This research focuses on the development of a new methodology for creating effective websites, especially those used for marketing. It was found that existing methodologies were missing some key stages - user participation and “real interaction” (i.e. monitoring of user interaction with a prototype site). This has led to users being frustrated and lacking loyalty to the website. There is great potential for combining aspects of methodologies from different disciplines; however, these need to be integrated in a coherent way. To address these problems, a new integrated methodology was developed in this research. The new methodology was created from basic concepts derived from: lifecycle models; Information Systems development methodologies; methodologies with explicit human factors aspects; websites methodologies; marketing methodologies; and additional techniques such as task analysis and detailed website design and implementation. After studying the lifecycle model, the researcher identified four key principles, which were the foundation of the research: user participation; iteration; usability and “real interaction”. The way in which these four principles were incorporated in each methodology was evaluated in order to choose the strongest stages to utilize in the new combined methodology. After reviewing techniques for methodology integration, a new draft methodology was produced. To assess the new methodology, two research phases were used - interviews and a questionnaire. In the former phase, the researcher interviewed representatives from nine website development companies in Western Australia to discuss their current methodologies and compared these with the new methodology. / Most of the industry participants were pleased with the structure of the new methodology, as most agreed that it incorporates the necessary requirements to develop a successful website. The interviews generated some recommendations for revisions to the methodology, which assisted the researcher to improve the new methodology. In the latter phase, an online questionnaire was completed by a total of website industry participant andInformation Systems Professionals, in order to assess the revised methodology. Results from the interviews and questionnaire supported the research hypothesis – i.e. that the new integrated methodology can provide a more effective way of developing websites, utilizing the four key principles. This thesis points to the need for further research, including the development of a website describing the new methodology. This website will incorporate a software tool to facilitate selection of particular stages, steps and techniques from theintegrated methodology to produce a tailored methodology for any specific project, thereby implementing the concept of “contingency”.

近年來，智慧型手機成長快速，根據全球市場研究機構TRENDFORCE調查顯示，2013年第四季全球智慧型手機出貨季成長6.5%，達2億六千五百萬支，與去年同期相比成長32.2%。其中小米科技在競爭激烈的市場達成了全球市佔率3%的成績，同時被預估2014年手機出貨上看4,000萬支，取得空前成功。基於此，本研究試圖從使用者參與、口碑行銷與傳遞，以及被廣泛稱為「飢餓行銷」的限量銷售的手法等三個層面對小米所採取的創新作法進行探討，試圖瞭解小米如何在創立至今四年多的時間達成其餘競爭廠商望其相背的成就。 研究結果發現，小米科技發展初期，尚未發行手機硬體前，口碑的形成源自消費者於論壇討論區大量參與MIUI開發與改進所引起關於服務品質、滿意度以及忠誠度的提升。在手機產品上市後，小米科技除了以較競爭廠商更具性能價格比優勢的手機產品吸引消費者外，亦持續透過論壇與服務經營消費者關係，增進了消費者對於品牌口碑傳遞的意願。本研究透過問卷與訪談發現，在小米口碑傳遞內容部分多為其產品之高性能價格比。對於性能價格比優勢，小米科技則是透過限量的搶購模式有效延長產品話題熱度與生命週期，利用常態性關鍵零組件價格走勢降低製造成本，並以手機產品普及後所帶來之服務收入作為其主要營運獲利模式。 本研究亦建議後續研究可針對限量銷售模式、使用者參與程度與口碑內容的影響等方向進一步進行探討，進而對行銷實務上有所貢獻。 / In recent years, a rapid growth in smart-phone usage is observed. According to a study by market research agency, Trendforce, global smart-phone shipment grew at a pace of 6.5% in fourth quarter of 2013 and reached 260 million units. Chinese brand, Xiaomi, alone captured 3% of the global market share during the most competitive period of smart-phone business. It is expected that its 2014 shipment volume will reach 40 million units. Due to this remarkable achievement, this study will analyze the brand from the perspective of end user behavior, word of mouth marketing and the so called "hunger marketing" where limited editions are used, to explore the success of Xiaomi's strategy and its position in the global market within a four year span. The research result indicates that in the early stage of Xiaomi's establishment, prior to their involvement in hardware, the awareness were already establishing from forum discussion of service quality, consumer satisfaction and loyalty, and the development of MIUI. When the hardware eventually launched, Xiaomi's selling point came not only from its low cost strategy, but they continued to participate in forum studies in consumer service level and naturally created brand viral. Consumer market research shows that leading awareness focuses on Xiaomi's high performance/cost ratio. To build on this advantage, Xiaomi uses a limited volume strategy to create brand viral and prolongs product life cycle. It takes advantage of the declining price trend of key components to lower manufacturing costs and income from the software services to enhance operating profit. Further study is recommended on the benefits and results of limited volume strategy, user participation and word of mouth marketing.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att närmare studera användarnas roll vid planering, utveckling och användande av smarta elnät, vad man kan dra för lärdomar av pågående projekt inom utvecklingen av smarta elnät när det kommer till användarnas roll i projekten, samt ge rekommendationer för ett framtida arbete. Detta gjordes genom en fallstudie av två sammanhängande projekt inom en kommun i Sverige som för närvarande arbetar med smart stadsutveckling och smarta elnät. Empiriinsamling skedde med hjälp intervjuer av boende och ansvariga i projektet samt projektdokumentation.   Resultatet visar att de boendes roll i planeringen av projektet inte var stor, och att de inte räknades in bland de viktiga intressenter som enligt rekommendationer skulle vara delaktiga i projektet. Vidare skedde användarmedverkan i en begränsad form vid utvecklingen av den teknik som skulle användas hemma hos de boende, och då främst i form av användartester efter det att systemen hade tagits fram.  Vidare visade intervjuerna på ett bristande engagemang hos användarna när det kommer till att använda tekniken som finns tillgängliga i det smarta nät som utvecklats inom kommunen. Dessa resultat utgör viktiga lärdomar för framtida projekt.    Rekommendationerna som togs fram för ett framtida arbete inom smarta elnät är främst att det bör ske en ökad involvering av användare under samtliga delar i projekt rörande smarta elnät för att säkerställa en relevant och demokratisk samhällsutveckling och att detta bör ingå i projektens målsättningar. Vidare bör framtida projekt undersöka möjligheterna med att studera och arbeta med sociala praktiker inom energianvändning, för att undersöka hur man kan skapa en övertygelse hos de boende som leder till en ökad vilja att spara energi, och utnyttja de tekniska verktyg som gör detta möjligt. Det krävs även arbete för att hitta ytterligare incitament till aktiv energibesparing för att optimal användning av de smarta näten ska kunna uppnås. / Smarta elnät och tjänsteutveckling för hemmet – vem är i behov av en smartare vardag?

Over the years, researchers have argued that user friendly and result oriented systems were not necessarily products of participatory user involvement; however there is a degree of user involvement required in the development process of any Information System. The aim of this research is to discover the level of user involvement in in-house software development process in All Nigerian Bank (ANB). We use two research methods - survey and process observation. A survey was conducted for 107 end users and 10 developers (programmers) of 5 selected in-house developed software solutions; we complement our survey with an active observation of a typical software development process. Relative to the five in-house software solutions studied in our reseach; our study reveals that user involvement in the development process on the whole for these five solutions has been 8% participative, 18% representative, 33% consultative and 41% informative. 67% of end user respondents agreed that these specific in-house developed solutions are user friendly while 62% said solutions meet business needs. This result is a clustered representation of the 5 cases as a way of exploring the “normal in-house development process” in ANB We conclude that the level of user involvement relative to business needs and user friendliness is a reflection of a number of factors which include ANB’s business strategy, organizational culture and politics; other factors include weak Nigerian labour laws, low ethical standards and high unemployment rate. / Contact Mobile PhoneNo : +2348067982450

The Department of Engineering Science at University West in Trollhättan was in need of a new system for scheduling personnel, as the existing system is based upon an Excel-file and is hard to work with and does not provide an easy way for the users to collaborate.The purpose of this study was to examine how existing principles and guidelines regarding interface design can be used to create a new web based system with a high usability. The purpose is also to examine how participatory design affects the design process and outcome.To create a system with a high grade of usability, a number of existing rules and guidelines regarding usability and a number of subjects regarding interaction design, were used by the development team as tools.Even though the study showed that usability guidelines can be a valuable tool and provide a good foundation it is important to emphasize the use of other techniques. For example the use of participatory design, which in the study was found to be of great value to the development team. / Institutionen för ingenjörsvetenskap vid Högskolan Väst i Trollhättan var i behov av ett nytt tjänsteplaneringssystem då det nuvarande system som är Excel-baserat är svårt att arbeta med och ej erbjuder något effektivt sätt för användarna att samarbeta.Syftet med studien var att studera hur de principer och riktlinjer som finns gällande interaktionsdesign kan användas för att skapa ett nytt webbaserat system. Syftet var också att undersöka hur deltagande design påverkar design processen och dess resultat.För att skapa ett system med en hög grad användarbarhet har ett antal regler och riktlinjer som berör användarbarhet och ett antal begrepp inom interaktionsdesign använts av utvecklingslaget som verktyg.Även om studien visar att användning av användarbarhetsriktlinjer kan vara ett värdefullt verktyg och erbjuda en god grund är det viktigt att använda fler tekniker. Till exempel användandet av deltagande design, som i studien har funnits vara av stort värde för utvecklingslaget.

Detta arbete ämnar till att öka förståelsen kring hur systemutvecklare idag arbetar och hanterar användare i utvecklingsprocesser. Det som gör detta arbete unikt är att detta arbete grundar i att ta reda på hur systemutvecklare arbetar och hanterar användarmedverkan ur ett praktiknära perspektiv i utvecklingsprojekt. Syftet med detta arbete är att presentera läsaren till termen användarmedverkan och presentera för- och nackdelar med att implementera användarmedverkan i systemutvecklingsprojekt. Anledningen till detta är för att användarmedverkan används i stor utsträckning vid skapande av system för att få till ett accepterat system. Inför detta arbete har en kvalitativ metodansats implementerats. Tillhörande till den kvalitativa metodansatsen har semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomförts med respondenter som är verksamma inom systemutveckling. Detta för att belysa hur utvecklare idag arbetar med användare ur ett praktiknära perspektiv. Genom en bearbetad analys har detta arbete presenterat ett resultat i form av hur utvecklare idag arbetar och hanterar användare i utvecklingsprocesserna. En generell summering av resultatet är att respondenterna till detta arbete arbetar olika med användare beroende på vad för projekt som ska utföras. En gemensam nämnare är att samtliga respondenter anser att användarmedverkan är ett bra verktyg för att få en acceptans av produkten som ska skapas. En ytterligare gemensam nämnare är att majoriteten av respondenterna anser att det är viktigt med att det är rätt slutanvändare till utvecklingsprojekten. Detta för att bidra till mindre kommunikationsproblem och ett effektivare samspel mellan utvecklare och användare.

Smart metering and precise measurement of energy consumption levels have brought more detailed information and interest on the actual load profile of a house which continues to improve consumer-retailer relationships. Participation in demand response (DR) programs is one of these relationships but studies have shown that there are considerable impacts resulting to some level of discomfort on consumers as they aim to follow a suggested load profile. This research therefore investigates the impact on consumers while participating in DR programs by evaluating various perspectives that includes:  Modelling the causes discomfort during participation in DR programs;  Evaluation of user participation capabilities in DR programs;  Identification of schedulable and non-schedulable loads and opportunities;  Application of load scheduling mechanism which caters for specific user concerns.  Investigation towards ensuring a secure and robust system design. The key source of information that enhances this work is obtained from data on historical user behavior which can be stored within a smart controller installed in the home and optimised using genetic algorithm implemented on MATLAB. Results show that user participation in DR programs can be improved and effectively managed if the challenges facing home owners are adequately understood. This is the key contribution of this work whereby load schedules created are specifically tailored to meet the need of the users hence minimizing the impact of discomfort experienced due to participation in DR programs. Finally as part of the test for robustness of the system design in order to prevent or minimize the impact of any event of a successful cyber-attack on the load or price profiles, this work includes means to managing any such attacks thereby mitigating the impact of such attacks on users who participate in demand response programs. Solutions to these attacks are also proffered with the aim of increasing robustness of the grid by being sufficiently proactive.

Förståelsen för användarnas behov är i centrum för att kunna utveckla produkter som är välanpassade för användarna. Skidutrustning är generellt definierad av sina funktioner, användbarhet och sin prestanda och därför är dess utveckling till stor grad styrd av teknik. Hur företag går tillväga för att uppfylla användarnas behov ser olika ut från företag till företag. Forskning kring olika metoder för användarinvolvering görs för att kunna ta fram produkter som på bästa sätt uppfyller användarens behov. Syftet med denna studie är att studera hur användarna involveras i produktutvecklingsprocessen för skidutrustning. Undersöka vilka metoder företagen använder för att involvera användarna och under vilka faser de involveras, samt att erhålla information om hur denna data bearbetas och hur den används i produktutvecklingsprocessen. Studien analyserar hur olika skidföretag i Norden integrerar användarna i sina utvecklingsprocesser och diskuterar sedan dess fördelar, nackdelar och konsekvenser. En litteraturstudie gjordes för att ta fram en teoretisk referensram. Fyra olika skidföretag i Norden som producerar alpinskidor intervjuades utifrån en intervjuguide som tagits fram för att svara på studiens frågeställningar. Därefter transkriberades intervjuerna, nyckelord hittades och sex stycken teman togs fram. Dessa teman är; under vilken fas användaren involveras, fördelar, utmaningar, val av användare, val av metod för användarinvolvering och grad av användarinvolvering. Alla företagens likheter och olikheter analyserades och jämfördes mot varandra och mot litteraturen under dessa sex teman, därefter kunde slutsatser dras under alla dessa teman. Studien kom fram till att prototyptestning är viktig för produktutvecklingen enligt samtliga intervjuade företag. Användarna kan utöver prototyptestning involveras på flera sätt och till högre samt lägre grad, det är också möjligt att användarna inte involveras utöver prototyptestning. Samtliga företag ansåg att de involverar användarna så mycket som de tycker är passande och möjligt för produkten som utvecklas. När företagen jämfördes mot varandra visade det sig att graden och metoden av användarinvolvering varierade mycket. Trots att de delar samma syn gällande att användarinvolvering är gynnsamt för utvecklingen av produkter. Det spekulerades kring paralleller mellan företagens framgång samt grad av användarinvolvering men inga tydliga slutsatser kunde dras. / In today's society, it is inevitable that the need for users' inputs are increasingly utilized by companies. Understanding the users' needs and wishes is at the center of being able to develop products that are well adapted to the users. Research on different methods is available in many different business areas as there are several examples of its profitability. Ski equipment is generally defined by its features, usability, durability and performance, therefore is its development largely governed by technology. The origin and purpose of this study is to investigate how the users are involved in the ski manufacturing business area. This study explores different methods for user involvement and seeks to understand how different degrees of user involvement are used in practice relative to the literature. This study further analyzes how different ski companies in the Nordic countries integrate users into their product development process and investigates its advantages, disadvantages and consequences. A literature study was conducted to develop a theoretical reference framework composed by various theories that had previously been researched. Thereafter, four different ski companies who produce alpine skis in the Nordic countries were interviewed based on an interview guide that had been developed to answer the research questions. Subsequently, the interviews were transcribed, keywords were traced, six themes were developed and studied in more detail. These themes are; the product developments phases, benefits, challenges, choice of user for the development process, choice of method for user involvement and degree of user involvement. All the companies' similarities and differences were analyzed within the six themes and conclusions were drawn under all of the themes. This study displayed that prototype testing is important for the product development process and is used by all interviewed companies. In addition to prototype testing, users could be involved in more ways and to greater extents. The interviewed companies showed similarities when users were involved in prototype testings but in retrospect, differences in choice of methods and degree of user involvement was immensely varied between the companies. All the companies felt that they involved the users as much as they thought fit and was possible for the product to develop. However, when the companies were compared to each other, it turned out that the degree of user involvement varied greatly. Parallels between the companies' success and degree of user involvement are speculated but no clear conclusions could be drawn.

Introduction. This thesis aims to investigate user participation in two selected music websites, The Metal Archives (also known as Metal-Archives or MA) and Discogs, as well as gather knowledge about how their databases and web interfaces are designed. Music genres are often associated with a culture or subculture. We wanted to investigate how the subcultures of metal music fans and record collecting has made an impact in these online archives, since the users who contribute to the archives are the ones who drive the archives forward. Method. To answer our research questions we described the designs of the websites themselves, as well as conducted surveys and one interview. Our survey material comes from user responses to two separate Google Forms surveys. The interview is a qualitative semi-structured interview conducted via e-mail with a policy expert from The Metal Archives. In addition to this, we supplemented it with a summary of an earlier interview with Discogs founder Kevin Lewandowsky. Qualitative method was used for analysis of both surveys and the interviews. Results. Both websites function as participatory archives since the user contributions are voluntary. Many who contribute do so out of a “Love for the culture”. While both user communities share a love for music, Discogs also focuses on its users selling physical records. Respondents from the surveys show an altruistic motivation for participating. To them, sharing contributions with others in the community feels important. Conclusion. Regarding website design, we found that both sites employ point systems as a motivating factor to ensure further user contributions. When it comes to user participation, both sites have active communities and can be seen as examples of crowdfunding. In the case of Metal-Archives the users showed a certain affect, passionately contributing data for its own sake. While both websites function as “Community Archives”, the culture differs. Metal-Archives is more elitist in nature and subcultural while Discogs aims to catalogue music from any genre. Furthermore, the search systems differ in that Metal-Archives is centred around finding bands while Discogs uses complex hyperlinking derived from the culture of vinyl record collecting. The thesis concludes that these two study objects show an example of community and the contributions of passionate fans online, as well as how the amount of information about music can benefit future research in music.  This is a two years master’s thesis in Archival Science.

The housing problem in South Africa is complicated by the cultural diversity and the rapidly changing nature of the population. This indicates a need for research to help to determine "what appropriate housing is" for various sectors of the South African population. Social researchers and design professionals therefore have to combine their efforts to provide house designs that will be appropriate to the housing needs and values of a variety of future occupants. This study focuses on the impact of rapid change in the sociophysical environment (modernization) on people's experience of the quality of their relationship with their home environments. An approach is proposed through which groups of individuals, who share similar needs and requirements regarding their housing, can be identified for inclusion in a process of participatory design. A theoretical framework is developed to account for the variety of perspectives of participants (users, researchers and design professionals) in the design process. Through application of the theoretical framework, a novel approach to the determination of "what to design for whom" is developed. The "modernity fit" concept is introduced to describe the quality of the relationship between people and their housing in terms of a rating of the modernity of both human and housing characteristics. It is proposed that the quality of the relationship or "fit" between the modernity of human characteristics and the modernity of the physical characteristics of the house influences people's experience of their houses. Results of this study indicate that the "modernity fit" concept opens up new avenues for research to assist in the design of housing in developing countries. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)