Conveying User Experience in Business-to-Business Environment

Tässä työssä käsittelen käyttäjäkokemuslähtöisen tuotesuunnittelun mahdollisuuksia vaikuttaa erottautumistekijöihin teollisissa yrityksissä, jotka toimivat B2B ympäristössä. Työn tavoitteena on tarkastella kokemuspohjaisen suunnittelun teoreettisia lähtökohtia, ottaen huomioon muotoilun, kognitiotieteiden ja kauppatieteiden alojen tutkimuspohja. B2B ympäristön tarkastelu on tämän työn yksi painopisteistä, koska siinä tuotteen omistus ja käyttö jakautuvat asiakkaiden ja käyttäjien kesken. Tämä toisaalta vaikuttaa tuotteen suunnittelun lähtökohtiin, sen markkinointiin, myyntiin ja vastaavasti asiakas- ja käyttäjäkokemukseen. Työ on tehty FIMECC:in aloittaman UXUS projektin yhteydessä. Projektin tarkoitus on tutkia ja soveltaa käyttäjäkokemuksen lähtökohtia teollisessa ympäristössä. Työssäni pyrin kehittämään teoreettisen ajatusmallin, jolla asiakkaiden ja käyttäjien kokemuksia voidaan tarkastella eri tasoilla ja ottaa huomioon suunnitteluprosessin varhaisissa vaiheissa. Tämä malli pohjautuu osittain psykologisiin teorioihin, jotka tulevat esille aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa mm. Carver ja Scheier (1998); Sheldon, K.M., Elliot, A.J., Kim, Y. ja Kasser, T. (2001). Ajatusmallin ensisijainen tarkoitus on toimia tukityökaluna tuottajayrityksen tuotekehityksen ja markkinoinnin yksiköille kun halutaan soveltaa kokemuslähtöisen suunnittelun periaatteita yrityksen toiminnassa. Mallin toinen tarkoitus on toimia perustana teolliseen ympäristöön soveltuvien kokemusmittareiden kehitykselle. Työn toinen osio keskittyy yheden UXUS projektin yrityskumppanin toiminnan tutkimiseen (Rocla). Tässä osiossa pyrin kehittämään kokemusmittariston, jonka tarkoituksena on huomioida tuottajayrityksen, tuotevälittäjien, asiakkaiden ja käyttäjien näkemyksiä tuotteiden ominaisuuksista ja kokemuksista sekä mahdollistaa vertailu näiden osapuolten välillä. Kerätyn aineiston ja vertailun tarkoitus on auttaa tuotekehitys- ja markkinointitiimien työtä kun määritetään uusien tuotteiden kehityskriteerit ja myyntiargumentit. Kokemusmittariston sunnittelussa käytän sekä teoreettisia lähtökohtia, jotka käydään läpi työn alussa, että kymmentä johtajatason henkilön haastattelutulosta Roclan tuotekehityksen, markkinoinnin ja myynnin yksiköistä. Tämän lisäksi sovellan ajatuksia keskusteluista, joita käytiin läpi lukuisissa tutkijatapaamisissa, kenttä- ja yritysvierailuilla. Ehdotetun kokemusmittariston avulla kerään aineistoa 57:ltä kokeneelta varastotuotevälittäjältä. Välittäjät vertasivat kahta erityyppistä varastokonetta heidän kokemuksiensa perusteella ja myös osoittivat näkemyksensä psykologisten tarpeiden tärkeydestä asiakkaiden ja käyttäjien näkökulmasta. Aineiston analyysi osoittaa, että vaikka välittäjät kokivat selkeitä eroja tuotteiden visuaalisen ulkonön viehättävyydessä, tämä tekijän tärkeys oli yleisesti vähäinen (mm. osittain linjassa Diefenbach, S. ja Hassenzahl, M. (2011) tulosten kanssa). Tämä tulos tukee ajatusta siitä, jos kokemuspohjaisia lähtökohtia halutaan soveltaa erottautumistekijöinä B2B ympäristössä, niiden pitää olla vahvasti ja selkeästi yhdistettynä taloudellisiin mittareihin.The main goal of this study is to investigate theoretical background behind user experience (UX) paradigm and its possible implementation in industrial product development within business-to-business (B-to-B) environment. This work is conducted in the realm of UXUS project (User Experience and Usability in complex Systems), which was initiated by FIMECC (Finnish Metals and Engineering Competence Cluster) in 2010. In contrast to business-to-consumer environment, B-to-B setting separates ownership and actual use of the product. My aim lies in elaborating on various impacts of this separation on user and customer experiences and possible ways to communicate benefits of better UX to customers and equipment distributors. In the content of this paper, I introduce a theoretical thinking model for approaching experiences in industrial product development and an experimental questionnaire set, which is meant to capture different aspects of product and operating environment experiences. I test the proposed questionnaire set with 57 experienced warehouse equipment distributors who evaluate two separate industrial products. Results indicate that distributors are able to appreciate differences in hedonic qualities of industrial equipment and that visual appearance is a major factor in indicated product perceptions. However, overall hedonic qualities were perceived as less important compared to utilitarian qualities, which is partially in line with consumer product findings by DIEFENBACH, et al. (2011). I also find that distributors were unable to appreciate the importance of three major psychological needs (relatedness, autonomy and competence as indicated by SHELDON, et al., 2001) in industrial product development. I also analyze interviews of ten managers from warehouse equipment manufacturing company Rocla to investigate whether individuals working in separate departments perceive implications of UX paradigm differently. Findings indicate that individuals dealing with R&D activities stress the importance of end-users in deriving criteria for product development whereas individuals dealing with marketing and sales activities emphasize the role of personal relationships with customers. The longrun aim of this research direction is to assess strategic potential of UX paradigm for industrial product manufacturers

Manipulating individuals' risk-taking with financial incentives: a myopic loss aversion experiment

This study relates to behavioural biases and their influence on individuals’ decision making in financial markets. I introduce a new experimental setting which allows testing for myopic loss aversion (MLA) without protecting individuals from their own myopia. Utilizing this experimental design I try to find out whether financial incentives in the form of fees or bonuses can be used to decrease individuals’ portfolio reviewing frequency and increase their risk-taking. From the point of view of practical implication my study is aimed on finding out how different financial incentives (positive/negative) can be used to change investors framing and portion invested in stocks. I also contribute to the existing literature by including tests for overconfidence, gender and occupation differences and their relationship to myopic loss aversion. In addition, I include tests for reactions to gains and losses and present a new hypothetical theory of double mental account, which is aimed to better explain differences in outcome reactions of individuals with different amount of total wealth invested in risky assets in relation to the prospect theory. DATA To collect data I constructed an internet based application which involves question sets and an asset allocation game in the form of coin flipping series. Subject group consists of HSE students and market professional. I used real monetary rewards to increase response rate and robustness/comparability of my results. RESEARCH RESULTS I find that positive financial incentives in the form of bonuses can be effective in reducing evaluation frequency without decreasing individuals’ risk-taking. Manipulations with negative financial incentives were successful in reducing evaluation frequency but failed to maintain risk-taking with low evaluation frequency. I also find that MLA effect does not hold when financial incentive manipulations are applied. My results show that women placed significantly lower bets than men and had higher evaluation frequency. However, difference in evaluation frequencies of men and women are not statistically significant. I find strong positive relationship between individuals estimating better than average performance and bet size indicating that risk-taking of overconfident individuals is significantly higher. I find partial appliance with the double mental account theory as individuals with lower than median bets increased their bet after losses to lower extent than individuals with above median bets and the difference is statistically significant

Le prophète des Terjuševo

Cet article relate le mouvement religieux et national d’un groupe ethnographique mordve, les Terjuh, vivant dans la région de la Volga. Ce mouvement s’est déroulé dans les années 1808–1810 et a été dirigé par Kuz’ma Alekseev. Ce groupe était la seule partie de la population mordve qui se trouvait soumise au droit féodal et qui, dans le kraï de Nižegorod, mena un combat résolu pour sa liberté. Ce mouvement des Terjuh pour se libérer du servage reflète de manière curieuse les idées de la Révolution française de 1789. Celles-ci se combinaient avec les idées d’une renaissance nationale des Mordves, que Kuz’ma Alekseev voyait sous forme d’une nouvelle religion ethnique, fondée sur un ensemble combinant des orientations issues des religions mordve, judaïque et chrétienne. Ce mouvement ne toucha qu’une volost et quelques milliers de paysans mordves ; il n’en reste pas moins qu’il fit peur au gouvernement de la Russie, de sorte que c’est l’empereur Alexandre 1er en personne qui dirigea son écrasement.This article presents an ethnic religious movement in a Mordvin ethnic group, the Teryukh, living in the Volga region. It took place in 1808–1810 and was led by Kuzma Alekseev. This group was the only part of the Mordvin population that was under feudal rule and that fought fiercely for freedom in the Nizhegorod region. This Teryukh movement in order to emancipate themselves from serfdom curiously reflects ideas from the 1789 French revolution, combined with ideas of Mordvin revival under the form of a new ethnic religion. Kuzma Alekseev saw this new religion as a mix of elements from the Mordvin, Judaic and Christian religions. This movement concerned only one volost and some thousands of Mordvin peasants; still, it frightened the Russian government so deeply that its repression was led personally by tsar Alexandre I.В статье описывается национально-религиозное движение мордовской этнографической группы — терюхан, живущих в Поволжье, в 1808–1810 гг., под руководством крестьянина Кузьмы Алексеева. Эта группа была единственной частью мордовского населения, находящейся в крепостной зависимости и выделялась в Нижегородском крае особо упорной борьбой за свободу. В движении терюхан за освобождение от крепостничества в своеобразной форме нашли отражение идеи Великой Французской революции 1789 г. Они сочетались с идеями национального возрождения мордвы, которое Кузьма Алексеев видел в создании новой национальной религии, основанной на комплексе установок древней мордовской, иудейской и христианской религий. Хотя это движение не вышло за пределы одной лишь волости и в нем участвовало всего лишь несколько тысяч мордовских крестьян, оно настолько напугало правительство России, что его подавлением руководил лично император Александр 1

Терюшевский Пророк

XIX век влетел в Европу на крыльях Великой Французской революции. Декларация прав человека и гражданина, принятая Учредительным собранием Французской республики в 1789 году, провозглашала неотъемлемыми правами человека свободу личности, слова, собраний, вероисповеданий, равенства граждан перед законом, а также право на сопротивление угнетению. Отменялось крепостное состояние, крестьяне получали землю и становились свободными собственниками. Призывы к равенству, свободе и народовластию распрос..

Origin of the Laleaua Albă dacite (Baia Sprie volcanic area and Au-Pb-Zn ore district, Romania): evidence from study of melt inclusions

Crystal inclusions (plagioclase, biotite, magnetite) and melt inclusions were studied in minerals of the Laleaua Albă dacite (Baia Sprie, Romania). Electron microprobe analysis of 29 melt inclusions in the plagioclase, K-feldspar, and quartz confirm that crystallization of these minerals took place from typical silicic melts enriched in potassium relative to sodium (K2O/Na2O = 1.5). The sum of the petrogenic components is 92–99 wt%. This points to a possible change in water content from 8 to 1 wt% during crystallization of phenocrysts. According to ion microprobe analysis of 11 melt inclusions, the minimum water content is 0.5 wt%, and the maximum water content is 6.1 wt%. The presence of high-density water fluid segregation in one of the melt inclusions suggests that the primary water content in the melt could reach 8.4 wt%. Ion microprobe data revealed a high concentration of Cu (up to 1260 ppm) as well as higher U content (from 5.0 to 14.3 ppm; average 11.5 ppm) in some melt inclusions as compared to the average U contents in silicic melts (2.7 ppm in island-arc settings and 7.9 ppm in continental rift settings). Chondrite-normalized trace-element patterns in melt inclusions suggest a complex genesis of the studied magmatic melts. Contents of some elements (for instance Sr and Ba) are close to those in island-arc melts, while others (for instance Th, U, and Eu) resemble those in melts of continental settings

Methods for Blind Estimation of the Variance of Mixed Noise and Their Performance Analysis

International audienc

Methods for Blind Estimation of Speckle Variance in SAR Images: Simulation Results and Verification for Real-Life Data

International audienc

The differences between Cis-and Trans-Gene inactivation caused by heterochromatin in Drosophila

Position-effect variegation (PEV) is the epigenetic disruption of gene expression near the de novo-formed euchromatin-heterochromatin border. Heterochromatic cis-inactivation may be accompanied by the trans-inactivation of genes on a normal homologous chromosome in trans-heterozygous combination with a PEV-inducing rearrangement. We characterize a new genetic system, inversion In(2)A4, demonstrating cis-acting PEV as well as trans-inactivation of the reporter transgenes on the homologous nonrearranged chromosome. The cis-effect of heterochromatin in the inversion results not only in repression but also in activation of genes, and it varies at different developmental stages. While cis-actions affect only a few juxtaposed genes, trans-inactivation is observed in a 500-kb region and demonstrates а nonuniform pattern of repression with intermingled regions where no transgene repression occurs. There is no repression around the histone gene cluster and in some other euchromatic sites. trans-Inactivation is accompanied by dragging of euchromatic regions into the heterochromatic compartment, but the histone gene cluster, located in the middle of the trans-inactivated region, was shown to be evicted from the heterochromatin. We demonstrate that trans-inactivation is followed by de novo HP1a accumulation in the affected transgene; trans-inactivation is specifically favored by the chromatin remodeler SAYP and prevented by Argonaute AGO2

Processing of Multichannel Remote-Sensing Images with Prediction of Performance Parameters

In processing of multichannel remote sensing data, there is a need in automation of basic operations as filtering and compression. Automation presumes undertaking a decision on expedience of image filtering. Automation also deals with obtaining of information based on which certain decisions can be undertaken or parameters of processing algorithms can be chosen. For the considered operations of denoising and lossy compression, it is shown that their basic performance characteristics can be quite easily predicted based on easily calculated local statistics in discrete cosine transform (DCT) domain. The described methodology of prediction is shown to be general and applicable to different types of noise under condition that its basic characteristics are known in advance or pre-estimated accurately