ABSTRACT System development has become more and more concentrated on development for the Web and this has resulted in larger target groups. It will most surely continue to be so considering that the Web will be the infrastructure of business and services in the future. A big target group involves that the owner of a system can earn a lot of money from the paying users, but that assumes that the system can meet user needs. If a system on the Web does not satisfy the user?s demands then they will use the competitor?s system instead because it is only a mouse-click away.

Our aim in this work has been to redesign ModernFamilies and make a user-friendly interface for people with aphasia. The focus has been to identify general issues they might face while using different technology and applications, in order to find better alternative design for ModernFamilies, with a focus on usability. To approach this issue, we used a qualitative method. Our study includes several interviews and observations preformed in conjunction with the AGNES project (AGeing in a NEtworked Society) and speech therapists. Aphasia requires simple design that in the same time gives them support to understand and use technology and different applications.

E-Series 450 is a chainsaw designed by Husqvarna AB to the semi-professional user. Husqvarna is a world leader when it comes to chainsaws, trimmers, lawn mowers and garden tractors. The problem in hand can be addressed by the question. ?How easy can we start a chainsaw? The purposehas been to provide a solution to the question above and give Husqvarna a good base of which they can continue towards a finished product.

E-Series 450 is a chainsaw designed by Husqvarna AB to the semi-professional user. Husqvarna is a world leader when it comes to chainsaws, trimmers, lawn mowers and garden tractors. The problem in hand can be addressed by the question. ?How easy can we start a chainsaw? The purposehas been to provide a solution to the question above and give Husqvarna a good base of which they can continue towards a finished product.

This thesis considers the development of the software for an, newly developed, embedded real-time control system, based on a Periferal Interface Controller (PIC). The control system is developed to be used for several different applications. In this thesis work, software for two different applications are developed. The first task is a time controlled system, while the other task is implementation of aPI-/PID-controller. A user interface is also developed and implemented.The time controlled system is an automatic horse feeder, which is used for feeding horses at certain predefined points in time.

This Master?s thesis investigates user education at high school libraries. The aim of this study is to examine user education and the educational approach that librarian?s experience in their teaching. The method used for the study is qualitative interviews with seven high school librarians.

The purpose of this thesis is to get an improved understanding of what the bases for relevance are, when people in real information need situations make relevance judgements. In order to meet this purpose, an investigation based on research literature is performed. Four types of relevance are investigated: topical or subject relevance, cognitive relevance or pertinence, situational relevance or utility, and socio-cognitive relevance. The investigation also deals with users relevance criteria identified in fourteen empirical studies, in which the users are adults and engaged in oral, textual, and multimedia information retrieval. Finally, the connections between the user criteria found and the types of relevance are discussed.

The aim of this essay is to examine three separate Swedish public libraries and their respective websites on the grounds of the usability sciences. I firstly had to summarize the main properties of the usability-field in order to gain an extended knowledge of its purposes and possible usage for today?s library systems. I was then able to apply the extended knowledge in the examination of the three library websites and the purpose of determining whether or not they were designed according to the standards set by the usability-sciences.Usability is a rather new science that deals with the dissection and examination of computer-based systems, in order to find the key components that make systems user-friendlier. With user needs being the main focus of its research, usability tries to meet all the different needs of the modern user and construct systems that are less system-centered and more user-centered.

In this paper we explore the relations between context and feedback generated in three user-centered evaluations of a flash-based game. Whether it?s the social context, the physical context or the degree of intrusion from the evaluator, they all contribute to the quality of the feedback received. The selection of test subjects is a narrow process, which gives the above mentioned factors different meaning. Contextual factors have shown to influence the feedback given within both usability and user-experience.

In this qualitative user evaluation, users from the Krami-programme in Borla?nge have been interviewed on what they consider to have been positive changes in their social situation after participating in the programme. The respondents also point out factors in the programme that have supported these changes. The method consisted of interviews with five men who have undergone the Krami programme.The results show that Krami primarily helps the users to get an employment which results in the repeal of criminogenic factors. This plays an important part in the positive change of the users self-esteem, which tends to lead towards ?unlabeling? of the individual as ?criminal?.The study also indicates other factors in the program that the users found helpful in their process of change highlighting the interaction between authorities, the approach of the Krami- staff and also the common rules that the participants has to agree upon.

This study deals with the Swedish public library in our changeable time. New technology, an altered media situation with a growing digitalization, globalization and a society focusing on the individual and the market have put the public library in a new, indistinct position. It is described as facing an identity crisis. The aim of this thesis is to, by interviewing a group of young people ages 15-16, find out what the public library is for this user group and what it ought to be according to them. How do they value the services provided by the public library? Are there services they miss? The thesis also aims at relating the opinions of the young people to earlier research.

The project is a practical and theoretical test of IP telephony with Skype in order to form a base for a comparison between IP-Telephony with Skype and the Public Switched Telephony Network (PSTN). PSTN is the common standard that most of us use for telephony today. The objective for the study is to simplify the choice between PSTN and IP-Telephony for the Swedish private customer user group. The project is supposed to answer the following questions. - How easy is it to start using IP-telephony with Skype? - How is the quality of IP-telephony compared to PSTN? - Are all services provided by PSTN available and accessible using the IP-solution? - How are the usability and the availability of support with IP telephony? - Is IP-telephony a cheaper solution and in that case under which circumstances? Within the project a collection of practical and theoretical tests have been performed to be able to form an opinion on the IP-solution in the following areas, installation, function, quality, usability, costs, accessibility and security.

This thesis investigates in which way principles and theories of usability is revelant when evaluating interactive systems for children aged 10-12. It also investigates whether there are specific factors that you should keep in mind while developing interactive products for the targeted group.The results of the qualitative study shows that priciples and theories of usability is relevant when evaluating interactive systems for the targeted group. However there is one concept that is more significant than the others. Our study shows that our targeted group is sensitive to time-consuming activities such as loading times etc. which has to do with the efficiency of the system.

 ABSTRACT  Nature of essay:                C-level, 15 pointsPage count:                        47Title:                                   The last way out?-A qualitative study of psychiatric staff and service users attitude to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).Author:                              Hanna Nilsson Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate attitudes to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) of professionals and service users within a user organization ? Riksförbundet för social och mental hälsa. (RSMH)Questions: Does the psychiatric staff believe that there are preconceptions about electroconvulsive therapy? What motivates service user?s choice of electroconvulsive therapy? Do the psychiatric staff and the service users think that the positive effects of ECT can outweigh the possible negative side effects?Method: Qualitative study. The study is based on interviews with psychiatric staffthat works with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and with services users who have received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).Results: The result showed that the psychiatric staff feels that preconceived ideas occur about the treatment of ECT, and that it is affecting their approach to work.Service users motivate their choice by how bad they felt under the depression, and that ECT was their only choice left, that´s why psychiatric staff suggested the treatment.The positive effects of ECT outweighed the possible negative side effects because life is something you value higher than any memory loss and when there is currently no treatment having a similar efficiency.Keywords: Electroconvulsive therapy, Attitudes, Side effects, Experience, Patients, Professionals.

The aim of this Master thesis is to make a survey of the public library staff-relations at work and discuss relationship marketing as it applies to public libraries. Relationship marketing involves the establishment, maintenance and development of users and other library-related relationships, including the relations among the library staff itself. Good relations among the library staff is a necessary condition for good relations with others. The focus of relationship marketing is at the user?s needs, wants and demands instead of the library collections and services.