| 1. |
- Georgsson, Mattias
(författare)
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Toward Patient-centered, Standardized, and Reproducible Approaches of Evaluating the Usability of mHealth Chronic Disease Self-management Systems for Diabetes
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting 422 million patients worldwide according to World Health Organization data with 30.3 million in the United States and 64 million in Europe. The prevalence speaks to the need for improved ways to support patients in disease self-management. mHealth solutions are increasingly used for this; however, usability is a current challenge affecting patients’ mHealth use. Recent literature emphasizes an increased focus on patient-centeredness in diabetes care, user-centeredness in chronic disease mHealth system design and standardized, systematic approaches for usability evaluation. The aim of this thesis and its individual studies was to incorporate these foci into the evaluation of two mobile health self-management systems for diabetes.Study I used ISO standard 9241-11 to examine the relationship between selected group characteristics of diabetes patients on specific interaction outcomes to quantitatively identify needed system modifications. Study II utilized a multi-method design to assess diabetes patients’ mHealth usage and combined two novel analytic methods to structure and analyze results. Study III used a modified, user-oriented heuristic evaluation (HE) method, validated tasks and in-depth severity factor ratings to identify critical problems from patients’ point of view. By developing and employing a modified, user-centered cognitive walkthrough method (UC-CW), study IV assessed its effectiveness and efficiency in finding relevant usability problems for users as well as patients’ acceptance. The modified CW was validated against the golden-standard user test with Think Aloud.Study I emphasized the importance of considering user characteristics in mHealth performance as these influenced interaction outcomes. All patients had difficulties with multiple-step tasks. Patients more recently diagnosed were able to perform tasks more successfully, with fewer errors and at faster times and had higher satisfaction scores; similar outcomes to the more experienced users. Educational level did not, however, seem to influence performance. In study II, the usability test with Think-Aloud (TA), in-depth interviews and questionnaires contributed to 19 consolidated issues, and triangulated on 5 critical usability problems for users. The combined analysis methods resulted in structured, categorized descriptions to aid in problem-solving. In Study III, the disease-related, critical information deficiencies found by expert evaluators using the modified, structured method also converged on and highlighted potentially adverse user concerns. Study IV demonstrated that the UC-CW found more critical user problems compared to the user test with TA despite both methods producing similar major average severity ratings and violations of heuristic categories. The modified method was more efficient per detected problem and experienced as less cognitively demanding and with a higher ease of use.These studies offer different approaches that include patient-centered, efficient and user-acceptable methods and method modifications to detect critical usability issues for users. Importantly, improved mHealth designs for users could mean improvement in interactions, interaction performance, increased adoption, and long-term perhaps even increased adherence to interventions for chronic conditions.
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| 2. |
- Grünloh, Christiane
(författare)
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To Share or Not to Share? : Expectations of and Experiences with eHealth Services that Allow Users Access to their Health Information
- 2016
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis investigates expectations of and experiences with eHealth services that allow users access to their health information. Although eHealth services are endorsed by many politicians and patients, they are met with strong resistance by health care professionals. Lacking this support hinders the uptake of the full potential of the service, especially with relation to patient participation and empowerment.This research investigates the frames of reference that are constructed by stakeholders in relation to eHealth services, such as direct-to-consumer genetic testing and electronic health records. The results are based on empirical data gathered during an experiment with media informatics students in Germany, and from interviews with physicians in Uppsala, Sweden.The eHealth services in question were framed by the participants of the conducted studies as potentially harmful for its users. The negative expectations were based mainly on a generalized view of patients as not sufficiently knowledgable and hence unable to understand the health information provided by the service. The participants in the reported studies (physicians and students in their role as designers) felt a responsibility to prevent any potential harm for the users of the eHealth service. Due to the framing based on assumed negative consequences for a supposedly vulnerable user group, the participants preferred to advocate against access rather than for patient empowerment and participation. Accessing health information was associated as holding little value for the users.This research enhances the understanding of the elements underlying this skepticism and concern. It shows that a specific view of patients and/or prospective users of an eHealth system can result in incongruent technological frames and value attribution. In line with participatory and value-sensitive design approaches as well as the aim to increase technology acceptance, patients and health care professionals should not only be included in the design process but also engage in joint activities in order to enable reframing.
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| 3. |
- Larusdottir, Marta K.
(författare)
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User Centred Evaluation in Experimental and Practical Settings
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The objective of this thesis is to obtain knowledge regarding how effective user centred evaluation methods are and how user centred evaluations are conducted by IT professionals. This will be achieved by exploring user centred evaluation in experimental and practical settings. The knowledge gained in these studies should inspire suggestions for further research and suggestions for improvements on the user centred evaluation activity. Two experimental studies were conducted. One compares the results from using three user centred evaluation methods, and the other examines two factors while conducting heuristic evaluation. The results show that the think-aloud evaluation method was the most effective method in finding realistic usability problems of the three methods. The number of critical problems found during think-aloud evaluation increases, if heuristic evaluation is conducted prior to the think-aloud evaluations. Further, two studies of user centred evaluation in practical settings were performed. The IT professionals participating in those studies were using the software development process Scrum to plan their work. The results show that user centred evaluation is infrequently conducted in Scrum projects, compared to testing activities like acceptance testing. The main type of evaluation is qualitative. Few participants measure user performance or use surveys to gather quantitative results on the usability and the user experience. IT professionals get feedback from users in an informal way and gather informal feedback from peers. Many participants use a mixture of methods for gathering feedback on their work. The outcome of this thesis shows that IT professionals should be encouraged to include users whenever possible when evaluating software, for example by using the think-aloud method. Using heuristic evaluation prior to conducting think-aloud evaluations is also recommended. In addition, IT professionals are encouraged to evaluate their software in an informal way frequently, rather than waiting for the right time to conduct a thorough quantitative evaluation. To advance this field further, researchers who want to improve the evaluation activity for the IT professionals should study how user centred evaluation methods could be combined in an efficient way and how the use of qualitative evaluation methods could be made more effective.
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| 4. |
- Johansson, Stefan, 1963-
(författare)
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Design for Participation and Inclusion will Follow : Disabled People and the Digital Society
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Digitalization is rapidly taking over all aspects of society, but still there are parts of the population who have to struggle for access to, and to be able to use, the digital resources. Design processes and outcomes in the form of artefacts, that takes accessibility into account, is key to participation. This gives the designer a central role in providing for a more equal participation of all, in the digital society. The work in this thesis contributes to a better understanding of the prerequisites for participation in the digital society, and in the design processes to accomplish this, by presenting research done together with three communities: people with cognitive impairments, people with mental health issues and homeless people.The overall question has been How can participation in the digital society be understood? We have investigated the nature of difficulties or enabling factors for people with impairments, people with mental health issues and homeless people, when using the internet. We have also investigated possible digital divides within the groups, and how they can be explained.Ontologically, the work is based on an assumption that knowledge is to be found in a dialectic interplay between the material world and how we interpret what is going on in this world. The underlying epistemological assumption is that data has to be empiric, and critically interpreted in dialogue between members of the communities, which are being researched, and other stakeholders. This work draws on the idea of emancipation and that research can be liberating.The work also takes on a pragmatic stance. We have used adapted versions of Emancipatory Participatory Research, and of Participatory and Value Sensitive Design, thus making them accessible to people with cognitive impairments, people with mental health issues or homeless people. We have tested and adapted methods for sampling of rare populations, to enhance the quality of quantitative studies of how people with impairments and people with mental health issues have access to, and are using, the internet.In our research, we have found fourteen prerequisites, all of which need to be in place to provide for participation. To promote participation, we need a toolbox of methods and accessible tools. Finally, to analyse what is going on we need an analytical model which allows for analysis on multiple levels and from multiple perspectives.As a result, I here propose, define and position a framework for researching and understanding participation in the digital society, based on three parts: Guidelines, Ethics and Statistics. Guidelines can be understood as the theories, the regulations, the standards, etc. that inform our thinking. Ethics guide us in the right direction. Statistics make progress or lack of progress visible.The conclusion is: if we plan for participation - by improved statistic survey sampling methods, a participatory approach to collaborative research and in using research methods in an accessible and emancipatory way – inclusion will follow.
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| 5. |
- Johansson, Stefan, 1963-
(författare)
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Towards a framework to understand mental and cognitive accessibility in a digital context
- 2016
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This digitalization has in many ways contributed to greater inclusion but access to the digital community is not evenly distributed in the population, and we can see that groups of citizens do not feel involved in the transition to a digitalized society, or are not involved as much as they would actually like.The purpose of this thesis is to discuss how designers and developers to a greater extent can be able to take account of accessibility requirements for people with mental and cognitive impairments. The discussion is based on the study “Pilot study on accessibility of electronic communications for persons with mental disabilities”, literature reviews and my experience from almost 25 years of work in the field.The design and development processes I primarily want to highlight are those that produce digital products and services in what we call the mainstream. Mainstream is the society in which we act as citizens have rights and duties, and where we should be able to realize our dreams, wishes and needs, where we find friends, family, education, livelihood and meaningfulness in the activities and the tasks we perform.The persons who participated in the study describe situations where:Design and development processes often fail to meet the need for cognitive simplicity.Many in themselves relatively simple functions, processes and activities can, used together create new and unknown difficulties.Support processes malfunction.Knowledge of user requirements is missing or does not reach out to the people and the processes where this knowledge would be useful.The people also describes that they are never involved in the design- and development processes, and that the knowledge and experience they possess is not being utilized.There is a need for a transfer of knowledge from the areas that produce knowledge today (rehabilitation, assistive technology, special solutions) to the mainstream. There is a need to explore and describe the knowledge and experience persons with mental and cognitive disabilities possesses. There is a need to work closely with persons who have mental and cognitive disabilities directly in mainstream-solutions in order to improve the digital society. Methods seem to be further developed on how to do this cooperation, in research, in innovation and in ordinary societal processes.The thesis presents a proposed framework for the design and development processes to be able to meet accessibility requirements for persons with mental and cognitive disabilities.
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| 6. |
- Lundström, Anders, 1981-
(författare)
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Designing Energy-Sensitive Interactions : Conceptualising Energy from the Perspective of Electric Cars
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- As technology is increasingly used in mobile settings, energy and battery management is becoming a part of everyday life. Many have experienced how quickly a battery can be depleted in a smartphone, laptop or electric cars, sometimes causing much distress. An important question is how we can understand and work with energy as a factor in interaction design to enable better experiences for end-users.Through design-oriented research, I have worked with the specific case of electric cars, which is currently a domain where people struggle in terms of energy management. The main issue in this use case is that current driving range estimates cause distrust and anxiety among drivers. Through sketches, prototypes and studies, I investigated causes as well as possible remedies to this situation. My conclusion is that instead of providing black-boxed predictions, in-car interfaces should expose the logics of estimates so that drivers know how their own actions in e.g. driving style, climate control, and other equipment, affects energy use. Revealing such energy mechanisms will not only empower the driver, it will also acknowledge the impact of variables that cannot be predicted automatically.In this work, understanding the dynamic aspects of energy has emerged as central to interaction with systems. This points to a need to design energy sensitive interactions - focusing on supporting users to find the right balance between energy use and the experiential values sought for. To ease design of energy sensitive interactions, energy use is divided into three different categories with accompanying ideals. These are exergy (always needed to achieve the required interaction), intergy (controllable and changing over time and use, needs to be addressed in design), and anergy (always waste that needs to be reduced). This articulation highlights aspects of energy that are specific to interaction design, and possible aspects to expose to allow more energy-efficient interactions in use.
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| 7. |
- Stadin, Magdalena, 1987-
(författare)
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The digitalised work environment : Health, experiences and actions
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: The aim of this thesis was to examine the association between technostress, operationalised as information and communication technology (ICT) demands, and indicators of work-related stress, as well as its association with self-rated health. Additional aims were to identify occupational groups at risk with regard to ICT demands, and to describe experiences of technostress and how it was handled by healthcare managers.Methods: The thesis includes four individual papers. Papers I–III have a quantitative (cross-sectional or prospective) study design and are based on data derived from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) and collected between 2006 and 2016. Data was analysed by statistical methods, such as linear and logistic regression analysis. Paper IV has a qualitative study design and is based on data from 20 semi-structured interviews with healthcare managers. The data was analysed using the critical incident technique.Results: ICT demands were correlated with job strain and effort-reward imbalance, especially the demands and effort dimensions of these measures. High ICT demands were associated with suboptimal self-rated health in cross-sectional analyses and in prospective analyses including repeated measurement. Managers, and particularly ‘managers in healthcare and other community services’, followed by ‘managers in education’, had the highest odds ratio of ICT demands, in comparison with both ‘non-managers’ and ‘all other managers’. Healthcare managers’ experiences of technostress could be categorised into the main areas ‘negative aspects of digital communication’, ‘poor user experience of ICTs’ and ‘needs to improve organisational resources’. The actions they took to cope with technostress were categorised into the main areas ‘culture, norms and social support’, ‘individual resources’ and ‘organisational resources’.Conclusions: Technostress operationalised as ICT demands is associated with suboptimal self-rated health. Occupational groups differ in their exposure to ICT demands by industry and position. Organisational efforts to ensure a sustainable and healthy digital work environment are warranted. ICT demands should be assessed against ICT resources for a comprehensive understanding of their association with health.
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| 8. |
- Tobiasson, Helena, 1964-
(författare)
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Traces of Movement : Exploring physical activity in societal settings
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- How are we moving, or how much physical activities are present in societal settingssuch as eldercare units, schools, universities and offices? This general question was explored using different design-oriented approaches in four cases, with children,elderly, students and office workers. The results unveil a complexity of the problemarea that initially seemed quite straightforward. In many of the explored settings and situations, and for many of the participants, the activities they are engaged with do not include or encourage their abilities for physical movements to any great extent and this is not in line with the extent of movement that they actually desire. Physical activity can be defined as an activity performed through movement that expends energy. Research results from the public health domains and related areas show a major concern for the negative effects related to low levels of physical activity and prolonged sedentary postures found in many of the above-mentioned settings. In general, physical activities of today seem mainly related to sports, and specific activities designed for improving health and well-being. The participants in the four explorative case studies in this thesis demonstrated how they would like their physical activities to be integrated in the everyday activities of the different settings explored and not mainly as a separate activity specifically dedicated for health and well-being. How can knowledge of physical activity inform the design and development of interactive products and systems in these settings? New insights were gained through design-oriented explorations together with the participants inthe different field settings and through analysis of these observations. The results are not only the insights gained through the analysed empirical observations but also include a physical activity-oriented design method called Physical Movement Sketching as well as experiences from using Movement Probes. The experiences from using these two design methods led me to formulate a proposal for a new approach called Movement Acumen Design. This approach applies a socioecological perspective on physical activities. It provides methods and concepts to support the integration of physical activities into everyday activities performed with the support of interactive technology and it argues that physical activity should reclaim a more central role in these situations. Let us design for it to happen!
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| 9. |
- Cajander, Åsa, 1971-
(författare)
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Usability – Who Cares? : The Introduction of User-Centred Systems Design in Organisations
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis analyses the difficulties encountered in the promotion of usability, especially in relation to occupation health issues, when developing IT systems in a public authority. It examines what happens when User-Centred Systems Design (UCSD) approaches are introduced to organisations with in-house systems development for their employees. It studies how stakeholder values affect the outcomes in terms of usability, occupational health, and institutional acceptance. Moreover, new methods are examined and evaluated as potential tools for assisting the adoption of UCSD. These methods are for example Field studies for system developers, Usability coaching for stakeholders and Management views of usability.A stated aim is to influence systems development in practice. Hence an action research paradigm has been employed, carrying out research and change in real life settings, gathering and analysing data using qualitative techniques.This thesis is based on a constructivist perspective, where theories in the areas of learning and organisational change have been used in order to better understand the research questions.The research demonstrates that most people are enthusiastic to, and interested in, UCSD with a focus on the computerised work environment. Many of the stakeholder groups, such as managers, users, project managers and system developers, changed their construct of identity as well as practice when UCSD was introduced.However, this research shows that there are several values that affect systems development and hinder usability work. These include for example value of rationality and objectivity, and differing values and perspectives underpinning descriptions and discourse on work and systems development. Values such as automation, efficiency, and customer satisfaction shape the development of new technology, and ultimately the tasks, work practices integrated in IT systems.Moreover, the results demonstrate that even though many consider usability as important, few take active responsibility for it, as the title of this thesis suggests.
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| 10. |
- Eriksson, Elina, 1979-
(författare)
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Situated Reflexive Change : User-Centred Design in(to) Practice
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Technology used in the Swedish workplace is perceived to be controlling, gener- ally still difficult to use, and with a low degree of usability. Even though the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has been concerned with researching different ways of developing usable systems for at least half a century, there seem to be problems with the diffusion of the results into practice. One of the possible approaches to developing usable systems is user-centred design, and in this thesis I am concerned with the issue of introducing user-centred design and usability work in public authorities and institutions. I will present work done in two different research projects with a focus on change, where the aim has been to introduce or enhance usability work. Through a lens of social construction- ism and reflexivity I will explore the outcome of the projects and the implica- tions for the introduction of user-centred design in practice. Furthermore, I will explore whether the focus on the introduction of usability work might hinder the formation of a sustainable change in the organizations interested in devel- oping usable systems. The research question then becomes; can we introduce usability work in organizations?The answer to this question is no. Instead, we need to change our perspective from introduction to situated reflexive change: focusing on sensemaking and a situated process of ongoing change, where the stakeholders in the organization themselves must play an active and responsible part. This entails a shift from dualism to duality and a reconsideration of what our usability methods can con- tribute with. Furthermore, I will explore possible approaches to working with situated reflexive change with tools that are familiar in the field of HCI, but with an expanded scope. In particular I will discuss field studies conducted by system developers as a tool for making sense of usability issues, personas as a tool for inducing reflexivity in and on practice, and usability coaching as a sensemaking tool for both organizational stakeholders and researchers in order to understand and reflect upon change.
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| 11. |
- Forsslund, Jonas, 1983-
(författare)
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Preparing Spatial Haptics for Interaction Design
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Spatial haptics is a fascinating technology with which users can explore and modify3D computer graphics objects with the sense of touch, but its application potentialis often misunderstood. For a large group of application designers it is still unknown,and those who are aware of it often have either too high expectations of what is technicallyachievable or believe it is too complicated to consider at all. In addition, spatialhaptics is in its current form ill-suited to interaction design. This is partly because theproperties and use qualities cannot be experienced in an application prototype until asystem is fully implemented, which takes too much effort to be practical in most designsettings. In order to find a good match between a solution and a framing of aproblem, the designer needs to be able to mould/shape/form the technology into a solution,but also to re-frame the problem and question initial conceptual designs as shelearns more about what the technology affords. Both of these activities require a goodunderstanding of the design opportunities of this technology.In this thesis I present a new way of working with spatial haptic interaction design.Studying the serially linked mechanism from a well-known haptic device, and a forcereflectingcarving algorithm in particular, I show how to turn these technologies froman esoteric engineering form into a form ready for interaction design. The work isgrounded in a real application: an oral surgery simulator named Kobra that has beendeveloped over the course of seven years within our research group. Its design hasgone through an evolutionary process with iterative design and hundreds of encounterswith the audience; surgeon-teachers as users and potential customers. Some ideas, e.g.gestalting authentic patient cases, have as a result received increased attention by thedesign team, while other ideas, e.g. automatic assessment, have faded away.Simulation is an idea that leads to ideals of realism; that e.g. simulated instrumentsshould behave as in reality, e.g. a simulated dental instrument for prying teeth is expectedto behave according to the laws of physics and give force and torque feedback.If it does not, it is a bad simulation. In the present work it is shown how some of therealism ideal is unnecessary for creating meaningful learning applications and can actuallyeven be counter-productive, since it may limit the exploration of creative designsolutions. This result is a shift in perspective from working towards constantly improvingtechnological components, to finding and making use of the qualities of modern,but not necessarily absolute cutting-edge, haptic technology.To be able to work creatively with a haptic system as a design resource we needto learn its material qualities and how - through changing essential properties - meaningfulexperiential qualities can be modulated and tuned. This requires novel tools andworkflows that enable designers to explore the creative design space, create interactionsketches and tune the design to cater for the user experience. In essence, this thesisshows how one instance of spatial haptics can be turned from an esoteric technologyinto a design material, and how that can be used, and formed, with novel tools throughthe interaction design of a purposeful product in the domain of dental education.
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| 12. |
- Wiggberg, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
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Defining digital excellence: requisite skills and policy implications for digital transformation
- 2022
-
Ingår i: IEEE Access. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 2169-3536. ; , s. 1-1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The skills required to realise the potential of technological transformation to preserve humanity and our fragile world ecosystem in the next decade will centre on the development of digital solutions. This paper discusses the issue of characterising these competencies, since a definition is needed in order to ensure an adequate supply of cutting-edge scholars and a highly educated and agile technological workforce. The paper takes a mixed methods approach combining insights distilled from a rapid literature review, with interviews with leading practitioners and industry leaders. The validity and reliability of the results have been ensured through expert workshops and focus groups. The outcome is a robust definition of what digital excellence entails as well as a road map guiding educational policy and the future supply of digital excellence in national workforces.
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| 13. |
- Blomkvist, Stefan
(författare)
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User-centred design and agile development of IT systems
- 2006
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Despite the knowledge on the interaction between humans and computers, too many IT systems show great deficits when it comes to usability. Every day we run into technology that makes our every day life and our work unnecessarily complex and difficult because of the IT systems that are not designed to support our tasks in a usable way. This thesis deals with different aspects of usability and the process of how to develop usable IT systems effectively. Primarily, the systems concerned are used in professional work, such as case handling systems in large government organisations.The main objective of this research is to understand which essential factors in the system development process that facilitate the development of usable IT systems. Another key subject is how human-computer interaction (HCI) knowledge can be integrated into systems development, in particular the integration of user-centred design (UCD) and agile software development. The research is based on a qualitative approach and on reflections from my own experience in development projects. It also includes exploratory studies and design cases.The attempts of bridging the gap between HCI and software engineering have not been notably successful in practice. To address some of these problems, there is a need for a more precise definition of user-centred design, which is proposed in the thesis. Also, the complicated reality of systems development is not considered enough by HCI researchers and practitioner. To reach better results, UCD has to be integrated as a natural part of the development process. In the thesis, I argue that the agile approach together with UCD can be a good starting point for this integration. The agile approach emphasises that responding to change in development is more important than strictly adhering to a plan. Also, it prioritises regular deliveries of working software over extensive models and documentation. However, from an HCI perspective, agile processes do not inherently provide the required support for user-centred design. Nevertheless, the basic values and specific methods of agile development may have the potential to work very well together with UCD. For instance, iterative development is fundamental to both user-centred design and agile development.Finally, the research addresses how iterative methods can be used to find design solutions that support the users to cope with the problems of overview and control in case handling work.
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| 14. |
- Boivie, Inger, 1959-
(författare)
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A Fine Balance : Addressing Usability and Users’ Needs in the Development of IT Systems for the Workplace
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- IT systems with poor usability are a serious problem in many workplaces. Many workers, particularly office workers, spend a large part of their workday at the computer, and usability problems can cause frustration and impact negatively on productivity. This thesis discusses some of the problems associated with addressing usability and users’ needs in IT systems development.Usability issues and users’ needs are often marginalised or even abandoned in systems development. Technical issues and deadlines are given precedence, while usability activities and user activities are cut back or cancelled. Research shows that there are various obstacles to usability and user involvement, including difficulties with understanding the usability concept, insufficient usability expertise and a lack of time and resources.This thesis presents a number of studies that look at the problem from different angles. The main question is why usability and users’ needs are marginalised in bespoke systems development, where IT systems are built for a specific work context. The research presented in this thesis also addresses user-centred systems design as a way of integrating usability issues and users’ needs into systems development. The thesis concludes with a discussion about different ways of viewing and representing the users’ work: the systems theoretical view and the view of work as a social process. The former emphasises the formal aspects of work and views users as components in an overall system, whereas the latter focuses on work as a social process and people as active agents. The discussion concludes with the argument that the conflict between these two views is played out in the systems development process, which may help explain some of the difficulties that arise when working with usability and users’ needs.
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| 15. |
- Cajander, Åsa
(författare)
-
Values and perspectives affecting IT systems development and usability work
- 2006
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Computer supported work is often stressful and inadequate computer systems and poor usability contribute to the problem. Still the work situation, and work environment of users are seldom considered when developing computer systems, and it is difficult to incorporate the ideas of User Centred Systems Design (UCSD) in practice. Hence, this research addresses the difficulty in integrating usability, UCSD and occupational health issues in IT systems development in order to improve the resulting work situation and well-being of users. How do basic values and perspectives of stakeholders in systems development projects affect the work with UCSD, usability and users’ health issues in the organisations studied?This research aims at influencing systems development in practice; hence, research is carried out in real life settings with an action research approach. Data is gathered and analysed with a qualitative research approach with interview studies, meetings with stakeholders, analysis of documentation, observations and field studies. The theoretical framework adheres to situated action, participatory design, and UCSD that stresses the importance of involving users in the design process.This research shows that several basic values and perspectives affect systems development and hinder the usability work, for example, the perspective on user representatives, the value of rationality and objectivity, and the perspective underpinning descriptions and discourse on work. Moreover, this research indicates that the strong business values of automation, efficiency and customer satisfaction shape the development of new technology, and ultimately the tasks and work practices of the civil servants. In short, the studies show that there are some contradictions in business values and the implementation of user-centred systems design, usability and health issues in systems development.Attitudes and perspectives are not easily changed, and change comes gradually. In these organisations, we continuously discuss the integration of health issues in systems development, and by introducing and changing the models of systems development these will hopefully enable communication and change forwards of new perspectives and values. However, a focus on models alone is insufficient and therefore we need to develop a systematic approach to include reflection and new perspectives. Perhaps the reflection itself would help us see our values and perspectives and to alter them?
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| 16. |
- Eriksson, Elina
(författare)
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Making sense of usability : Organizational change and sensemaking when introducing user-centred systems design in public authorities
- 2009
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Computers have become an everyday encounter, not at least in work settings. These computers must support the user in order for her to work in an effective and efficient manner. The field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has among other things been focusing on this issue, and there are numerous methods and activities that aim at helping developers to develop usable computer systems. However, the methods and activities must be used in practice in order to be beneficial, not only within research, thus the methods must make sense to the system developers, as well as the organization in which they shall be applied. Furthermore, the organization must change in order to incorporate these methods and activities, and this change must impact a larger part of the organization than just the IT-department.My research has revolved around the introduction of usability methods in public authorities, in particular user-centred systems design (UCSD). My methodology has been action research, which implies a close collaboration with practitioners. Some of the methods used to gather data have been interviews, participatory observations, research diaries and field studies.In this licentiate thesis I present my work up to date and the theories that have informed my understanding of organizations and organizational change. Furthermore I have been influenced by the sensemaking theory, which can be used in order to understand how people make sense of technology, methods and organizational change. With the help of these theories, I extend my results further than presented in the papers.The notion of organizational change when introducing usability issues has not achieved sufficient attention in the HCI-field. This thesis is a step towards an understanding of this issue. Furthermore, I have, with the results from my papers together with the theories presented shown that although formal documents can be used to promote change, it is not enough. Rather there is a need to further explore the interplay between formal aspects and the situated work, and how to enhance sensegiving in this sensemaking process.
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| 17. |
- Gulliksen, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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Digital spetskompetens – den nya renässansmänniskan : Genomlysning, definition, prognosverktyg och rekommendationer för framtida utveckling
- 2020
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Rapport (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Att Sverige ska vara “bäst i världen på att utnyttja digitaliseringens möjligheter” är sedan 2011 regeringens övergripande digitaliseringsmål. Regeringens digitaliseringsstrategi från 2016 bryter ner målet i fem delmål, där digital kompetens är det som lyfts först och innehåller största andelen förslag. För att möta näringslivets och offentlig sektors behov måste matchningen av kompetens och behovet av en ökad digitalt kompetent arbetskraft tillgodoses enligt digitaliseringsstrategin. I “Smart industri”, regeringens nyindustrialiseringsstrategi, lyftes digitalisering av industri och ökade kompetensbehov, i regeringens nationella strategi för informations‐ och cybersäkerhet måste Sverige stärka behovet av kompetensförsörjning inom området. Det betonas även i regeringens nationella inriktning för artificiell intelligens från 2018 att om Sverige ska vara ledande i att tillvarata AI:s möjligheter för ökad välfärd och stärkt konkurrenskraft, behöver vi öka andelen personer som har de kunskaper som behövs för att använda och utveckla AI. I OECD:s analys “Going Digital in Sweden” från 2018 av vad Sverige behöver göra för att vara bäst i världen på att utnyttja digitaliseringens möjligheter, konstateras att bristen på digitala specialister och digital spetskompetens är en flaskhals för innovation och tillväxt i Sverige och behovet kommer att öka när digitaliseringen utvecklas och nya teknologier som AI får genomslag. Även Digitaliseringsrådet efterfrågar ett gemensamt agerande från arbetsmarknad, näringsliv och utbildningssektorn för ökad matchning mellan utbud och efterfrågan på digital kompetens samt för ökad jämställdhet i IT‐ branschen. Begreppet digital spetskompetens har flitigt använts i media och rapporter, utan att ha haft en gemensamt överenskommen definition eller betydelse. Denna rapport har analyserat och penetrerat digital spetskompetens för att förstå hur begreppet uppfattas av näringsliv och offentlig sektor, av de som anställer och de som utbildar, av de som själva besitter digital spetskompetens och de som har behov av att anlita sådan. Vi har diskuterat vad utbildning spelar för roll, huruvida det krävs en bred digital förståelse eller djup unik spetskompetens inom ett specifikt område, vad färdigheter har för betydelse, huruvida attityder och värderingar spelar någon roll och huruvida det krävs en konstant vidareutveckling av kunskapen för att kunna sägas besitta digital spetskompetens. Rapportens titel “Digital spetskompetens – den nya renässansmänniskan” är vald för att belysa de många krav och förväntningar som läggs på den digitalt spetskompetente i att vara såväl högutbildad och allmänbildad, vara ansvarstagande, föränderlig och stadigt i vidareutveckling, etc. Vi ser en förväntansbild som visar på komplexiteten att faktiskt kunna definiera begreppet på ett heltäckande sätt. Begreppet renässansmänniska avses inte tolkas maktstrukturellt. Arbetet har genomförts under perioden januari‐april 2020 av undertecknande forskare vid KTH och Uppsala universitet. Förutom huvudförfattarna har även Jeffrey Buckley, postdoktor i teknikvetenskapens lärande, bidragit med sammanställning och analys av litteraturen och rapid reviewprocessen. Vi vill härmed tacka alla som bidragit genom intervjuer, workshops, analyser och diskussioner och framför allt våra uppdragsgivare från UKÄ och Tillväxtverket för stöd och diskussioner under projektets gång. Tack också till Helena Bernald som korrekturläst och bistått med transkribering. För rapporten svarar dock huvudförfattarna.
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| 18. |
- Gulliksen, Jan, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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The 'New' New Normal-Digitalization and Hybridization of Work and Education Before, during and after the Covid-19 Pandemic
- 2022
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Ingår i: Interacting with computers. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0953-5438 .- 1873-7951.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Before the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, work and education on the university campus were considered superior to equivalent activities conducted digitally or remotely. Despite being significantly digitally mature, many organizations did not consider or even permit digital or hybrid participation in meetings and education. In March 2020, the lockdown following the pandemic caused the transition of many organizations and most universities to online-only operation in record time. Often, this occurred while maintaining quality and production, even if some aspects relating to the user experience were lost. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze how digitalization following the pandemic influenced and transformed the digital work environment in higher education. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, provided the experiences and data for this article. In conclusion we distinguished different phases of digital work and education before, during and after the pandemic: 1. The Pre-Pandemic Phase, 2. The Emergency Remote Phase, 3. The New Normal, 4. The Slow Acceptance Phase, and 5. The Dividing Phase, or what we refer to as The 'New' New Normal. In this phase it looks like it will be a battle between three perspectives; those who are looking to get back to the pre-pandemic conditions, those living in The New Normal, and those actively analyzing the lessons learned and aiming for The Thoughtful Blended Phase. Analyzing these five phases we discern that the implications for the future will be heavily dependent on the following aspects: management commitment and support; well-functioning technology and support organization; understanding the effects digitalization will have on culture, organization and well-being; increasing interest in participating in pedagogical development; new designs needed for hybrid work and education; the need to rethink structure and contents of meetings; and paying extra care and attention to the psychological well-being of staff and students.
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| 19. |
- Göransson, Bengt, 1960-
(författare)
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User-Centred Systems Design : Designing Usable Interactive Systems in Practice
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Have you ever been frustrated with that IT system at work that does not behave the way you expect it to? Or had problems with using the features on your new mobile phone? When systems and appliances do not support us in what we are doing, and do not behave the way we expect them to, then usability is neglected. Poor usability may be frustrating and irritating when trying out your mobile phone, but in a critical work situation poor usability may be disastrous.In this thesis, user-centred systems design (UCSD) is advocated as an approach for facilitating the development of usable interactive systems. Systems that suit their intended use and users do not just “emerge”. They are the result of a UCSD process and a user-centred attitude during the development. This means in short that the real users and their needs, goals, context of use, abilities and limitations, drive the development – in contrast to technology-driven development. We define UCSD as: a process focusing on usability throughout the entire development process and further throughout the system life cycle. I argue that this definition along with a set of key principles do help organisations and individual projects in the process of developing usable interactive systems. The key principles include the necessity of having an explicit focus on users and making sure that users are actively involved in the process.The thesis provides knowledge and insights gained from real-life situations about what UCSD is and how it can be put into practice. The most significant results are: the proposal of a clear definition of UCSD and a set of key principles encompassing UCSD; a process for usability design and the usability designer role. Furthermore, design cases from different domains are provided as examples and illustrations.
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| 20. |
- Hardenborg, Niklas, 1977-
(författare)
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Designing Work and IT Systems : A Participatory Process that Supports Usability and Sustainability
- 2007
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Since the use of computers and IT systems has become an essential part of many people’s daily work, the quality of IT systems’ is becoming more important for efficient, healthy and sustainable work. It has often been argued that the full potential of a new, supportive IT system seldom is achieved, because – despite implementation of the new system - outdated work procedures are still being preserved. We can also see an increase in occupational health problems that are related to the use of poorly designed IT systems. This thesis addresses the questions of how to create a process for developing a sustainable, IT- supported work for the future and how to provide a solid foundation for the development of IT systems. What underlying perspectives should be applied and how can such a process be carried out in practice? Utilizing an action research approach inspired by participatory design methods, a user-centred seminar process called the Vision Seminar Process (VSP) has been developed to address these questions. Observations are presented from three cases in which the VSP has contributed to the organizations’ development and during which the Vision Seminar Process itself continued to evolve. The process provides a framework where practitioners and designers cooperate in the design of both sustainable work and usable IT systems. It is of central importance that a reflective in-depth analysis of users’ work practices is carried out, that their entire work situation and organization is questioned and discussed, and that the design process is carried out with a focus on healthy and sustainable work. Underlying perspectives that advocate a focus on a future work are essential for the successful implementation of the process, in that IT should be the engine that drives the development of work and creates the conditions for a healthy, sustainable work.
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| 21. |
- Hussain, Dena
(författare)
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A Framework for Digital Inclusion : An Agile Software Initiative for Bridging the Digital Divide
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Digital inclusive services refer to technologies designed to diminish social inequalities and ensure equal access to information and communication technologies for all individuals. Previous research has explored various strategies and assessment methods to promote digital inclusion, including the use of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), co-design methodologies, and customised ICT platforms. These studies have compared results obtained through different approaches, such as assessment techniques, user preferences, and technical barriers. While there is a growing need for digital services to be inclusive, there has been limited research exploring how development methods, accessibility features, and stakeholder involvement intersect. Moreover, to fully utilise the potential of technology for societal benefit, it is essential to consider the perspectives of various stakeholders, including developers, designers, policymakers, and end-users alike. Thus, effective promotion of digital inclusion requires a multi-stakeholder development process, actively involving stakeholders with diverse expertise, such as developers, user experience (UX) designers, and accessibility specialists. This thesis aims to explore various factors that can influence the development of inclusive digital services, focusing on the dependencies among stakeholders, agile processes, and accessibility qualities. Employing a mixed methods approach, including workshops, interviews, and surveys across five studies, this research investigated and identified current development processes, as well as the relationship between stakeholder knowledge and accessibility attributes. Each study pursued specific objectives to analyse factors such as the dependencies among stakeholders, their roles, and knowledge levels. By gaining insights into stakeholders' perceptions of accessibility requirements and guidelines, key themes and patterns emerged in the development of a dependency framework. This framework underscores potential dependencies, including stakeholders' domains and the use of customised ICT tools. In conclusion, the research highlights the imperative for continuous collaboration and recognition of factors influencing interdependencies in the development of inclusive digital services. The thesis underscores that sustaining accessibility qualities requires ongoing efforts, considering variations in stakeholders' awareness and roles. The main contributions lie in highlighting the importance of tools that foster collaboration between software engineering and human-computer interaction, ultimately bridging the gap in ensuring inclusive digital services.
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| 22. |
- Kitkowska, Agnieszka
(författare)
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Homo Varius: Investigating Intrinsic and Extrinsic Determinants to Explain Online Privacy Decisions
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- When people interact with others, they control how much personal information they reveal, and, hence, make decisions about their privacy. Similarly, in online settings, they decide how much personal information they expose. However, online, their decisions might have greater consequences because of the persistent nature of disclosed information and technological complexities. Hence, technologies should provide people with comprehensive knowledge, enabling informed choices, and reducing privacy risks. Nevertheless, little is known about the interplay of the different factors that influence people's privacy choices. Sometimes, people over-disclose their personal information despite their privacy concerns, presumably relying on fast thinking of homo heuristicus. Yet, it is common to expect that people's decisions should result in more "rational" outcomes; this may decrease privacy risks - here, bringing to the forefront thinking of homo economicus. This thesis presents insights into the understanding of online privacy decisions. Through a series of studies, we investigate the many factors that influence privacy-related attitudes and behaviors. Our work examines the interaction of the intrinsic (e.g., personality) and extrinsic (e.g., visual design of a privacy interface) determinants of online choices (e.g., disclosure). Overall, we demonstrate the complexity of human decisions in the context of online privacy, suggesting that people's choices are context-dependent and the borders between decisions of the homo heuristicus and economicus are blurry. Thus, we conclude that it is homo varius that can make privacy-aware choices by switching between rational calculations and heuristical thinking, depending on the interplay of different intrinsic and extrinsic determinants. This work provides a knowledge base for future studies investigating privacy decisions. Further, it contributes insights for privacy practitioners (e.g., designers) that may help improve current privacy designs.
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| 23. |
- Lárusdóttir, Marta Kristín
(författare)
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Listen to your users : The effect of usability evaluation on software development practice
- 2009
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A vast majority of the people in the western world use software systems on daily basis for achieving their goals. To be able to do that each person needs to communicate what he or she wants to do to the system and receive a response. This communication needs to be easy for the user, especially when the system is new to him or her. Otherwise, the user either quits using the system; it takes a very long time or gets very irritated. A software team that is making new software needs to evaluate the usability of the system and various methods have been introduced in the literature to do that.My research focus in this thesis is on usability evaluation. I study particularly, how usability evaluation methods can be compared, what data should be gathered in usability evaluation to gain knowledge on how the software affects users who are getting new software for their daily work and how useful this data is to the recipients.Two experiments are reported in this thesis where results from using three different usability evaluation methods are compared. The main result from these two studies is that the think-aloud evaluation method should be used, if the goal of the evaluation is to gather as realistic information as possible on usability problems that the users will have when using the system.Furthermore four case studies are described in the thesis, in which usability evaluation was done by using the think-aloud method in co-operation with real users in their real work situation. These studies give much richer information on the actual use of the systems involved.The findings from one of these case studies indicate that the results from user observation done on a system that users have not seen before or used only for few days are rather similar to the results from usability evaluation done when users have used the system for a longer period. So the common practice of doing user observation on a software system that the participants have not seen before and then interpreting that the results will be the same for actual usage of the system when users will use the system for their real tasks for shorter or longer period is adequate.
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| 24. |
- Tobiasson, Helena, 1964-
(författare)
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There’s More to Movement than Meets the Eye : perspectives on Physical Interaction
- 2010
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this monograph the use of physical movements in the human-computer interaction situation is treated historically, theoretically and empirically. Current technology enables use of a broad variety of movements in interaction, which here has been studied in designing activities for and with elderly people. That experience is put into context of theories of bodily movement, and participatory design. A theme is to visualize perspectives on physical movements in the human computer interaction situation and to point out possible synergies for the design of interactive system from the domains of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction), Interaction Design and Human Factors/Ergonomics. With the thesis I want to add to the motivation to ensure that physical movements, and the way we physically can use our bodies, is incorporated as material in design and as a parameter in evaluation of interactive systems. My interest in this field derives from my background as practitioner in physiotherapy and expert in physical ergonomics during eight years and from ten years of design experience from research projects within the HCI domain. This background, with one leg from physiotherapy and ergonomics and the other in the HCI research domain, influences my perspective. The motivation for this work is that movements are central for human well-being in many situations and over time. We, as human beings, move. The way we seem to get opportunities to move differs in different stages of age. In the two projects described the theme has been to observe, analyse and reflect on the way bodily movements can be involved in and enhance interaction with computers in social situations. I have looked at the reaction and changed situation for elderly at caring institutions when introducing technology that encourages bodily movements. This includes analysis of bodily movements and participatory design with the elderly. My main study is about what will happen if elderly living at Special Housing for dementia or outer elderly patients coming for rehabilitation are given access to physical action gaming. The resulting outcome was way over our expectations. They surprised us all! So much of forceful, vivid and focused movements were hidden in the old gamers bodies when motivated to take action and enjoy.
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| 25. |
- Toro-Troconis, Maria
(författare)
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Game-based learning for virtual patients in Second Life®
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the field of medicine, various representative simulations have been developed to support the decreasing number of learning opportunities with real patients; the use of virtual patients is among them. Virtual patients are real-life clinical scenarios used for the purpose of medical education. They usually follow a linear or branching approach and they are usually accessed via a computer browser or as part of a computer programme. The purpose of this thesis was to design, and develop a platform for the delivery of virtual patients following a game-based approach in the virtual world of Second Life®, investigating attitudes and gender differences among medical students at Imperial College London. Virtual worlds, such as Second Life®, are 3D spaces in which users meet and interact and in which learning opportunities can take place. Second Life® was selected for this study due to its popularity among UK Higher Education Institutions at the time of the development. The virtual patients’ activities were designed following game-based learning and pedagogic principles. The technical infrastructure was designed following a Component-Based System (CBS) structure as a distributed three tier architecture presenting information via a Heads-Up-Display (HUD). The first study carried out concentrated on the survey “My feelings when playing games” developed by Bonnano and Kommers (2008). The survey was comprised of 21 statements. Six statements related to the affective component, five statements are about perceived usefulness, six statements about perceived control and four statements about behavioral components. Two groups were involved, one accessing a virtual patient via Second Life® and the other via an e-module. This study involved 42 Year 3 undergraduate medical students (21 years old). The gender distribution of the respondents was 42.85% female (n = 18) and 57.14% male (n = 24). The tendency encountered in each group towards the different attitudinal components was analysed as well as gender-related attitudes. Both groups showed very similar results in relation to the Attitudinal Components. In general, females demonstrated a more positive attitude overall for the perceived usefulness component. Other studies looked at and contrasted, provided interesting thoughts and reflections on gender tendencies and game play. It was concluded that more inclusive and holistic studies in this area ought to be carried out in order to identify game play tendencies in professional-level simulation with adults at university level, which may counteract outdated perceptions about age and gender differences in game play. The second study described the use of the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to assess students’ attitudes again. Two groups of undergraduate medical students (Yr 3, n=14) were invited to participate. The research question posed was: “In your opinion what are the advantages and disadvantages of learning in Second Life® compared with other methods?” The results provide a different perspective to the ones highlighted in the first study. Results from the first group focused on the learning experience highlighting its importance for clinical diagnosis as a structure for learning. The second group focused on the clinical exposure although they were ambivalent about the advantages of this type of delivery mode. In general, learners did not find the virtual patient activities challenging enough. The results of this thesis show that although a game-based learning approach was followed in the design of the virtual patient activities and interfaces, the repetitive linear presentation of the cases did not motivate the students enough, targeting only low-end Cognitive skills which may be more suitable for students in Year 1 and 2. The use of more challenging branching learning experiences, such as the ones developed by the PIVOTE authoring system are suggested for the delivery of virtual patients in clinical years. All the programming code used in the CBS has been released as open source, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 3.0 License, in order to stimulate other interested parties in the development of similar applications in the virtual world of Second Life®.
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