5,592 research outputs found
Mobile heritage practices. Implications for scholarly research, user experience design, and evaluation methods using mobile apps.
Mobile heritage apps have become one of the most popular means for audience
engagement and curation of museum collections and heritage contexts. This
raises practical and ethical questions for both researchers and practitioners, such
as: what kind of audience engagement can be built using mobile apps? what are
the current approaches? how can audience engagement with these experience
be evaluated? how can those experiences be made more resilient, and in turn
sustainable? In this thesis I explore experience design scholarships together with
personal professional insights to analyse digital heritage practices with a view to
accelerating thinking about and critique of mobile apps in particular. As a result,
the chapters that follow here look at the evolution of digital heritage practices,
examining the cultural, societal, and technological contexts in which mobile
heritage apps are developed by the creative media industry, the academic
institutions, and how these forces are shaping the user experience design
methods. Drawing from studies in digital (critical) heritage, Human-Computer
Interaction (HCI), and design thinking, this thesis provides a critical analysis of
the development and use of mobile practices for the heritage. Furthermore,
through an empirical and embedded approach to research, the thesis also
presents auto-ethnographic case studies in order to show evidence that mobile
experiences conceptualised by more organic design approaches, can result in
more resilient and sustainable heritage practices. By doing so, this thesis
encourages a renewed understanding of the pivotal role of these practices in the
broader sociocultural, political and environmental changes.AHRC REAC
Non-Market Food Practices Do Things Markets Cannot: Why Vermonters Produce and Distribute Food That\u27s Not For Sale
Researchers tend to portray food self-provisioning in high-income societies as a coping mechanism for the poor or a hobby for the well-off. They describe food charity as a regrettable band-aid. Vegetable gardens and neighborly sharing are considered remnants of precapitalist tradition. These are non-market food practices: producing food that is not for sale and distributing food in ways other than selling it. Recent scholarship challenges those standard understandings by showing (i) that non-market food practices remain prevalent in high-income countries, (ii) that people in diverse social groups engage in these practices, and (iii) that they articulate diverse reasons for doing so. In this dissertation, I investigate the persistent pervasiveness of non-market food practices in Vermont. To go beyond explanations that rely on individual motivation, I examine the roles these practices play in society.
First, I investigate the prevalence of non-market food practices. Several surveys with large, representative samples reveal that more than half of Vermont households grow, hunt, fish, or gather some of their own food. Respondents estimate that they acquire 14% of the food they consume through non-market means, on average. For reference, commercial local food makes up about the same portion of total consumption.
Then, drawing on the words of 94 non-market food practitioners I interviewed, I demonstrate that these practices serve functions that markets cannot. Interviewees attested that non-market distribution is special because it feeds the hungry, strengthens relationships, builds resilience, puts edible-but-unsellable food to use, and aligns with a desired future in which food is not for sale. Hunters, fishers, foragers, scavengers, and homesteaders said that these activities contribute to their long-run food security as a skills-based safety net. Self-provisioning allows them to eat from the landscape despite disruptions to their ability to access market food such as job loss, supply chain problems, or a global pandemic. Additional evidence from vegetable growers suggests that non-market settings liberate production from financial discipline, making space for work that is meaningful, playful, educational, and therapeutic. Non-market food practices mend holes in the social fabric torn by the commodification of everyday life.
Finally, I synthesize scholarly critiques of markets as institutions for organizing the production and distribution of food. Markets send food toward money rather than hunger. Producing for market compels farmers to prioritize financial viability over other values such as stewardship. Historically, people rarely if ever sell each other food until external authorities coerce them to do so through taxation, indebtedness, cutting off access to the means of subsistence, or extinguishing non-market institutions. Today, more humans than ever suffer from chronic undernourishment even as the scale of commercial agriculture pushes environmental pressures past critical thresholds of planetary sustainability. This research substantiates that alternatives to markets exist and have the potential to address their shortcomings
An Analysis of the Evaluation Methods being Applied to Serious Games for Autistic Children
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopment condition that significantly impacts social communication and interaction as well as behavior impairments, including restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. In recent years, numerous studies have proposed serious games as a way to aid in the therapy of children with ASD. Hence, it is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of such games and obtain robust evidence of their positive influence on this type of treatment. In this study, we aim to explore the evaluation of games for autistic children by conducting a Systematic Literature Review. We analyze the methods utilized to evaluate these games, their application and combination, the quality aspects assessed, and the number and characteristics (e.g., age and special need) of the participants involved in the evaluation process. Furthermore, we present a compilation of the study findings for each evaluation method. Our findings reveal that there is no standardized methodology since different methods have been utilized and combined in various ways to evaluate serious games that support the treatment of ASD children. As contributions, this paper provides valuable insights into how serious games have been evaluated in this context and can be useful for researchers and game designers working in the field
Breaking Virtual Barriers : Investigating Virtual Reality for Enhanced Educational Engagement
Virtual reality (VR) is an innovative technology that has regained popularity in recent years. In the field of education, VR has been introduced as a tool to enhance learning experiences. This thesis presents an exploration of how VR is used from the context of educators and learners. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, including surveying and interviewing educators, and conducting empirical studies to examine engagement, usability, and user behaviour within VR. The results revealed educators are interested in using VR for a wide range of scenarios, including thought exercises, virtual field trips, and simulations. However, they face several barriers to incorporating VR into their practice, such as cost, lack of training, and technical challenges. A subsequent study found that virtual reality can no longer be assumed to be more engaging than desktop equivalents. This empirical study showed that engagement levels were similar in both VR and non-VR environments, suggesting that the novelty effect of VR may be less pronounced than previously assumed. A study against a VR mind mapping artifact, VERITAS, demonstrated that complex interactions are possible on low-cost VR devices, making VR accessible to educators and students. The analysis of user behaviour within this VR artifact showed that quantifiable strategies emerge, contributing to the understanding of how to design for collaborative VR experiences. This thesis provides insights into how the end-users in the education space perceive and use VR. The findings suggest that while educators are interested in using VR, they face barriers to adoption. The research highlights the need to design VR experiences, with understanding of existing pedagogy, that are engaging with careful thought applied to complex interactions, particularly for collaborative experiences. This research contributes to the understanding of the potential of VR in education and provides recommendations for educators and designers to enhance learning experiences using VR
Blending the Material and Digital World for Hybrid Interfaces
The development of digital technologies in the 21st century is progressing continuously and new device classes such as tablets, smartphones or smartwatches are finding their way into our everyday lives. However, this development also poses problems, as these prevailing touch and gestural interfaces often lack tangibility, take little account of haptic qualities and therefore require full attention from their users. Compared to traditional tools and analog interfaces, the human skills to experience and manipulate material in its natural environment and context remain unexploited. To combine the best of both, a key question is how it is possible to blend the material world and digital world to design and realize novel hybrid interfaces in a meaningful way. Research on Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) investigates the coupling between physical objects and virtual data. In contrast, hybrid interfaces, which specifically aim to digitally enrich analog artifacts of everyday work, have not yet been sufficiently researched and systematically discussed.
Therefore, this doctoral thesis rethinks how user interfaces can provide useful digital functionality while maintaining their physical properties and familiar patterns of use in the real world. However, the development of such hybrid interfaces raises overarching research questions about the design: Which kind of physical interfaces are worth exploring? What type of digital enhancement will improve existing interfaces? How can hybrid interfaces retain their physical properties while enabling new digital functions? What are suitable methods to explore different design? And how to support technology-enthusiast users in prototyping?
For a systematic investigation, the thesis builds on a design-oriented, exploratory and iterative development process using digital fabrication methods and novel materials. As a main contribution, four specific research projects are presented that apply and discuss different visual and interactive augmentation principles along real-world applications. The applications range from digitally-enhanced paper, interactive cords over visual watch strap extensions to novel prototyping tools for smart garments. While almost all of them integrate visual feedback and haptic input, none of them are built on rigid, rectangular pixel screens or use standard input modalities, as they all aim to reveal new design approaches. The dissertation shows how valuable it can be to rethink familiar, analog applications while thoughtfully extending them digitally. Finally, this thesis’ extensive work of engineering versatile research platforms is accompanied by overarching conceptual work, user evaluations and technical experiments, as well as literature reviews.Die Durchdringung digitaler Technologien im 21. Jahrhundert schreitet stetig voran und neue Geräteklassen wie Tablets, Smartphones oder Smartwatches erobern unseren Alltag. Diese Entwicklung birgt aber auch Probleme, denn die vorherrschenden berührungsempfindlichen Oberflächen berücksichtigen kaum haptische Qualitäten und erfordern daher die volle Aufmerksamkeit ihrer Nutzer:innen. Im Vergleich zu traditionellen Werkzeugen und analogen Schnittstellen bleiben die menschlichen Fähigkeiten ungenutzt, die Umwelt mit allen Sinnen zu begreifen und wahrzunehmen. Um das Beste aus beiden Welten zu vereinen, stellt sich daher die Frage, wie neuartige hybride Schnittstellen sinnvoll gestaltet und realisiert werden können, um die materielle und die digitale Welt zu verschmelzen. In der Forschung zu Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) wird die Verbindung zwischen physischen Objekten und virtuellen Daten untersucht. Noch nicht ausreichend erforscht wurden hingegen hybride Schnittstellen, die speziell darauf abzielen, physische Gegenstände des Alltags digital zu erweitern und anhand geeigneter Designparameter und Entwurfsräume systematisch zu untersuchen.
In dieser Dissertation wird daher untersucht, wie Materialität und Digitalität nahtlos ineinander übergehen können. Es soll erforscht werden, wie künftige Benutzungsschnittstellen nützliche digitale Funktionen bereitstellen können, ohne ihre physischen Eigenschaften und vertrauten Nutzungsmuster in der realen Welt zu verlieren. Die Entwicklung solcher hybriden Ansätze wirft jedoch übergreifende Forschungsfragen zum Design auf: Welche Arten von physischen Schnittstellen sind es wert, betrachtet zu werden? Welche Art von digitaler Erweiterung verbessert das Bestehende? Wie können hybride Konzepte ihre physischen Eigenschaften beibehalten und gleichzeitig neue digitale Funktionen ermöglichen? Was sind geeignete Methoden, um verschiedene Designs zu erforschen? Wie kann man Technologiebegeisterte bei der Erstellung von Prototypen unterstützen?
Für eine systematische Untersuchung stützt sich die Arbeit auf einen designorientierten, explorativen und iterativen Entwicklungsprozess unter Verwendung digitaler Fabrikationsmethoden und neuartiger Materialien. Im Hauptteil werden vier Forschungsprojekte vorgestellt, die verschiedene visuelle und interaktive Prinzipien entlang realer Anwendungen diskutieren. Die Szenarien reichen von digital angereichertem Papier, interaktiven Kordeln über visuelle Erweiterungen von Uhrarmbändern bis hin zu neuartigen Prototyping-Tools für intelligente Kleidungsstücke. Um neue Designansätze aufzuzeigen, integrieren nahezu alle visuelles Feedback und haptische Eingaben, um Alternativen zu Standard-Eingabemodalitäten auf starren Pixelbildschirmen zu schaffen. Die Dissertation hat gezeigt, wie wertvoll es sein kann, bekannte, analoge Anwendungen zu überdenken und sie dabei gleichzeitig mit Bedacht digital zu erweitern. Dabei umfasst die vorliegende Arbeit sowohl realisierte technische Forschungsplattformen als auch übergreifende konzeptionelle Arbeiten, Nutzerstudien und technische Experimente sowie die Analyse existierender Forschungsarbeiten
Systemic Circular Economy Solutions for Fiber Reinforced Composites
This open access book provides an overview of the work undertaken within the FiberEUse project, which developed solutions enhancing the profitability of composite recycling and reuse in value-added products, with a cross-sectorial approach. Glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymers, or composites, are increasingly used as structural materials in many manufacturing sectors like transport, constructions and energy due to their better lightweight and corrosion resistance compared to metals. However, composite recycling is still a challenge since no significant added value in the recycling and reprocessing of composites is demonstrated. FiberEUse developed innovative solutions and business models towards sustainable Circular Economy solutions for post-use composite-made products. Three strategies are presented, namely mechanical recycling of short fibers, thermal recycling of long fibers and modular car parts design for sustainable disassembly and remanufacturing. The validation of the FiberEUse approach within eight industrial demonstrators shows the potentials towards new Circular Economy value-chains for composite materials
A Taxonomy of Freehand Grasping Patterns in Virtual Reality
Grasping is the most natural and primary interaction paradigm people perform every day, which allows us to pick up and manipulate objects around us such as drinking a cup of coffee or writing with a pen. Grasping has been highly explored in real environments, to understand and structure the way people grasp and interact with objects by presenting categories, models and theories for grasping approach. Due to the complexity of the human hand, classifying grasping knowledge to provide meaningful insights is a challenging task, which led to researchers developing grasp taxonomies to provide guidelines for emerging grasping work (such as in anthropology, robotics and hand surgery) in a systematic way.
While this body of work exists for real grasping, the nuances of grasping transfer in virtual environments is unexplored. The emerging development of robust hand tracking sensors for virtual devices now allow the development of grasp models that enable VR to simulate real grasping interactions. However, present work has not yet explored the differences and nuances that are present in virtual grasping compared to real object grasping, which means that virtual systems that create grasping models based on real grasping knowledge, might make assumptions which are yet to be proven true or untrue around the way users intuitively grasp and interact with virtual objects.
To address this, this thesis presents the first user elicitation studies to explore grasping patterns directly in VR. The first study presents main similarities and differences between real and virtual object grasping, the second study furthers this by exploring how virtual object shape influences grasping patterns, the third study focuses on visual thermal cues and how this influences grasp metrics, and the fourth study focuses on understanding other object characteristics such as stability and complexity and how they influence grasps in VR. To provide structured insights on grasping interactions in VR, the results are synthesized in the first VR Taxonomy of Grasp Types, developed following current methods for developing grasping and HCI taxonomies and re-iterated to
present an updated and more complete taxonomy.
Results show that users appear to mimic real grasping behaviour in VR, however they also illustrate that users present issues around object size estimation and generally a lower variability in grasp types is used. The taxonomy shows that only five grasps account for the majority of grasp data in VR, which can be used for computer systems aiming to achieve natural and intuitive interactions at lower computational cost. Further, findings show that virtual object characteristics such as shape, stability and complexity as well as visual cues for temperature influence grasp metrics such as aperture, category, type, location and dimension. These changes in grasping patterns together with virtual object categorisation methods can be used to inform design decisions when developing intuitive interactions and virtual objects and environments and therefore taking a step forward in achieving natural grasping interaction in VR
Adaptive vehicular networking with Deep Learning
Vehicular networks have been identified as a key enabler for future smart traffic applications aiming to improve on-road safety, increase road traffic efficiency, or provide advanced infotainment services to improve on-board comfort. However, the requirements of smart traffic applications also place demands on vehicular networks’ quality in terms of high data rates, low latency, and reliability, while simultaneously meeting the challenges of sustainability, green network development goals and energy efficiency. The advances in vehicular communication technologies combined with the peculiar characteristics of vehicular networks have brought challenges to traditional networking solutions designed around fixed parameters using complex mathematical optimisation. These challenges necessitate greater intelligence to be embedded in vehicular networks to realise adaptive network optimisation. As such, one promising solution is the use of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to extract hidden patterns from collected data thus formulating adaptive network optimisation solutions with strong generalisation capabilities.
In this thesis, an overview of the underlying technologies, applications, and characteristics of vehicular networks is presented, followed by the motivation of using ML and a general introduction of ML background. Additionally, a literature review of ML applications in vehicular networks is also presented drawing on the state-of-the-art of ML technology adoption. Three key challenging research topics have been identified centred around network optimisation and ML deployment aspects.
The first research question and contribution focus on mobile Handover (HO) optimisation as vehicles pass between base stations; a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) handover algorithm is proposed and evaluated against the currently deployed method. Simulation results suggest that the proposed algorithm can guarantee optimal HO decision in a realistic simulation setup.
The second contribution explores distributed radio resource management optimisation. Two versions of a Federated Learning (FL) enhanced DRL algorithm are proposed and evaluated against other state-of-the-art ML solutions. Simulation results suggest that the proposed solution outperformed other benchmarks in overall resource utilisation efficiency, especially in generalisation scenarios.
The third contribution looks at energy efficiency optimisation on the network side considering a backdrop of sustainability and green networking. A cell switching algorithm was developed based on a Graph Neural Network (GNN) model and the proposed energy efficiency scheme is able to achieve almost 95% of the metric normalised energy efficiency compared against the “ideal” optimal energy efficiency benchmark and is capable of being applied in many more general network configurations compared with the state-of-the-art ML benchmark
Implementing Robotic Process Automation in Sales Support
Digitalization has been shaping the ways how we work and live for a considerable length of time. Businesses’ competitiveness is partially determined by their capability to adopt and leverage new technologies. One of the latest trends in digitalization is the automation of repetitive, low-cognitive human tasks in white-collar jobs. A tool that was created to automate low-cognitive hu-man tasks, Robotic Process Automation (further only RPA) utilizes software robots to address this topic. RPA gains attraction because it is easily scalable and implemented at a rather low cost and the use of it doesn’t require prior programming skills. The implementation of RPA has been studied to some extent, however, the studies of implementation in sales and sales support are lacking. Notably, the automation of sales tasks is lagging far behind other business functions, even though a great deal of sales tasks could be automated. To address the limited understanding of automation in sales this study’s objective was to investigate the impact special features on sales might have with automation on a practical level, and the influence of human factors in RPA implementation and addressing employees’ commitment factors to ensure the use of RPA.
Reaching the targets of the study was ensured by answering the following research questions: 1) What are the prerequisites for the automation of sales support processes, 2) How to ensure employees’ commitment to RPA, 3) What kind of resources are needed from the organization in the RPA implementation, and 4) How to prioritize the tasks to be automated with RPA. The study was conducted as a single case study at a Finnish technology company. The primary data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and the interviewees were all employees of the case company with a relevant role to the studied issue. Multi-sourced secondary data was used to ensure data triangulation and broaden the insights of the results provided. The data was analysed through a thematic analysis.
To understand the main empirical findings some prevailing facts must be known. First, RPA is to be utilised by the Sales Support team for the first time, but RPA is not new in the company. However, the Sales Engineers (further only SE) have been provided with RPA training before this study took place. Second, the RPA process at the case company relies on the individual users and their motivations as it is not mandatory for SEs to use RPA.
It was discovered that SEs’ lack of motivation to use RPA is the main reason hindering the automation process in Sales Support. This could be addressed by increasing SEs’ knowledge of RPA by improving the provided training courses and by naming a key user or users to support SEs with the automation design. The importance of the key user should diminish when the use of RPA stabilises. It is also suggested to make the use of RPA temporarily mandatory through KPIs because the voluntariness of use has not led to the adoption of RPA as intended. Lastly, the first tasks to be automated should be prioritized based on task simplicity, as it will support the learning of the individuals and minimize the risk of systems operations being compromised.
This study contributes to the literature by increasing the understanding of the factors affecting the new technology implementation within sales and confirming some prior findings in the rather new field of study. In practice, the findings of the study advise managers on how to deal with and support already overloaded salespeople in RPA adoption. The study also investigated the voluntary use of technology at work which has been previously associated with private life only in the literature but could be further studied in the future. The study despite aiming for generalisability covers only a niche area of sales and thus a general study of RPA possibilities in sales could be of interest
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