Many companies invest large amount of money in developing new technology, without knowing how it will be used. To succeed in making these technologies useful it is necessary to understand the context that gives meaning to the artifact. In the case of generic products, especially in new domains, the context is not obvious. This bachelor thesis analyses what Usability Engineering, Participatory Design and Ethnography can contribute to the problem of learning about the context of usage for generic artifacts. Understanding and identifying details of context is considered to be important to achieve usability in software development. The experience is that most recommendations on usability methods concern situations of specific users in a specific context. In order to find important aspects of the real-world use of generic products, we suggest that ethnographic studies can be conducted in contexts where behaviors relevant to the design are thought to be found. The problem of not knowing the context was experienced in usability work practiced in a large software engineering project. The project task was to develop a web browser for Symbian's ?Quartz? reference design for handheld devices. Methods used were taken from participatory design and usability engineering.

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / This research work investigates and reports on the contribution of usability and perceptual frameworks towards understanding and ultimately increasing usage of a sales website and a corporate marketing website for a major insurance company in South Africa. It investigates whether the application of usability principles to the sales web positively influences the usage of the sales web system as a tool by intermediaries, and in so doing help the organisation recoup their investment and lower operational costs. This financial services (traditionally insurance) company, like many organisations, is in the process of migrating key operational systems onto web platforms to take advantage of benefits such as the ubiquity of web access and services orientated architecture among others. The research reviewed key frameworks in the area of technology acceptance or usage namely Nielsen‟s usability attributes (Nielsen, 2003). The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), (Davis, 1989). The Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). The Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985); and derived a theoretical summative model (the Conceptual Research Model) that combined both usability and perceptual dimensions. The applicability of this summative model was empirically tested using quantitative data relating to system usage and user perception. Empirical evidence was gathered to prove and refine the Conceptual Research Model (CRM), and the data substantiated the inclusion of the constructs in the CRM, as well as the efficacy of the model in a financial services organisation. Through testing of the CRM, this research has also confirmed which specific attributes of usability can be focussed on to bring about positive change in users' usage behaviour and adoption of a website or web application. / South Africa

South Africans borrow more and save less than other nations (Discovery Bank, 2018). One reason is a lack of financial knowledge. If a mobile application could guide individuals to modify their financial habits slightly by spending less and saving more, they could dramatically improve their financial future. When designing visualisation systems such as a mobile application interface, users' qualitative design feedback and quantitative usability evaluation are both important and complementary. The benefit of usability feedback in software development is undisputed. The importance of qualitative design feedback from users however, seems to be controversial in Science. Gathering users' qualitative design feedback, ahead of usability evaluation, can have a substantial impact on downstream development costs. The researcher used design as a tool for thinking (imagining new possibilities) and communicating (sharing ideas). The purpose was to clarify ways in which a mobile application interface could support users in making better financial decisions and creating better financial futures for themselves and consequently for society. A user centred design (UCD) approach was followed, emphasising design before development, with a strong focus on user involvement in all three phases, namely requirements gathering, design and evaluation. A primary client archetype for mid-career professionals was developed, split into two personas, Alan and Zoe, based on personality and self-rated motivational attributes which were used in an unconventional way to inspire two parallel, diverse designs. In early design stages, before an idea is well formed, producing multiple contrasting designs in parallel and qualitative design feedback from users is beneficial to establishing utility (solving the right problem), tapping into users' domain knowledge, improving the quality of the design and reducing fixation on one idea. Once the concept has been socialised and evolved sufficiently with users' input, converging on one final design and testing usability (solving the problem in the right way) become more important. This research offers two refinements of the UCD process guidelines for the benefit of researchers and practitioners.

Process monitoring is a field that can greatly benefit from the adoption of machine learning solutions like recommendation systems. However, for domain experts to embrace these technologies within their work processes, clear explanations are crucial. Therefore, it is important to adopt user-centred methods for designing more transparent recommendation systems. This study explores this topic through a case study in the pulp and paper industry. By employing a user-centred and design-first adaptation of the question-driven design process, this study aims to uncover the explanation needs and requirements of industry experts, as well as formulate design visions and recommendations for transparent recommendation systems. The results of the study reveal five common explanation types that are valuable for domain experts while also highlighting limitations in previous studies on explanation types. Additionally, nine requirements are identified and utilised in the creation of a prototype, which domain experts evaluate. The evaluation process leads to the development of several design recommendations that can assist HCI researchers and designers in creating effective, transparent recommendation systems. Overall, this research contributes to the field of HCI by enhancing the understanding of transparent recommendation systems from a user-centred perspective.

This thesis aims to develop and evaluate a dashboard design that visualizes a stream of data from the different entities involved in autonomous warehouses, a subset of cyber-physical systems. I created this dashboard through User-Centered Design (UCD) methodologies based on two feedback iterations with the stakeholders employing semi-structured expert opinion interviews. This thesis also discusses the different stages involved in building this dashboard design, the design decisions, the technical aspects of the libraries used, and the feedback session towards the end of the project. It also presents the implemented dashboard as a proof of development efforts and explains its different functionalities. The project concludes with evaluating the dashboard through a semi-structured interview with the respective stakeholders and suggests features for further development. / Denna studie ämnar att utveckla och utvärdera en design för ett dashboard som visualiserar dataströmmar från olika enheter som kan hittas i autonoma lager. Detta dashboard har utvecklats genom att använda metoder inom användarcentrerad design, som baserades på två iterationer med intressenter som är experter inom området, där semistrukturerade intervjuer gjordes. Denna studie diskuterar också de olika steg som är involverade i att bygga designen av detta dashboard, de olika beslut som togs i designprocessen, de tekniska aspekterna av de bibliotek som används och resultatet från de sessioner som hölls för att få feedback i slutet av projektet. Studien presenterar också det dashboard som utvecklades samt förklarar dess funktionalitet. Slutsatser dras från de semistrukturerade intervjuerna med respektive intressent och föreslår framtida funktioner som skulle vara möjliga att implementera.

When developing new products, it is important to be able to evaluate their readiness as this helps organizations manage three major challenges of product development, performance, schedule, and budget. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) discovered this in 1990 and developed a nine-level framework to measure the progression of technology development, Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).  The framework has since then been adopted by many different industries, among them OEMs. However, there are more aspects of the innovation process than just technology. Research topics such as user centered design and business model innovation has lately gained much attention, indicating that user and business aspects of the innovation are important. Therefore, the purpose of his thesis was to propose a framework to evaluate the readiness of business, user and technology aspects. To do so, a case study was performed at the Swedish OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Husqvarna Group, a global producer of equipment for garden and park care, as well as for the construction industry. A literature study was performed to create an understanding of the current knowledge on the topic. Semi structured interviews were used to investigate how innovation is performed at the researched company. The result from these interviews was contrasted with the results from interviews at four other Swedish OEMs, to increase external validity. Lastly the findings were validated through focus group interviews at Husqvarna Group. The case study resulted in the identification of important steps when developing viable, desirable, and feasible products. From these, the nine most important for business and user was identified and frameworks for business and user readiness respectively were developed, along with attainment criteria for each level. The findings showed that the TRL framework still holds relevance, however the attainment criteria were adjusted to better suit OEMs. Together these three frameworks create the Innovation Readiness Level (IRL) framework. / Vid utveckling av nya produkter finns det tre stora utmaningar i produktutvecklingen; prestanda, tid och budget, därför är det viktigt att ständig stötta processen genom att utvärdera projektets mognadsgrad. År 1990 utvecklade NASA en niogradig skala som kan tillämpas som ett ramverk för att mäta mognadsgraden av en teknikutveckling, Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), detta har sedan dess införts av många industriföretag. När det kommer till innovation finns det dock fler aspekter än enbart teknik att ta hänsyn till. Forskning inom användarfokuserad design och affärsmodellsinnovation har fått ökad uppmärksamhet den senaste tiden, vilket indikerar att användare och affär är viktiga aspekter inom innovation. Syftet med denna studie är att föreslå ett ramverk för att utvärdera mognadsgraden utifrån ett affärs-, användar- och teknikperspektiv. För att genomföra detta gjordes en fallstudie på det svenska industriföretaget Husqvarna Group, en global tillverkare av skogs-, park- och trädgårdsprodukter samt utrustning för konstruktionsindustrin. För att skapa en förståelse av den befintliga kunskapen inom ämnet gjordes en bred litteraturstudie. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomfördes för att undersöka hur innovation hanteras inom Husqvarna Group. Resultatet från det undersökta företaget ställdes i kontrast med intervjuresultat från fyra andra svenska industriföretag för att skapa ett mer generaliserbart resultat. Till sist testades resultatet genom validering med fokusgruppsintervjuer på Husqvarna Group.  Fallstudien resulterade i identifiering av betydelsefulla steg vid utveckling av en ny produkt som ordnades kronologiskt. Vid varje nivå i skalan föreslogs en rad kriterier från ett affärs- respektive användarperspektiv som ett produktutvecklingsprojekt bör uppnå för att öka chansen att bli väl mottagen när den når marknaden. Resultatet visade även att TRL-ramverket fortfarande är aktuellt och relevant, men uppnåendekriterier anpassades för ett industriföretag. Tillsammans skapar dessa tre faktorer det föreslagna ramverket Innovation Readiness Levels (IRL).

It is no secret that the world is facing major climate challenges. One of the aspects that can contribute to a greener future is to reconsider our means of transport. That bicycles is part of the solution and also contributes to the public health is something that is gaining more and more traction in society. An aspect though, that has received far too little attention and is the basis of this work is broken-down, stationary bicycles. Something that neither benefits the individual nor society at large. What this work aims to explore is why this happens, how it can be avoided and how to get bike owners to actually repair their bikes. This through a user-centered design process that is based on the users' situation and needs. This project is a bachelor’s thesis within industrial design engineering that has been carried out during spring 2022 at Luleå University of Technology. Through a user-centered process based on several methods such as guerilla interviews, participatory observation, and context research, a broad picture of the current situation was created. Based on this, creative methods such as brainstorming and workshops were then used to create a large number of ideas based on the users' needs. A thorough idea evaluation, mockups and a dot-voting then sifted these ideas down to a final concept where wireframes and prototyping ensured that the concept could be realized. The result of the project was the following; users don’t repair their bikes because they are insecure, lack knowledge and do not trust their abilities. They consider repairing to be a project that feels tedious and difficult to begin with. The users need a simple, clear solution that creates security and presents relevant information. The solution landed in the concept  A rolling bicycle consisting of two parts and a total of three steps. The first part is a number of posters to create incentives to repair one's bike and the second part an application that contains both a guide before the repair, but also instructions during the repair itself. The flow is a result of the needs and function analysis that was carried out and whose components are intended to meet the needs and conditions of users to get more people to fix their bike. / Att världen står inför stora klimatutmaningar är ingen hemlighet. En av de aspekter som kan bidra till en grönare framtid är att se över vårt val av transportmedel. Att cykeln är en del av lösningen och som även bidrar till folkhälsan är något som får allt större plats i samhället. En aspekt som fått allt för lite uppmärksamhet och som är grunden till detta arbete är trasiga, stillastående cyklar. Något som varken gynnar individen eller samhället i stort. Det här arbetet utforskar varför detta sker, hur det kan undvikas och hur man kan få cykelägare att faktiskt reparera sin cykel. Detta genom en användarcentrerad designprocess som utgått från användarnas situation och behov. Projektet är ett examensarbete på kanditatnivå inom utbildningen teknisk design. Projektet har utförts under läsperiod 4, vårterminen 2022 på Luleå tekniska universitet. Genom en användarcentrerad process grundad i flertalet metoder såsom gerillaintervjuer, deltagande observationer, och kontextundersökning skapades en bred bild av nuläget. Baserat på detta gjordes sedan kreativa metoder såsom brainstorming och workshops för att skapa ett stort antal idéer utifrån användarnas behov. En grundlig idéavaluering, mockups samt en dot-voting sållade sedan ner dessa idéer till ett slutkoncept där wireframes och prototypande såg till att konceptet kunde förverkligas. Resultatet av arbetet blev följande; användarna reparerar inte sina cyklar för att de är osäkra, saknar kunskap och inte litar på sin egen förmåga. De anser lagning vara ett projekt som känns jobbigt och svårt att påbörja. Användarna har ett behov av en enkel, tydlig lösning som skapar en trygghet och presenterar relevant information. Denna lösning landade i konceptet En rullande cykel som består av två delar och totalt tre steg. Den första delen är ett antal affischer för att skapa incitament till att laga sin cykel och den andra delen en applikation som innehåller både en guide inför reparation, men också instruktioner under själva reparationen. Detta flöde är ett resultat av den behovs och funktionsanalys som utfördes och vars komponenter har som avsikt att bemöta användarnas behov och förutsättningar för att få fler att laga sin cykel.

Research has focused heavily on the study of Clinical Decision Support Systems. However, CDS systems have generally had little impact on clinical practice. One of the most important reasons is the lack of human-computer interaction (HCI) considerations in designing these systems. Although physicians play an essential role in healthcare decision-making, there is little literature describing physicians' expectations and preferences prior to the development of these systems, which is an essential phase in user-centered design.This study aims to answer the following research question: What do physicians expect of interacting with future clinical decision support systems? An exploratory qualitative study was conducted, and data were collected by interviewing 9 physicians practicing in Sweden. A thematic analysis was used for data analysis, and the findings are four themes: 1) physicians' Expectations related to clinical practice; 2) physicians' expectations related to physician-patient relationship; 3) physicians' expectations related to the physician's role 4) physicians' expectations related to CDS governance.The research findings contribute to the knowledge of Anticipated UX in the context of healthcare and CDS systems. The empirical findings on potential user expectations are valuable for understanding the diversity of user experience and user expectations as phenomena in the specific domain of CDS systems. Service designers can utilize and build on the empirical findings to develop positive user experiences of future CDS systems

In this work, the vector equation of a straight line, a topic in vector geometry that students often struggle to understand, was investigated in an interactive, immersive augmented reality (AR) experience. In a user test, 28 undergraduate engineering students solved different collaborative tasks using the AR tool during a student-centred learning activity in a university mathematics course. Augmented reality combines virtual content with the reality to a create a coherent experience. Compared to desktop or mobile applications, immersive AR experiences, often using head-mounted displays (HMD), can be more engaging due to its multi-sensory user interaction, such as hand gesturing, spatial movement, and the perception of true three-dimensionality in a stereoscopic view. Due to recent improvements in hardware and decreasing costs, AR has been used more frequently in educational settings. Still, compared to the mobile form factor, HMD-based AR studies are underrepresented. While multiple studies report benefits of AR in education, such as increased student performance, achieving these benefits depends on the context of use and the specific AR implementation. The results of this work suggest that the three-dimensional and dynamic nature of immersive AR is well suited to investigating mathematical concepts such as the vector equation of a straight line. Compared to virtual reality (VR) experiences, immersive AR facilitates peer-to-peer interaction. Students were motivated to use the technology and reported task-related learning outcomes from the activity. For university curricula to benefit from immersive AR, interdisciplinary teams need to share knowledge to create appropriate AR experiences. Moreover, an AR implementation should follow a long-term approach and include students from both educational and technical domains into the design process.

This master thesis delves into the design and aesthetics of a specific product in the marine industry, a stabiliser fin. The thesis is in collaboration with the company Humphree which develops and sells one of these fins. The Humphree all-speed fins are mounted on yachts to stabilise the vessel while cruising as well as at zero speed. The fins provide the user with stability and increase the comfort for the whole crew while optimising fuel efficiency. As this fin withstands huge loads and forces the fin should be trustworthy and express so as well. As of today, these criteria might not be fully fulfilled. This is part of the first aim of this thesis, “How can the design be updated to align with customer’s desires?”. Humphree focus is to stabilise marine vessels with their two main products, the stabiliser fins, and their Interceptors. As Humphree grows, the company should explore new markets within the marine area and create products with a common thread, which is a part of the second aim of this thesis “How can the product better showcase its capabilities?”. As the world faces environmental complications and risks, Humphree wants to do their part in the area. The marine market is already seen as a villain in this area, especially in the private sector. This is something that could, and should, be improved as a big part of the world’s population seeks more environmental products. This is investigated in the final aim, “How can the environmental impact of the product be reduced?”. Throughout the pilot study, the principles of Human-Centred design were applied to enhance the quality of the research and facilitate the identification of correlations between information instances. The primary objective was to conduct a pilot study to identify the future requirements for stabiliser fins. This involved primarily interviewing assemblers and people from Humphree, as well as benchmarking and lastly a design review was held to determine the necessary technical solutions. Secondly, a new concept of the fin should be made according to the findings from the pilot study. The thesis resulted in that the new concept should have a material change to aluminium instead of carbon fibre. The aluminium enhances the fin’s robustness and enables repairability, thus improving its environmental friendliness. Design adjustments to the exterior were made to align with Humphree’s product design, optimize mounting efficiency and enhance the fin´s robust appearance. However, the design changes were small as the pilot study confirmed the effectiveness of the current fin design. / Detta arbete fördjupar sig i design och estetik av en specifik produkt inom marinindustrin, en stabiliseringsfena. Arbetet sker i samarbete med företaget Humphree som utvecklar och säljer en av dessa fenor. Humphree’s allspeedfenor monteras på yachter för att stabilisera båten både under färd och stillastående. Fenorna ger användaren stabilitet och ökar komforten för hela besättningen samtidigt som de optimerar bränsleeffektiviteten. Eftersom denna fena utsätts för enorma belastningar och krafter bör fenan vara pålitlig samt förmedla en sådan känsla. Dessa kriterier uppfylls inte idag, och är därför en del av den första målsättningen för denna uppsats, “Hur kan designen uppdateras för att stämma överens med kundens förväntningar?”. Humphree’s fokus är att stabilisera marina fartyg med sina två huvudprodukter, stabiliseringsfenor och deras Interceptorer. Samtidigt som Humphree växer bör företaget utforska nya marknader inom den marina sektorn och skapa produkter med gemensamma designkaraktäristiska drag, vilket är en del av den andra målsättningen för denna uppsats, “Hur kan produkten bättre visa sina förmågor?”. Den marina marknaden ses redan som en bov till miljöpåverkan, särskilt inom den privata sektorn. Detta är något som skulle kunna, och bör, förbättras då en stor del av världens befolkning efterfrågar mer miljövänliga produkter. Detta undersöks i den sista målsättningen, “Hur kan den miljömässiga påverkan av produkten minskas?”. Under pilotstudien tillämpades principerna för användarcentrerad design för att förbättra forskningskvaliteten och underlätta identifieringen av samband mellan olika informationsinstanser. Huvudsyftet var att genomföra en pilotstudie för att identifiera framtida krav för stabiliseringsfenor. Detta innebar främst intervjuer med montörer och personer från Humphree, samt benchmarking och slutligen en designgranskning för att fastställa nödvändiga tekniska lösningar. För det andra skulle ett nytt koncept av fenan utformas enligt resultaten från pilotstudien. Arbetet resulterade i att det nya konceptet skulle ha ett materialbyte från kolfiber till aluminium. Aluminium förbättrar fenans robusthet och möjliggör reparation, vilket därmed förbättrar dess miljövänlighet. Designjusteringar av exteriören gjordes för att anpassa sig till Humphree’s produktdesign, optimera monteringsprocessen och förstärka fenans robusta utseende. Designändringarna var dock små eftersom pilotstudien bekräftade att den nuvarande fenans design var effektiv