In earlier research it has been shown that a personalizable product, one that is flexible and can be tailored to suit the users’ needs, can offer a closer, more emotional and personal attachment to the product that affects the way the product is used and experienced. The possibility to personalize a product can increase both user experience of the product and usability, since unwanted functions and appearance related features can be removed and other features more usable and relevant to the user can be chosen. The objective of this paper is to show that the possibility to personalize a product is beneficial for users emotional responses towards the product. In this paper data from a study that used experience prototyping to study what happens if computerized interface personalization features are brought into the vehicle context. Twenty participants participated in a study, where a personalizable vehicle driver interface prototype was evaluated with a number of methods, for example interviews and Microsoft product reaction cards. The interface prototype was integrated in a high fidelity driving simulator and the participants interacted with the system both while driving the simulator and while standing still in order to be in the right context for increased ecological validity. All of the participants would, to some extent, like to use a system like this in their own cars. The possibility to make a product ones’ own with a personal touch was important for many participants. This makes the users feel better and the product funnier and more entertaining to use. The usefulness and flexibility of the system was the most salient features and about 22% of the words best describing the users experience with the interface were related to their emotional experiences. It can be concluded that personalizable vehicle interfaces can increase both the usefulness and the user experience with the product.

Recent decline in active transport and increase in motorised transport decreases physical activity and increases air pollution. Using games to motivate people to change their behaviour towards active transport can mitigate this. We proposed Tic-Tac-Training, a distributed, collaborative and competitive game for promoting active transport at workplaces. Tic-Tac-Training was developed through a multidisciplinary and iterative user-centred design (UCD) process in four stages: (i) paper prototype, (ii) low-fidelity prototypes, (iii) high-fidelity prototypes, (iv) digital prototype. User testing and playtesting (N=12) yielded a number of improvement suggestions. We also analysed how Tic-Tac-Training supports the eight core drives of gamification (Octalysis), and presented 17 lessons learned in four categories. Findings suggest that UCD can be useful for developing exergame interventions for workplaces. Moreover, the lessons learned can benefit exergame designers. More research is needed to measure the behaviour change effect of Tic-Tac-Training and its applicability to other use cases.

This paper presents a design teaching approach that aims to support students to shift their approach when exploring, prototyping and testing user interactions with physcical products. This is conducted in a bttom-up, iterative manner to change the perspective from focusing on the opportunities of user-involvement during the form-giving process, rather than prematurely stressing the design outcome. Instead of emphasising on aesthetics and appearance, the desing approach emphasises how users perceive, interact with and experience products.

Through a series of workshops, a pedagogical approach was developed for exploring and designing user actions with physical products, based on the notion of ’action layers’. Action layers offer a mindset of designing, which facilitates understanding of, and design for, intuitive and tangible interaction. The approach builds on product semantics and emphasises cognitive and action-based paradigms to create intuitive and embodied information-for-use.

Action layers present product interaction as a sequence of four steps; invite, engage, enable, and confirm. In the workshops, students iteratively explored form, prototyped and tested interaction with users through sketching with physical models, starting with minimal surface and edge treatments, eventually ending up with functional cues and meaningful form for a certain product type and environment. Through testing and evaluation, students learn to understand user behaviour, relate to their own expectations and intent to the design situation, and iteratively improve the design.

The outcomes suggest that students advance their insights on how users interpret, respond to and interact with products, which consequently extends their ability to design products better suited for use.

Highly specialised personnel are dependent on others and diverse systems to perform error-free aircraft maintenance. Research has shown that the maintenance process can be improved to reduce errors and increase usability by using a mobile tool. The goal of this project was to draw on theories of user-centred design to explore what human factors issues for maintenance personnel can be addressed by a mobile tool to make the most out of maintenance planning, execution, and follow-up. Military aircraft maintenance personnel at an air force unit were interviewed and observed. The following six problem areas that could be improved by the use of a mobile tool were identified: several information sources must constantly be consulted; information is constantly transferred between different locations and media types; technical documentation can be inconsistent and hard to access; there are strict hierarchies and certifications of personnel; the means of recording and transferring communicative information are insufficient; and there can be a long lag time for updates, error reporting and feedback of actions. A correctly designed mobile tool could solve these problems by combining all the information sources and recording relevant maintenance information.

This paper presents a design teaching approach that aims to support students to shift their approach when exploring, prototyping and testing user interactions with physical products. This is conducted in a bottom-up, iterative manner to change the perspective from focusing on the opportunities of user-involvement during the form-giving process, rather than prematurely stressing the design outcome. Instead of emphasising on aesthetics and appearance, the design approach emphasises how users perceive, interact with and experience products. Through a series of workshops, apedagogical approach was developed for exploring and designing user actions with physical products, based on the notion of ‘action layers’. Action layers offer a mindset of designing, which facilitates understanding of, and design for, intuitive and tangible interaction. The approach builds on product semantics and emphasises cognitive and action-based paradigms to create intuitive and embodied information-for-use. Action layers present product interaction as a sequence of four steps; invite, engage, enable, and confirm. In the workshops, students iteratively explored form, prototyped and tested interaction with users through sketching with physical models, starting with minimal surface and edge treatments, eventually ending up with functional cues and meaningful form for a certain product type and environment. Through testing and evaluation, students learn to understand user behaviour, relate to their own expectations and intent to the design situation, and iteratively improve the design. The outcomes suggest that students advance their insights on how users interpret, respond to and interact with products, which consequently extends their ability to design products better suited for use.

The aim of the interdisciplinary HealthCloud pre-study project was twofold: to further

knowledge of user experiences of inclusive interface design specifically for an ageing

population, and to develop a digital service for senior persons with sensory decline to promote

healthy living and active ageing. A co-design approach was chosen to investigate the project

aim and knowledge and user experiences was jointly developed and evaluated in three

sequential steps in a participant-group of senior persons. In the design of the conceptual user

interface, the identified core aspect involved a strive for utility: quality of appropriateness in

use, and significance: how designs assume meaning in the ways they are used, as well as

simplicity: to reduce, organize, and making it enjoyable to use. The digital service outcome

consists of validation of previous research themes: keeping the family together; enjoying life

at home; being close to nature; self-development; and promoting conditions for healthy

ageing. The pre-study project outcomes are prototypes of digital health service content and

interfaces, aimed for a future digital HealthCloud service. Participants in the reference-group

found the developed interface easy to use regardless of previous computer skills and they

were also motivated and stimulated by the developed prototypes for promoting active ageing

on a daily basis. Participants also expressed a desire to display and recommend such digital

Design Engineers are capable of changing inequality through a design approach and design solutions. Therefore we as design teachers should consider it our responsibility to educate students to recognise inequality as a dimension of emphasising with potential future use and users. We believe that there is a current societal need for educating our design engineer students about such matters, in order to create more sustainable societies. Norm Creative Design is described as design approaches that include critical thinking of current use and users, with special emphasis on challenging current norms. Thereby, Norm Creative Design challenges current inequality to explore broader what-if scenarios for innovative solutions ranging from radical and critical designs to inclusive design solutions. This paper exemplifies how Norm Creative Design approaches are implemented in a course at Industrial Design Engineering [IDE] at Luleå University of Technology [LTU]. In design projects the students discuss how norms and examples of unawareness can exclude and discriminate people. The students are also provided with a number of design strategies for challenging norms which range from radical designs with a dual intent of thinking new and diverse, and stimulating discussions of ethics and discrimination, to inclusive design-for-all, including a diversity of people in the design solutions. The course outcomes includes students becoming broad need finders, and inclusive design thinkers, with skills in conceiving, designing, implementing and operating design based on a broad ethical and norm critical perspective. In our view, such skills should be part of teaching and learning activities in all design/engineering educations. 

Denna rapport redogör för andra delen av förstudien AIM4S (Attitudes, Insights andMotivation for Safety). Studiens syfte och mål har varit att undersöka hur eninteraktiv träningsmiljö, som med hjälp av s.k. gamification, skulle kunna fungerasom verktyg för att förmedla säkerhetsrutiner. Inom ramen för studien har 43personer testat en prototyp av en interaktiv spelliknande miljö för träning avsäkerhet och efter det besvarat en enkät. Några av testpersonerna har ävenintervjuats. Resultatet av denna studie visar att den interaktiva träningsmiljönupplevs positiv och att den har förutsättning att kunna utgöra ett bra verktyg förlärande av säkerhetsrutiner.Den interaktiva träningsmiljön anses förmedla information och regler på ettlättillgängligt, roligt och tydligt sätt. En interaktiv träningsmiljö tycks kunna fungerabåde för inlärning, påminnelse och ökad riskmedvetenhet. Det är dock oklarthuruvida inlärningsformen kan bidra till minskat risktagande och till att sänkaantalet arbetsplatsolyckor i realiteten. För att detta ska ske tycks det vara viktigt attden interaktiva träningsmiljön inte upplevs som för lätt utan att den kan utmana ochmotivera till fortsatt ”spelande”. Många respondenter önskar även att träningsmiljönska uppmuntra till ”upptäckarglädje” och inte bestraffa en användare som önskarutforska träningsmiljön genom att ibland välja fel svarsalternativ. Vidare efterfrågasäven tydliga visualiserade konsekvenser av felaktiga val i den interaktivaträningsmiljön som kan verka som avskräckande exempel vid bristandesäkerhetsrutiner. Detta resultat har likheter med den första delen av förstudienAIM4S och det kan rekommenderas att utbildningsmaterial bör utvecklas så att de påemotionell påverka kan påverka brukaren till minskat risktagande för att därmedkunna bidra till färre arbetsplatsolyckor i industrin.

Denna rapport redogör för förstudien AIM4S (Attitudes, Insights and Motivation for Safety). Studiens syfte och mål har varit att undersöka hur LKAB-anställda och entreprenörer uppfattar olika typer av nya visuella representationer av säkerhetsrutiner, som tagits fram av företagshälsan vid LKAB, samt att undersöka hur interaktiv träningsmiljö, som med hjälp av s.k. gamification, skulle kunna fungera som verktyg för att förmedla säkerhetsrutiner. Enkätsvar och intervjuer bland LKABs anställda och LKABs entreprenörer visar att det finns ett behov av visuella representationer i verksamheten som kan påminna och uppmana till ett säkert handlande. Det upplevs positivt att det påminns om säkerhet på flera sätt, hellre en gång för mycket än en gång för lite. Studien visar att många avställda ofta tummar på säkerhetsföreskrifterna av bekvämlighetsskäl, men många tror att de visuella representationerna till viss del kan bidra till att de påminns om rutinerna och om riskerna de utsätter sig för om de bryter mot reglerna – vilket också ökar motivationen att följa dem. Den faktor som flest av de tillfrågade anser vara den mest kritiska orsaken till varför det ibland slarvas med säkerhet är en brist på lättillgänglig säkerhetsutrustning. Om säkerhetsutrustningen inte finns nära till hands utför man det man upplever som mindre riskfyllda arbeten utan säkerhetsutrustning. Skälet uppges vara bekvämlighet snarare än tidspress. En osäkerhet för gällande rutiner finns hos de anställda. De efterfrågar material i form av checklistor eller träningsprogram att gå tillbaka till vid säkerhetsronder och upplärning av nyanställda. Bland de entreprenörer som deltagit i studien finns en önskan om mer kunskap om given arbetsplats och dess eventuella risker då de inte har samma kunskap om detta som LKABs anställda.Denna studie visar att bilder och filmer i verksamheten uppfattas positivt av anställda eller entreprenörer. Visuellt material anses förmedla information och regler på ett lättillgängligt sätt. Materialet fungerar både för inlärning, påminnelse, ökad riskmedvetenhet och ändrat handlande. Det är dock oklart huruvida bilderna och filmerna fyller sitt syfte med att sänka antalet arbetsplatsolyckor. Den visuella representationen som samtliga tillfrågade ansåg bidra mest till ett minskat risktagande var dokumentärfilmen, som genom att anspela på känslor, emotion, påverkade de anställda och entreprenörer. Dokumentärfilmen skapade en förståelse för hur lätt olyckor kan hända och gav en riskmedvetenhet som flera bar med sig under det egna arbetet. Tysta tavlor och tysta filmer ansågs bra för att ständigt påminna om rutiner. Samtliga personer som deltog i studien förhöll sig neutrala eller försiktigt positiva till en interaktiv träningsmiljö, dvs. gamification av säkerhetsföreskrifterna. De ansåg att det skulle kunna vara bra för inlärning av rutiner genom att bidra till ett mer aktivt tänkande. Aktiviteten fick dock inte bli för enkel och barnspelslik och de ingående exemplen kändes svåra att bedöma utan att ha testat dem. En prototyp av spelet skulle behövas för en bättre utvärdering av åsikter kring detta. Affischer med LKAB anställda ansågs trevliga. En del associerade affischerna med säkerhet på fritiden eller bibehållen hälsa medan de flesta hade svårt att se syftet. Konst på fasader upplevdes fint och önskvärt men ansågs inte bidra till att sätta säkerheten först.