the latter positively influences the online product evaluation. In particular, we test two types of effect: the congruence (study 2) and the familiarity of the textures (study 3). On the one hand, our results show that consumers are seeking a higher sensory input into online environments while interacting with products, especially from a tactile perspective (exploratory study). Results also highlight that consumers prefer the online product experience, even though they regret the absence of products' tactile sensations (study 1). On the other hand, we demonstrate that the interaction between the interface's direct tactile stimulation and the product's texture negatively influence the perceived similarity of product testing when textures fit, whereas when the textures are unfamiliar, the interaction of texture positively influences the perceived similarity of product testing. From these results, we conclude that consumers are in need of tactile input into virtual product experiences to satisfy their need for touch, and enhance their online sensory experiences. Notably, the positive effect of the interaction of textures, in an unfamiliar tactile stimulation, suggests that consumers consider the direct tactile stimulation as not being sufficient enough to provide useful information, but they assimilate it to a real product testing from a tactile perspective.

This thesis presents the development of an instrumented compliant wrist mechanism which serves as an interface between robotic platforms and their environments in order to detect surface positions and orientations. Although inspired by similar existing devices, additional features such as noncontact distance estimations, a simplified physical structure, and wireless operation were incorporated into the design. The primary role envisioned for this mechanism was for enabling robotic manipulators to perform surface following tasks prior to contact as this was one requirement of a larger project involving inspection of surfaces. The information produced by the compliant wrist system can be used to guide robotic devices in their workspace by providing real-time proximity detection and collision detection of objects. Compliance in robotic devices has attracted the attention of many researchers due to the multitude of benefits it offers. In the scope of this work, the main advantage of compliance is that it allows rigid structures to come into contact with possibly fragile objects. Combined with instrumentation for detecting the deflections produced by this compliance, closed-loop control can be achieved, increasing the number of viable applications for an initially open-loop system. Custom fabrication of a prototype device was completed to physically test operation of the designed system. The prototype incorporates a microcontroller to govern the internal operations of the device such as sensor data collection and processing. By performing many computation tasks directly on the device, robotic controllers are able to dedicate more of their time to more important tasks such as path planning and object avoidance by using the pre-conditioned compliant device data. Extensive work has also gone into the refinement of sensor signals coming from the key infrared distance measurement sensors used in the device. A calibration procedure was developed to decrease inter-sensor variability due to the method of manufacturing of these sensors. Noise reduction in the signals is achieved via a digital filtering process. The evaluation of the performance of the device is achieved through the collection of a large amount of sensor data for use in characterisation of the sensor and overall system behavior. This comes in the form of a statistical analysis of the sensor outputs to determine signal stability and accuracy. Additionally, the operation of the device is validated by its integration onto a manipulator robot and incorporating the data generated into the robot’s control loop.