The aim of this study is, from a norm-critical approach, to find, investigate and analyse human representation in the visual culture of one preschool in order to understand if the children enrolled are represented or not. The research questions are: In what ways is there imagery of human representations in images and materials designed for play? What skin-colors and origins are dominant in the data collected?We carried out a qualitative study in the form of visual ethnography. This method allowed us to use a combination of different data collection tools such as photography and ethnographic field notes to collect our data. The photographs we took of images and material used for play, was then analysed through semiotic picture analysis.

The aim of this study is to create an increased understanding of shared leadership and how it takes shape in the relationship between first-line managers in human service organizations. Shared leadership is seen as a complement to the traditional one-man leadership and briefly means that two managers share the role that usually is held by a single leader. The study has a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with managers in human service organizations. The interviews mention the mangers thoughts and experiences about shared leadership and gain approval in the hermeneutic science field. The study is analyzed based on symbolic interactionism where perspectives from the theoreticians Mead and Goffman are used.

This bachelor thesis is based on interviews with staff from three Egyptian NGOs in Cairo during the spring of 2013. The study examines how three Egyptian NGOs discuss the woman?s situation within the Islamic legal discourse in the contemporary Egypt. The empiric material was analysed through a theoretical framework of gender in Islam, and a discussion of the concept of human rights laws in a local context.The respondents emphasize the societies gender stereotypes as obstacles in the discussion regarding women?s rights.

This report presents thesis of Liisa Kokkonen in collaboration with Muovikilpi Oy.The project?s goal is to find a new construction for an existing lamp made of acrylic. Form and design retains and the manufacturing occurs at Muovikilpi Oy. The project contains the new construction and manufacturing of the lamp and also a proposition for a set with floor and wall lamp.  The paper gives an outline of acrylic as material and how it reacts with light.

Particular to the cat among our pets is its´ unique nutritional needs and metabolism. The cat cannot produce some nutrients by themselves and must get them through their diet. This means that the cat quickly can suffer from various diseases unless the nutritional needs are covered. In those cases where man is completely in control of the cat?s diet, the right knowledge is crucial for the cat?s wellbeing.

This is a thesis on information design with a focus on text design. The purpose of this study is to gather knowledge about how information on the Easy-to-Read website, of the police, should be composed so that immigrants more easily will be able to read and understand the content. The goal of the study is to present a design proposal based on the knowledge that has been found through principles for readability, theoretical perspectives and literature, together with methods; readability analysis and interviews. The interviews were performed individually with the coordinator at polisen.se as well as four students from SFI (Swedish for immigrants). The study showed that the content on the website of the police is not adequately adapted to the needs of the target group. It also exhibited that the website's disposition is unclear, and that complicated terms are not explained.

In the increasing urban environments and the modern societies demands for sustainability there is a challange in planning cities with a balance between density and a satisfying access of recreational environments. For attractive cities these environments need to be designed to fit every inhabitants? demands and opinions in some way. Increased knowledge and understanding is therefore needed about how different design styles in landscape architecture affect people and the cities. In this bachelor thesis benefits and disadvantages as well as the experience and impact of two fundamental design styles i discussed; naturalistic and formal/abstract design.

The development in electronics increases the demand for good design methods and design tools in the field of electrical engeneering. To improve their design methods Ericsson Microwave Systems AB is interested in using computer tools to create a link between the specification and the implementation of a digital system in a FPGA. Xilinx System Generator for DSP is a tool for implementing a model of a digital signalprocessing algorithm in a Xilinx FPGA. To evaluate Xilinx System Generator two testcases has been designed. The testcases are selected to represent the FPGA designs made at Ericsson Microwave Systems.

In this study we have examined in which way the horse is used in Equine Assisted Therapy, and what effects the treatment staff experience and describes that the interaction with horses has on girls who self-harms. Our Empirical data was collected through qualitative methods such as interviews, participant observation and informal interviews with a total of six different informants, from five different activities with Equine Assisted Therapy for girls who self-harms. In the analysis we have assumed symbolic interactionism, a theory focusing on the human as a social being, where the self-image alters in the social interaction with other human beings. We interwove this theory with the Biophilia hypothesis, an explanatory model concerning human?s relationship to animals and nature.The conclusions we have found in the results are:Equine Assisted Therapy is a complementary treatment comprises both horseback riding and exercises which is not based on the horsebackEquine Assisted Therapy almost always involves three parts, the therapist, the client and the horse.

This Master of Science thesis is conducted at the faculty Integrated Product Development at theRoyal Institute of Technology and in cooperation with EssNet Interactive AB, both situated inStockholm. In the report the final results and the road to get there is described as well as thedesign process and how the process is used to obtain the goal of this thesis.The author of this thesis has developed the design and the function of an interactive videoterminal (IVT) and by using semantics created an encouraging gaming design. The projectspurpose was to change the anonymous withheld shape and produce an experience of gamingmachine that has been absent. The work was aimed to answer the question: How does oneproceed to develop the IVT and by using semantics creating an understanding of gamingmachine?In general the author wants to show that small changes, with the help of design and its signals,can completely change the overall picture of a product.

The purpose of this thesis was to increase the understanding and discuss safety aspects in two stairwells on Nyforsgatan in Eskilstuna, where the buildings were built during the years 1965-1975. I have presented a proposal for improvement through lighting. I have through different methods, such as surveys, interviews, literature studies and observations, come to a conclusion: that there are opportunities for improvement through better lighting that allows orientation in space and creates a nice atmosphere which will remove the feeling of not being safe, e.g. dark corners and shadows. It has been an exciting process to gather enough of facts to rely on and to develop the lighting design for the environments.

Föreliggande studie omfattar sättningsberäkningar med den senaste kommersiella versionen av datorprogrammet FEM-Design 12, utvecklat i samverkan mellan konstruktörer och geotekniker. Programmet är en uppföljare till den tidigare versionen FEM-Design 11 och även en förbättring av den betaversion 12, som fanns tillgänglig och under utveckling fram tills att den första kommersiella versionen av FEM-Design 12 lanserades under hösten 2013. Tidigare studier har gjorts av en Betaversion 12 i form av ett examensarbete, där jorden modellerades med volymelement, enligt kontinuumsmekanik. Resultaten i studien påvisade en stor procentuell sättningsdifferens (22 %) jämfört med sättningsberäkningar i det geotekniska programmet PLAXIS. Denna procentuella skillnad kan antingen bero på att själva byggnaden inte kan modelleras i PLAXIS och därmed inte kunde beaktas i beräkningarna, eller att det fanns brister i betaversionen FEM-Design 12, vilka gjorde att resultaten som uppvisades inte var rättvisande. I denna naturliga fortsättning har nya beräkningar gjorts med hjälp av den senaste kommersiella versionen av FEM-Design 12 för att validera sättningarna i en ny pilotstudie och undersöka om rimliga resultat erhålls. Som en del av denna jämförelse och värdering har även sättningsberäkningar för hand utförts. Interaktionen mellan FEM-Design och användarna har granskats för att se hur brukarna upplever den nya versionen samt om programmet uppfyller de mål som formulerades i samband med utvecklingsarbetet. Tre olika projekt har modellerats i FEM-Design 12 där jorden beskrivs med finita element (volymelement)..

Bakgrund: Humant Immunbrist Virus (HIV) är en infektionssjukdom som angriper kroppens immunförsvar vilket leder till att det stegvis försämras och slutligen helt avtar. Historiskt sett har patienter med HIV blivit diskriminerade i samhället och orättvist behandlade. Joyce Travelbee?s omvårdnadsteori tar avstånd från en generaliserande människosyn och förespråkar att se individens unika egenskaper, och sjukvårdspersonal ska enligt lag möta patienter med lika värde och lika vård oavsätt diagnos. Syftet är att beskriva erfarenheter som vuxna patienter med HIV har av möten med sjukvårdspersonal.Metod: En systematisk litteraturstudie.

The water company MittSverige Vatten (?MidSweden Water?) located in the Medelpad, Sweden was in need of a moreexclusive water carafe for restaurants and conference in the region. Current design solution was not able to cope with thedemand of a more exclusive setting and was not promoting the company in a good way. In the beginning of the projectit became clear thru an intense interview period that there was at least three directions for design solutions the companycould go for.? A carafe (exclusive settings)? A pitcher (conference and lunch servings)? A water dispenser type (serving of larger amounts of water during a certain brief periods of time.)It was decided to go for the exclusive one.Small pieces of rock from the last ice age turned out to be a vital component of the new design concept for the company..

This project was conducted during the spring semester 2013 at mechanical engineering program at University Halmstad. The project was conducted in collaboration with MPQ Consulting in Halmstad. MPQ Consulting is a newly established company looking to take step into the product development world. The company has already had ideas and existing products. One of the ideas is to construct and design a form of beach games whose rules are based on the volleyball rules.