Mass Customisation (MC) toolkits are powerful user interfaces that enable customers to engage in the design of their own products. This research follows design research methodology (integrated with design process) to research the user perspective on AM-enabled MC toolkits. This research proposes and validates a design framework to guide designers and software developers in designing a user-centred AM-enabled MC toolkits, enabled using digital fabrication technologies such as Additive Manufacturing (AM). This framework includes pre-implementation assessment, and implementation stages. An initial literature review revealed a lack of standard or universal norms for these user interfaces, and a lack of consistency in their design, in which web objects such as logo, product image, prices, etc. are not shared commonly among toolkits, nor occupy a frequent position. Furthermore, an optimum number of degree of freedom for MC toolkits is lacking from current design knowledge. This research focuses on AM-enabled Mass Customisation toolkits as a means to enable customers design; its concentration is on users. A first quantitative study was conducted to compare and rank of a collection of features. More detailed user requirements regarding the content and layout of MC toolkits were revealed in a workshop. As a part of the second study, four different CAD systems (software programs and 3D-enabling libraries) were used to create MC toolkits. This provided an understanding of the pros and cons of each system, and demonstrated Three.js to be the best system amongst each one s feasibility and application. Based on previous findings, and as a part of the UX-design process, a prototype web-based MC toolkit was constructed, utilising the Three.js library. The prototype was used for a second study as a platform to investigate, the user interaction and usability of the toolkit, to validate the toolkit design as well as provide insights for its improvement. Findings and reflections from all the studies were then visualised and communicated in an interactive design framework. A final study, conducted with professional users (N=4) assessed the usability and technicality of the framework tool and led to a number of suggested improvements. The main contributions to knowledge are: 1- a table was produced to compare the features of four different system, by which Three.js was identified as the most suitable among them 2- most important and expected features for the content were obtained from the user rankings, most frequent location of features for the layout was identified based on the users, and user insights were reflected based on the evaluation of the prototype 3- the UI needs to be flexible in term of degrees of freedom, in another words, each customer (novice or professional) is able to adjust the number of options presented. 4- a framework was proposed through reviewing and adapting existing guidelines and findings from this research.

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Os dispositivos médicos desempenham um papel crucial na gestão de doenças crônicas, e são utilizados por diferentes usuários, em configurações variadas de ambientes, para o tratamento de diferentes doenças com diferentes níveis de gravidade. Esta dissertação tem por objetivo contribuir na captação, mensuração e análise da percepção do usuário em relação ao uso do dispositivo médico. Como objetivos secundários, tem-se: (i) analisar na literatura abordagens e técnicas de avaliação da usabilidade de dispositivos médicos sob a perspectiva do usuário; (ii) desenvolver e ilustrar, através de um estudo de caso com pacientes de hemodiálise, uma metodologia para avaliação da usabilidade de dispositivos médicos; e (iii) apresentar um procedimento de análise para avaliar a usabilidade de dispositivos médicos na perspectiva do paciente de hemodiálise, identificando quais características do contexto de uso podem afetar esta avaliação. Para atingir os objetivos de pesquisa, a dissertação é composta por três artigos que contemplam cada um dos objetivos mencionados anteriormente. No primeiro artigo foram avaliados 42 estudos, na qual cinco abordagens foram mais comumente utilizadas: entrevista, testes de usabilidade, percurso cognitivo, observação e questionário. Para o segundo e terceiro artigos, um estudo de caso com pacientes de hemodiálise foi conduzido. Questionários estruturados foram aplicados para pacientes em ambientes reais de uso, contendo questões a cerca da percepção de uso (máquina, procedimento e ambiente). No segundo artigo uma metodologia para avaliação centrada no usuário de dispositivos médicos foi proposta. Um fluxo detalhado foi gerado, composto por três etapas: planejamento, estudo de campo e análise dos dados, desdobrados em nove subetapas. No terceiro artigo, duas técnicas estatísticas, a Análise de Variância Multivariada (MANOVA) e Análise Fatorial Exploratória (AFE), foram empregadas para investigar a existência de diferenças nos níveis de satisfação do usuário com os aspectos de uso, além da extração de um menor número de fatores para explicar a satisfação geral do usuário. / Medical devices play a crucial role in chronic disease management, and are used by different users in different environments settings for the treatment of different diseases with different levels of severity. This dissertation aims at contributing to the capture, user perception of measurement and analysis regarding the use of the medical device. As secondary objectives, we have: (i) review the literature approaches and techniques for assessing the usability of medical devices in the user's perspective; (Ii) develop and illustrate through a case study of hemodialysis patients, a methodology for evaluating the usability of medical devices; and (iii) present an analysis procedure to evaluate the usability of medical devices in the hemodialysis patient's perspective, identifying context of use characteristics may affect this assessment. To achieve the research objectives, the dissertation consists of three articles that address each of the objectives mentioned above. In the first article were evaluated 42 studies in which five approaches have been most commonly used: interview, usability testing, cognitive route, observation and questionnaire. For the second and third articles, a case study of hemodialysis patients was conducted. Structured questionnaires were administered to patients in actual use environments, with questions about the perception of use (machine, process and environment). In the second article a methodology to assess user-centric medical device has been proposed. A detailed flow was generated, consisting of three stages: planning, field of study and analysis of the data, broken down into nine sub-steps. In the third article, two technical statistics, Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were employed to investigate the existence of differences in user satisfaction levels with aspects of use, and the extraction of a minor number of factors to explain the overall user satisfaction.

Introduction: Enterprise recourse planning (ERP) is a system that combines software, hardwareand people to manage information The aim of this study is to investigate ERP systems effect onbusiness performance (advertised vs. realized benefits) and user’s complaints. It also aims toidentify the most important issue a company faces after implementing an ERP system and if thisstops potential benefits from happening. This will be viewed from a user’s perspective. Approach/Methodology: This research includes qualitative and quantitative primary data withsecondary data to answer the research questions posed. It is based on a number of semistructuredinterviews of people well versed in ERP systems presented in case study form.Alongside, it also utilizes a series of questionnaires presented in tabular form. The data wasanalyzed and linked with theory to provide answers and test assumptions. Findings: ERP systems provide their advertised benefits to a large extent. The most importantorganizational issue after implementing an ERP system is resistance to change and this issueaffects the benefits realization of the system. Finally, user’s complaints about ERP systems arevaried and include the speed of the system, support in error situations and general complexity. Conclusions: Even though it provides many benefits in business performance, an ERP system,selection and implementation in a company is a critical step. The whole process is complicated,resource consuming, takes a long time and can encounter problems. Mistakes in theimplementation cost a company more resources to fix after they happen. In this case preventionis better than cure and the best medicine.Implications and Value of research: ERP system implementation and use should bemethodically planned from the beginning to get maximum benefits realization. This is especiallyimportant in effectively managing change in an organization. In this issue, top level managersshould be aware and committed to. Suggestion for future studies: A possible research that could correlate user complaintcategories already established with age group of respondents under a global perspective.

Os dispositivos médicos desempenham um papel crucial na gestão de doenças crônicas, e são utilizados por diferentes usuários, em configurações variadas de ambientes, para o tratamento de diferentes doenças com diferentes níveis de gravidade. Esta dissertação tem por objetivo contribuir na captação, mensuração e análise da percepção do usuário em relação ao uso do dispositivo médico. Como objetivos secundários, tem-se: (i) analisar na literatura abordagens e técnicas de avaliação da usabilidade de dispositivos médicos sob a perspectiva do usuário; (ii) desenvolver e ilustrar, através de um estudo de caso com pacientes de hemodiálise, uma metodologia para avaliação da usabilidade de dispositivos médicos; e (iii) apresentar um procedimento de análise para avaliar a usabilidade de dispositivos médicos na perspectiva do paciente de hemodiálise, identificando quais características do contexto de uso podem afetar esta avaliação. Para atingir os objetivos de pesquisa, a dissertação é composta por três artigos que contemplam cada um dos objetivos mencionados anteriormente. No primeiro artigo foram avaliados 42 estudos, na qual cinco abordagens foram mais comumente utilizadas: entrevista, testes de usabilidade, percurso cognitivo, observação e questionário. Para o segundo e terceiro artigos, um estudo de caso com pacientes de hemodiálise foi conduzido. Questionários estruturados foram aplicados para pacientes em ambientes reais de uso, contendo questões a cerca da percepção de uso (máquina, procedimento e ambiente). No segundo artigo uma metodologia para avaliação centrada no usuário de dispositivos médicos foi proposta. Um fluxo detalhado foi gerado, composto por três etapas: planejamento, estudo de campo e análise dos dados, desdobrados em nove subetapas. No terceiro artigo, duas técnicas estatísticas, a Análise de Variância Multivariada (MANOVA) e Análise Fatorial Exploratória (AFE), foram empregadas para investigar a existência de diferenças nos níveis de satisfação do usuário com os aspectos de uso, além da extração de um menor número de fatores para explicar a satisfação geral do usuário. / Medical devices play a crucial role in chronic disease management, and are used by different users in different environments settings for the treatment of different diseases with different levels of severity. This dissertation aims at contributing to the capture, user perception of measurement and analysis regarding the use of the medical device. As secondary objectives, we have: (i) review the literature approaches and techniques for assessing the usability of medical devices in the user's perspective; (Ii) develop and illustrate through a case study of hemodialysis patients, a methodology for evaluating the usability of medical devices; and (iii) present an analysis procedure to evaluate the usability of medical devices in the hemodialysis patient's perspective, identifying context of use characteristics may affect this assessment. To achieve the research objectives, the dissertation consists of three articles that address each of the objectives mentioned above. In the first article were evaluated 42 studies in which five approaches have been most commonly used: interview, usability testing, cognitive route, observation and questionnaire. For the second and third articles, a case study of hemodialysis patients was conducted. Structured questionnaires were administered to patients in actual use environments, with questions about the perception of use (machine, process and environment). In the second article a methodology to assess user-centric medical device has been proposed. A detailed flow was generated, consisting of three stages: planning, field of study and analysis of the data, broken down into nine sub-steps. In the third article, two technical statistics, Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were employed to investigate the existence of differences in user satisfaction levels with aspects of use, and the extraction of a minor number of factors to explain the overall user satisfaction.

Os dispositivos médicos desempenham um papel crucial na gestão de doenças crônicas, e são utilizados por diferentes usuários, em configurações variadas de ambientes, para o tratamento de diferentes doenças com diferentes níveis de gravidade. Esta dissertação tem por objetivo contribuir na captação, mensuração e análise da percepção do usuário em relação ao uso do dispositivo médico. Como objetivos secundários, tem-se: (i) analisar na literatura abordagens e técnicas de avaliação da usabilidade de dispositivos médicos sob a perspectiva do usuário; (ii) desenvolver e ilustrar, através de um estudo de caso com pacientes de hemodiálise, uma metodologia para avaliação da usabilidade de dispositivos médicos; e (iii) apresentar um procedimento de análise para avaliar a usabilidade de dispositivos médicos na perspectiva do paciente de hemodiálise, identificando quais características do contexto de uso podem afetar esta avaliação. Para atingir os objetivos de pesquisa, a dissertação é composta por três artigos que contemplam cada um dos objetivos mencionados anteriormente. No primeiro artigo foram avaliados 42 estudos, na qual cinco abordagens foram mais comumente utilizadas: entrevista, testes de usabilidade, percurso cognitivo, observação e questionário. Para o segundo e terceiro artigos, um estudo de caso com pacientes de hemodiálise foi conduzido. Questionários estruturados foram aplicados para pacientes em ambientes reais de uso, contendo questões a cerca da percepção de uso (máquina, procedimento e ambiente). No segundo artigo uma metodologia para avaliação centrada no usuário de dispositivos médicos foi proposta. Um fluxo detalhado foi gerado, composto por três etapas: planejamento, estudo de campo e análise dos dados, desdobrados em nove subetapas. No terceiro artigo, duas técnicas estatísticas, a Análise de Variância Multivariada (MANOVA) e Análise Fatorial Exploratória (AFE), foram empregadas para investigar a existência de diferenças nos níveis de satisfação do usuário com os aspectos de uso, além da extração de um menor número de fatores para explicar a satisfação geral do usuário. / Medical devices play a crucial role in chronic disease management, and are used by different users in different environments settings for the treatment of different diseases with different levels of severity. This dissertation aims at contributing to the capture, user perception of measurement and analysis regarding the use of the medical device. As secondary objectives, we have: (i) review the literature approaches and techniques for assessing the usability of medical devices in the user's perspective; (Ii) develop and illustrate through a case study of hemodialysis patients, a methodology for evaluating the usability of medical devices; and (iii) present an analysis procedure to evaluate the usability of medical devices in the hemodialysis patient's perspective, identifying context of use characteristics may affect this assessment. To achieve the research objectives, the dissertation consists of three articles that address each of the objectives mentioned above. In the first article were evaluated 42 studies in which five approaches have been most commonly used: interview, usability testing, cognitive route, observation and questionnaire. For the second and third articles, a case study of hemodialysis patients was conducted. Structured questionnaires were administered to patients in actual use environments, with questions about the perception of use (machine, process and environment). In the second article a methodology to assess user-centric medical device has been proposed. A detailed flow was generated, consisting of three stages: planning, field of study and analysis of the data, broken down into nine sub-steps. In the third article, two technical statistics, Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were employed to investigate the existence of differences in user satisfaction levels with aspects of use, and the extraction of a minor number of factors to explain the overall user satisfaction.

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När befolkningen blir allt äldre, samhället förväntas bli effektivare, hemtjänstens ansvarsområde breddas och konkurrensen från privata aktörer växer; så behöver hemtjänsten anpassa sig, vilket kräver fler resurser. Frågan är dock hur det fungerar och hur effektiv vår hemtjänst är? Syftet med denna uppsats är att få en förståelse för effektiviteten inom hemtjänsten i området Örnsberg/Aspudden i stadsdelsförvaltningen i  Hägersten/Liljeholmen i Stockholms stad. Detta har undersökts utifrån ett personal- respektive brukarperspektiv, genom en enkätundersökning för personalen och en semistrukturerad intervju med en brukare. Uppsatsen har främst en kvalitativ ansats och grundar sig på teorier kring effektivitet och kvalitet. Studien har visat att både personalen och brukaren känner en hög nöjdhet till hemtjänsten i Hägersten/Liljeholmen. De känner båda att arbetet som ska göras hinns med och personalen upplever ingen stress. Dock anser alla parter att det i allmänhet investeras för lite ekonomiska resurser i hemtjänsten, vilket får oss att undra vad dessa ytterligare resurser skulle användas till, då båda parter anser sig nöjda med sitt jobb respektive sin hjälp. Det är även svårt att fastställa att effektiviteten i Hägersten/Liljeholmens hemtjänst är hög, då endast en brukare intervjuats vilket ger en subjektiv bild av effektiviteten, detta även om vår studie påvisar en hög effektivitet. / As the population ages, the community is expected to become more effective; home-care's responsibilities increase and competition from private home-care givers is growing; the need for public home-care to adapt increases, requiring more resources. The question is how effective is our public home-care service? The purpose of this thesis is to gain an understanding of the effectiveness of home-care services in the area Örnsberg/Aspudden in the municipal district administration office of Hägersten/Liljeholmen in Stockholm. This has been examined from a personnel and user perspective, through a survey for the personnel and a semi-structured interview with the user. The thesis has primarily a qualitative approach and is based on theories about efficiency and quality. The study has shown that both the personnel and the user feel a high level of satisfaction for home-care in Hägersten/Liljeholmen. They both feel that there is enough time for the planed work and the personnel feels no stress during their average workday. However, all parties consider that there is a general under-investment of financial resources in home-care; which leads us to wonder what these additional resources would be used for, when both parties are satisfied with their job and the help they receive. It is also difficult to determine that the effectiveness of Hägersten/Liljeholmen’s home-care service is high, when only one user has been interviewed. Which gives us a subjective view of efficiency, even though our study shows a high efficiency.

This interdisciplinary thesis combines psychological and transportation planning knowledge. Three main questions are investigated: 1) What concepts and ideas do people have with regard to a public transportation system (cognitive user perspective)?; 2) What orientation and information factors within the public transportation system enhance Ease-of-Use and make it simpler and more efficient to use public transportation in metropolitan areas?; 3) How can Ease-of-Use of a public transportation route be measured? A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. Between 2002 and 2007 a total of nine different studies were conducted: An in-depth study on a single exchange student, an interview study with exchange students, a questionnaire study on exchange students, a before-after interview study with travellers on selected bus stops, an before-after telephone interview study on residents, an expert questionnaire study via email, a behaviour observation study on travellers, a before-after questionnaire study on travellers on a tram line, and an on-board questionnaire study. To analyse the cognitive user perspective the term memory representation was introduced, that includes cognitive maps of and additional knowledge about a public transportation system such as service frequency. Memory representation is influenced by experience. Three learning phases in an unknown public transportation system are proposed and a general information search script is described. A new approach is presented regarding the organisation of public transportation knowledge: The ground level is that there exists a public transportation option, the next level is the identification of the mode of transport and at the highest level of the hierarchy is the code for the line. Within the second level, the public transportation mode, a hierarchical structure of public transportation option knowledge is proposed. Three factors are postulated that contribute to the extent to which a line is represented in people’s memory: visibility, straight route layout and labelling. Which orientation and information factors within the public transportation system enhance Ease-of-Use, i.e. match the cognitive user perspective? It was found that trunk bus lines enhanced Ease-of-Use and at-stop real-time information can have various positive effects. The role of good maps is explained and stretched and the importance of consistent information throughout the travel chain is also pointed out. In addition, many valuable concrete hints are given with regard to how to match the system properly with the cognitive user perspective. Undoubtedly, an interaction exists between system and user and they influence each other. This is where the third research question comes in: How can Ease-of-Use in public transportation systems be measured? The iterative process of defining and measuring Ease-of-Use resulted in a scale that measured the defined concept well with good reliability and validity. The final discussion highlights the contribution to science of this thesis and presents some possible paths for further research. The thesis consists of a summary and eight papers. / QC 20100621

Today the ISO 14001 system is used within a rather wide spectrum of firms and industries, even if the early adopters of the standard mainly where organizations in the heavy industry and manufacturing sectors (Peglaue and Baxter, 2007). Many of those early adopters have now been certified for over 10 years, and during the years several surveys and case studies have been conducted to pinpoint the motives, benefits and challenges for why organizations chose to implement and maintain the system (Massoud, 2010; Jiang and Bansal, 2003). However, one issue with research about ISO 14001 up until now is that most studies have focused upon a managerial perspective where the managers´ attitudes have been in focus rather than the employees (Boiral, 2007). Therefore, this case study set out to explore how the employees, the production operators, inside one certified organization are involved in ISO 14001 through a Grounded Theory approach. The results of the study showed that the production operators relied upon different strategies in order to legitimize their involvement in ISO 14001. Further on, the study shows that the production operators where involved in ISO 14001 at a level which was required in order to keep the certification. However, they could not obtain enough legitimacy to motivate an involvement in ISO 14001 which extended what was required in order to keep the certification. Grounded in the discovery of the different strategies used by the employees, this study argues that environmental awareness could be seen as an internal barrier and as a source for unsatisfied employees. Something which risks emphasizes a feeling of being involved in a rational myth (Boiral, 2007).