Produktens budskap: metoder f\uf6r v\ue4rdering av produkters semantiska funktioner ur ett anv\ue4ndarperspektiv

Products that we meet have different functions; technical, practical and semantic functions. Rune Mon\uf6 defines four semantic functions of the product: to describe its purpose and way of use; to express its qualities, for example \u27lightness\u27 and \u27dependability\u27; to signal, i e urge the user to react in a specific way, and to identify its purpose, origin, identity and product field. The overall aim of this study is to provide knowledge on aspects of product semantics and to develop and evaluate such methods and tools that can be useful in order to open a dialogue with the users with a view to making them verbally formulate semantic problems, needs and requirements. Data on user problems have been collected through different methods, by: focus interviews with groups of users, observation studies of single users documented by verbal protocols (\u27think aloud methodology\u27) and interviews with single users. In order to evaluate whether the intended message has been received and understood, a visual analogue scale has been developed and tested as a tool for measuring the comprehensibility of products as information carriers; e g to measure how well the design describes the way it should be used and also how it express certain values or \u27qualities\u27. In this manner, alternative solutions could be valued and compared. The product\u27s quality profile could thus be identified and articulated, as a basis for the design work. This study has shown that formalised methods and tools can be used and are useful in the design process. Semantic functions, and thereby the semantic requirements, can be verbally communicated but require tools in order to provide a common language by which a dialogue between the user and the designer can be opened. When the desired product semantic profile has been identified through this dialogue, the designer - with his or her training and knowledge of semiotic theory - will be able to interpret and transform this profile into a product gestalt. This thesis describes a tool - Product Semantics Analysis (PSA) - for identifying the users\u27 emotional and cognitive requirements for the product, for defining measurable criteria, as well as to assess whether or not the requirements have been met. The method can be regarded as an \u27operative\u27 complement to more strategic methods, such as life style analysis etc

Passenger Information Design: A Systems Approach

The paper describes the results of and experiences from the project "Passenger Information - Needs and Requirements", part of the R&D program GoTIC (Gothenburg Traffic Information Centre). One conclusion is that a passenger information system needs to be based on three basic functions: A communicative function (to help passengers recognise different information artefacts in the system), a pedagogical function (to enable passengers to quickly learn and be acquanted with the information system), and an operational function (to reduce uncertainty felt by passengers when faced with situations involving a choice). The purpose of information is reduction of uncertainty. By focusing on information as reduction of uncertainty, the individual passenger (user of information) and his/her conscious and unconscious questions provide the basis for the design of the information system

Linjekartan. En v\ue4rdering av tre linjekartor ur ett resen\ue4rsperspektiv.

Syftet med studien var att utv\ue4rdera tre olika utformningar av linjekartor med avseende p\ue5 linjekartans inneh\ue5ll och kartans grafiska utformning. Arton f\uf6rs\uf6kspersoner deltog i utv\ue4rderingen. F\uf6rs\uf6kspersonerna st\ue4lldes inf\uf6r olika uppgifter (identifiera resv\ue4g, identifiera bytepunkt etc.). Objektiva kriterier var tid (f\uf6r att besvara en fr\ue5ga) och korrekthet (r\ue4tt svar p\ue5 fr\ue5gan). En av de tre kartorna, en stiliserad karta, var den karta som som kr\ue4vde kortast tid f\uf6r att identifiera s\uf6kt information. Beroende p\ue5 uppgiften varierade andelen korrekta svar beroende p\ue5 typ av karta men som helhet resulterade den stiliserade kartan i flest korrekta svar. F\uf6rs\uf6kspersonerna fick ocks\ue5 ange hur s\ue4kra/os\ue4kra de var att de kommit fram till \u27korrekt svar\u27. S\ue4kerheten skattades h\uf6gst vid anv\ue4ndning av den stiliserade kartan och l\ue4gst vid anv\ue4ndning av en karta med mer realistisk avbildning av v\ue4gn\ue4t, etc.\ua017 av de 18 f\uf6redrog ocks\ue5 den stiliserade kartan. Tydlighet och enkelhet bed\uf6mdes viktigare \ue4n ett st\uf6rre informationsinneh\ue5ll

Linkekartan. En v\ue4rdering av tre lionjekartor ur ett resen\ue4rsperspektiv

Syftet med studien var att utv\ue4rdera tre olika utformningar av linjekartor med avseende p\ue5 linjekartans inneh\ue5ll och kartans grafiska utformning. Arton f\uf6rs\uf6kspersoner deltog i utv\ue4rderingen. F\uf6rs\uf6kspersonerna st\ue4lldes inf\uf6r olika uppgifter (identifiera resv\ue4g, identifiera bytepunkt etc.). Objektiva kriterier var tid (f\uf6r att besvara en fr\ue5ga) och korrekthet (r\ue4tt svar p\ue5 fr\ue5gan). En av de tre kartorna, en stiliserad karta, var den karta som som kr\ue4vde kortast tid f\uf6r att identifiera s\uf6kt information. Beroende p\ue5 uppgiften varierade andelen korrekta svar beroende p\ue5 typ av karta men som helhet resulterade den stiliserade kartan i flest korrekta svar. F\uf6rs\uf6kspersonerna fick ocks\ue5 ange hur s\ue4kra/os\ue4kra de var att de kommit fram till \u27korrekt svar\u27. S\ue4kerheten skattades h\uf6gst vid anv\ue4ndning av den stiliserade kartan och l\ue4gst vid anv\ue4ndning av en karta med mer realistisk avbildning av v\ue4gn\ue4t, etc.\ua017 av de 18 f\uf6redrog ocks\ue5 den stiliserade kartan. Tydlighet och enkelhet bed\uf6mdes viktigare \ue4n ett st\uf6rre informationsinneh\ue5ll