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This research concerns the information design and visual design of graphical user interfaces (GUI) in the condition monitoring and condition-based maintenance (CBM) of production equipment. It also concerns various communicative aspects of a GUI, which is used to monitor the condition of assets. It applies to one Swedish vendor and its intentions to design information. In addition, it applies to the interaction between the GUI and its individual visual elements, as well as the communication between the GUI and the users (in four Swedish paper mills).

The research is performed as a single case study. Interviews and observations have been the main methods for data collection. Empirical data is analyzed with methods inferred to semiotics, rhetoric and narratology. Theories in information science and regarding remediation are used to interpret the user interface design.

The key conclusion is that there are no less than five different forms of information, all important when determining the conditions of assets. These information forms include the words, images and shapes in the GUI, the machine components and peripherals equipment, the information that takes form when personnel communicate machine conditions, the personnel’s subjective associations, and the information forms that relate to the personnel's actions and interactions.

Preventive technicians interpret the GUI-information individually and collectively in relation to these information forms, which influence their interpretation and understanding of the GUI information. Social media in the GUI makes it possible to represent essential information that takes form when employees communicate a machine’s condition. Photographs may represent information forms as a machine’s components, peripherals, and local environment change over time. Moreover, preventative technicians may use diagrams and photographs in the GUI to change attitudes among the personnel at the mills and convince them, for example, of a machine’s condition or the effectiveness of CBM as maintenance policy.

När användbarheten studeras av den information som presenteras i ett användargränssnitt på en datorskärm kan det framkomma vad som fungerar effektivt och korrekt. I sådana sammanhang förs sällan någon diskussion om hur den information som presenteras kommunicerar med en användare.

Syftet med detta forskningsprojekt är att på ett generellt plan öka kunskapen om olika analytiska perspektiv för att studera den information som presenteras i ett användargränssnitt på en datorskärm, som ett led till att skapa begriplig information för människor. Mer preciserat är syftet att få en djupare förståelse för hur en informationslämnare kan kommunicera med en informationsanvändare genom den information som presenteras i ett användargränssnitt. Målet med forskningsprojektet är att presentera ett antal relevanta analytiska perspektiv som kan användas för att beskriva hur presenterad information i ett användargränssnitt kan kommunicera med en användare. Forskningsresultatet bidrar med ett ramverk som kan ligga till grund för ett analysstöd. Forskningsresultatet bidrar även med en ansats för framtida forskning inom området.

Forskningsprojektet bygger på fyra fallstudier. Analysobjekten i fallstudierna utgörs av fyra olika användargränssnitt på datorskärm, vilka används inom olika myndigheter, organisationer och företag. Vartdera användargränssnittet och dess informationsdesign studeras med hänsyn till: informationslämnarnas önskemål och intentioner, informationsanvändarnas upplevelse och förståelse av information och kontexters påverkan.

De slutsatser som dras är bland annat att informationsdesign i ett användargränssnitt på datorskärm upplevs och förstås av användare i samklang med inre, när och yttre kontext. Dessa kontexter kan studeras utifrån tre olika perspektiv, ett semiotiskt, ett retoriskt och ett narrativt perspektiv. En sådan analys kan framhäva den kommunikation som sker mellan de budskap som informationslämnaren vill berätta, hur den presenterade informationen i användargränssnittet arrangeras och komponeras och hur olika kontexter påverkar användarnas upplevelse och förståelse av den information som presenteras.

The purpose of the study is to describe an information theory in order to achieve a fruitful discussion of information within condition monitoring in a condition based maintenance context. The paper is based on a qualitative and interdisciplinary approach. A case study is performed at four Swedish paper mills and one condition monitoring supplier. Interviews have been the main method for data collection; however, observations and studies of artifacts are included in the study also. The main contribution of the study is a framework that visualizes how data and five different forms of information interact and turns into knowledge about a machine’s condition. These forms of information are all necessary to take into consideration when implementing and operating a condition based maintenance program. The research results state that it is relevant to allow and encourage the technicians and operators to utilize several forms of information when assessing the condition of an asset, and, thus, to not put too much trust in the condition monitoring technology alone. Also, it can be important to encourage user interface designers to reflect upon the different contexts and information forms as they design information in a condition monitoring interface.

This research explores the phenomenon of design fixation by studying undergraduate design students undertaking an information product design problem. The research is based on a case study, with 64 students. The students were given a design problem, and their design processes were documented in a weblog, which was analyzed jointly with handouts and slide presentations. The research suggests that the formulation of ideas in and recording of an early group brainstorming sessions may contribute to fixation of the finale design solution.

According to Pettersson, design may be a process and/or the result of the process, a product. The area of design is multidisciplinary and involves several notions. One is in the subject field of Information Design, which includes language, communication, art, cognition and information science. These disciplines refer to the concept of information differently. There is therefore a need for a fruitful theory of information, terms and concepts in order to enrich the reasoning of design as information. Bates presents a definition of information and several fundamental information forms. There, she offers a theoretical framework, the main core of which is that information may take different forms related to architecture, graphic design, interior design, and interface design, etc. Such a framework may contribute to understanding the meaning of design. Bates’ theory is applied in a study involving spatial design in industrial environments. The conclusions of the study illustrates how design and information relate to a design process and a design product that enriches the understanding of the meaning of design.

This qualitative study focuses on perceptions of emerging instructional roles and performance of online teachers from Sweden, and the USA. The purpose is to explore, understand, and perhaps explain how teachers experience, create, and establish their teaching personas, but also how they perceive and perform their role online. Qualitative data from participating teachers' surveys and interviews point at significant common threads running within and across the two groups despite the fact their respective academic environments are at critically different points on the online education continuum. Teachers' perceptions are in complete alignment with the four major roles of the online instructor, pedagogical, social, managerial, and technological (Bonk et al., 2001).

Web-based distance education has become a "real" teaching alternative which has instigated more research particularly in the past decade. This research has commonly focused on four major perspectives: (1) information-technology; (2) course management systems (including course communication tools); (3) information design; and (4) online learning. Not surprisingly, there are many, significant differences between face-to-face (f2f), and Web-based teaching. In a traditional teaching context, communication is implemented synchronously insofar as teacher and students are able to communicate instantly, and without delay. Besides the direct and instantaneous verbal exchanges, synchronous communication also transpires through visual signs and body language. Conversely, if online teaching (e-moderating) occurs via the Internet and electronic multimedia, including the use of language (both oral and written), a common way of teaching in this context is through a dynamic interaction among participants, yet without the physical presence of the teacher or students. What happens then to the teacher's "identity" and role when s/he is no longer physically present as in a traditional classroom? How is it established? Perhaps most importantly, how is it perceived by both the students, and the teacher him/her-self? This two-phase, comparative research study was conducted by two university instructors whose research agenda concentrates on "teacher perceptions of own qualities, roles, and functions" in online instructional environments. Phase 1 of the research compared and discussed the emerging instructional styles of participating online teachers (e-moderators), in Sweden, and the United States. Phase 2 of this study has concentrated on using the identified perceptions, behaviors, motivations, and aspirations of the participating e-moderators with the view to creating composite, albeit fictional online instruction archetypes ("personas"). In their attempt to do justice to the analysis and presentation of Phase 1 data, the authors set out to experiment with the transfer and applicability to their respective blended and online teaching contexts, of the persona research method typically deployed by usability and interaction design.

Today, the drive in many organizations is to focus on reducing production costs while increasing customer satisfaction. One key to succeed with these goals is to develop and improve both quality and maintenance in production as well as quality and maintenance in early phases of the development processes. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how and motivate why research within quality and maintenance development may interact, in order to help companies meet customer demand while at the same time increase productivity. The paper is based on ideas and research perspectives of the newly formed competence group on ‘Quality- and Maintenance Development’ at the School of Innovation, Design and Engineering at the Malardalen University, Sweden. This paper elaborates on the concepts of Quality and Maintenance, its important integration, and provides some examples of ongoing research projects within the competence group.

ENLIGT HEMSIDAN ”www.phrases.org.uk”(2016-02-25) myntade författaren Daniel Defoe frasen ’döden och skatter’ år 1726 och fler har sedan följt i hans fotspår. En av de kanske mest kända formuleringarna kom till i ett samtal mellan Benjamin Franklin och Jean-Baptiste Leroy (1789): ”I denna värld kan ingenting sägas vara säkert, utom döden och skatterna.” (fritt översatt från engelska). Vi har även funnit en person som använt det här uttrycket kopplat till underhåll, nämligen Kevin Marshall som diskuterar underhåll av hyreshus: ”...döden, skatter och underhåll.” (”www.flat-living.co.uk”, 2016-02-25). Underhåll i någon av alla dess former är någonting alla människor på jorden upplever nästan dagligen, medvetet eller omedvetet. Det finns egentligen bara ett sätt att tackla detta – med ett leende på läpparna. Man behöver dock inte vara slösaktig. På samma sätt som väldigt få vill betala mer i skatt än vad lagen kräver så vill sällan någon betala mer för underhåll än vad nöden kräver. Det är vad denna handbok handlar om. Den vänder sig till tillverkande företag som önskar minska sina underhållsrelaterade slöserier, och därför har behov av att se över sin verksamhet. Boken vänder sig i första hand till ledningsgrupper för underhåll, underhållschefer och underhållsutvecklare/ingenjörer. Dock, för att citera en av våra samarbetspartners: ”Det är ett slöseri om bara anställda inom underhållsavdelningen läser boken.” För att nå ett hållbart resultat är vi övertygade om att medvetenheten om slöserier och underhållsrelaterade slöserier behöver höjas bland samtliga anställda i en verksamhet. Detta är anledningen till att vi vill att du använder handboken. Vi uppmanar till att du läser exemplen och diskuterar frågorna med medarbetare inom hela underhållsavdelningen, och gärna tvärfunktionellt med produktion och övriga stödfunktioner. Vårt mål är att ge vägledning för hur tillverkande företag kan arbeta med underhållsrelaterade slöserier. Boken klargör vad sådana slöserier är, samt tips och idéer på hur man kan identifiera, klassificera och kvantifiera dem. Handboken presenterar även en arbetsprocess för att minska eller ta bort underhållsrelaterade slöserier så kostnadseffektivt som möjligt. Den innehåller också korta teoriavsnitt med exempel från praktiken och frågor som ledningsgrupper och anställda inom verksamheten kan diskutera. Genom att följa arbetsprocessen kan du och ditt företag få ökad medvetenhet och förståelse för underhållsrelaterade slöserier inom er egen verksamhet. Handboken fokuserar främst på de tidiga stegen i processen eftersom de är mest avgörande för ett lyckat resultat. Underhållsrelaterade slöserier är delvis unika för varje företag. Tyvärr finns inga genvägar eller standarder för att minska eller ta bort dem. Att endast läsa handboken kommer inte att ge något resultat. Den här boken bygger på att du och ditt företag aktivt finner er egen väg för att minska eller ta bort de underhållsrelaterade slöserier ni upptäcker i er verksamhet.

The reuse of experiences gained in maintenance activities is important issue in maintenance management. Efficient experience reuse would improve next interventions, reduce the mistakes and potentially contribute to time and cost savings. However, few studies focus on how maintenance workforce reuses past experiences in the problem- solving phases of the maintenance work. The purpose of this study is therefore to examine the experience reuse process in production maintenance in order to identify reuse practices and its challenges. Based on a case study, this paper presents the observed work practices and its challenges for collecting and reusing experiences in production maintenance. Further, potential improvement suggestions are proposed to overcome these challenges.

This guide is the result of research we have done in the 2-years long project InPro-Hym (INclusive andPROductive HYbrid Meetings), and also draws on our work in the research projects MnC (Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) and MeetWell(Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). The InPro-Hym project has been performed in collaboration between Mälardalen University, the University of Gothenburg, Hitachi Energy and the municipality of Västerås. The project has been funded by Vinnova.This guide is based on empirical, theoretical and analytical work. The vignettes and the quotes reproduce parts of the empirical material produced through participatory design methods. We are thankful for the generous way in which employees of Hitachi Energy, the municipality of Västerås and also Arbetsförmedlingen have participated in the project and we wish in particular to thank Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström, Anette Gustaffson and Ylva Thim for their additional contributions. A big thanks goes to the reference group too.

This guide is the result of research we have done in the 2-years long project InPro-Hym (INclusive andPROductive HYbrid Meetings), and also draws on our work in the research projects MnC (Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) and MeetWell(Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). The InPro-Hym project has been performed in collaboration between Mälardalen University, the University of Gothenburg, Hitachi Energy and the municipality of Västerås. The project has been funded by Vinnova.This guide is based on empirical, theoretical and analytical work. The vignettes and the quotes reproduce parts of the empirical material produced through participatory design methods. We are thankful for the generous way in which employees of Hitachi Energy, the municipality of Västerås and also Arbetsförmedlingen have participated in the project and we wish in particular to thank Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström, Anette Gustaffson and Ylva Thim for their additional contributions. A big thanks goes to the reference group too.

Den här reflektionsguiden är ett resultat av den forskning vi gjort i det tvååriga projektet InPro-Hym(INkluderande och PROduktiva HYbrida Möten). Guiden bygger även på vårt arbete i forskningsprojekten MnC(Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) och MeetWell (Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). In Pro-Hym har genomförts i samarbete mellan Mälardalens universitet,Göteborgs universitet, Hitachi Energy och Västerås kommun. Projektet har finansierats av Vinnova. Guiden bygger på empiriskt, teoretiskt och analytisk tarbete. Vinjetterna och citaten återskapar delar av det empiriska materialet som tagits fram utifrån en deltagande ansats och en designtänkade metodik. Vi är tacksamma för den generositet med vilken anställda på Hitachi Energy, Västerås kommun och även Arbetsförmedlingen har deltagit i projektet och vi vill särskilt tacka Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström,Anette Gustafsson och Ylva Thim för deras bidrag.Vi vill även rikta ett stort tack till referensgruppen.

Den här reflektionsguiden är ett resultat av den forskning vi gjort i det tvååriga projektet InPro-Hym(INkluderande och PROduktiva HYbrida Möten). Guiden bygger även på vårt arbete i forskningsprojekten MnC(Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) och MeetWell (Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). In Pro-Hym har genomförts i samarbete mellan Mälardalens universitet,Göteborgs universitet, Hitachi Energy och Västerås kommun. Projektet har finansierats av Vinnova. Guiden bygger på empiriskt, teoretiskt och analytisk tarbete. Vinjetterna och citaten återskapar delar av det empiriska materialet som tagits fram utifrån en deltagande ansats och en designtänkade metodik. Vi är tacksamma för den generositet med vilken anställda på Hitachi Energy, Västerås kommun och även Arbetsförmedlingen har deltagit i projektet och vi vill särskilt tacka Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström,Anette Gustafsson och Ylva Thim för deras bidrag.Vi vill även rikta ett stort tack till referensgruppen.

This guide is the result of research we have done in the 2-years long project InPro-Hym (INclusive andPROductive HYbrid Meetings), and also draws on our work in the research projects MnC (Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) and MeetWell(Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). The InPro-Hym project has been performed in collaboration between Mälardalen University, the University of Gothenburg, Hitachi Energy and the municipality of Västerås. The project has been funded by Vinnova.This guide is based on empirical, theoretical and analytical work. The vignettes and the quotes reproduce parts of the empirical material produced through participatory design methods. We are thankful for the generous way in which employees of Hitachi Energy, the municipality of Västerås and also Arbetsförmedlingen have participated in the project and we wish in particular to thank Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström, Anette Gustaffson and Ylva Thim for their additional contributions. A big thanks goes to the reference group too.

Den här reflektionsguiden är ett resultat av den forskning vi gjort i det tvååriga projektet InPro-Hym(INkluderande och PROduktiva HYbrida Möten). Guiden bygger även på vårt arbete i forskningsprojekten MnC(Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) och MeetWell (Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). In Pro-Hym har genomförts i samarbete mellan Mälardalens universitet,Göteborgs universitet, Hitachi Energy och Västerås kommun. Projektet har finansierats av Vinnova. Guiden bygger på empiriskt, teoretiskt och analytisk tarbete. Vinjetterna och citaten återskapar delar av det empiriska materialet som tagits fram utifrån en deltagande ansats och en designtänkade metodik. Vi är tacksamma för den generositet med vilken anställda på Hitachi Energy, Västerås kommun och även Arbetsförmedlingen har deltagit i projektet och vi vill särskilt tacka Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström,Anette Gustafsson och Ylva Thim för deras bidrag.Vi vill även rikta ett stort tack till referensgruppen.

This guide is the result of research we have done in the 2-years long project InPro-Hym (INclusive andPROductive HYbrid Meetings), and also draws on our work in the research projects MnC (Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) and MeetWell(Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). The InPro-Hym project has been performed in collaboration between Mälardalen University, the University of Gothenburg, Hitachi Energy and the municipality of Västerås. The project has been funded by Vinnova.This guide is based on empirical, theoretical and analytical work. The vignettes and the quotes reproduce parts of the empirical material produced through participatory design methods. We are thankful for the generous way in which employees of Hitachi Energy, the municipality of Västerås and also Arbetsförmedlingen have participated in the project and we wish in particular to thank Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström, Anette Gustaffson and Ylva Thim for their additional contributions. A big thanks goes to the reference group too.

Den här reflektionsguiden är ett resultat av den forskning vi gjort i det tvååriga projektet InPro-Hym(INkluderande och PROduktiva HYbrida Möten). Guiden bygger även på vårt arbete i forskningsprojekten MnC(Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) och MeetWell (Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). In Pro-Hym har genomförts i samarbete mellan Mälardalens universitet,Göteborgs universitet, Hitachi Energy och Västerås kommun. Projektet har finansierats av Vinnova. Guiden bygger på empiriskt, teoretiskt och analytisk tarbete. Vinjetterna och citaten återskapar delar av det empiriska materialet som tagits fram utifrån en deltagande ansats och en designtänkade metodik. Vi är tacksamma för den generositet med vilken anställda på Hitachi Energy, Västerås kommun och även Arbetsförmedlingen har deltagit i projektet och vi vill särskilt tacka Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström,Anette Gustafsson och Ylva Thim för deras bidrag.Vi vill även rikta ett stort tack till referensgruppen.

This guide is the result of research we have done in the 2-years long project InPro-Hym (INclusive andPROductive HYbrid Meetings), and also draws on our work in the research projects MnC (Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) and MeetWell(Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). The InPro-Hym project has been performed in collaboration between Mälardalen University, the University of Gothenburg, Hitachi Energy and the municipality of Västerås. The project has been funded by Vinnova.This guide is based on empirical, theoretical and analytical work. The vignettes and the quotes reproduce parts of the empirical material produced through participatory design methods. We are thankful for the generous way in which employees of Hitachi Energy, the municipality of Västerås and also Arbetsförmedlingen have participated in the project and we wish in particular to thank Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström, Anette Gustaffson and Ylva Thim for their additional contributions. A big thanks goes to the reference group too.

Den här reflektionsguiden är ett resultat av den forskning vi gjort i det tvååriga projektet InPro-Hym(INkluderande och PROduktiva HYbrida Möten). Guiden bygger även på vårt arbete i forskningsprojekten MnC(Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) och MeetWell (Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). In Pro-Hym har genomförts i samarbete mellan Mälardalens universitet,Göteborgs universitet, Hitachi Energy och Västerås kommun. Projektet har finansierats av Vinnova. Guiden bygger på empiriskt, teoretiskt och analytisk tarbete. Vinjetterna och citaten återskapar delar av det empiriska materialet som tagits fram utifrån en deltagande ansats och en designtänkade metodik. Vi är tacksamma för den generositet med vilken anställda på Hitachi Energy, Västerås kommun och även Arbetsförmedlingen har deltagit i projektet och vi vill särskilt tacka Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström,Anette Gustafsson och Ylva Thim för deras bidrag.Vi vill även rikta ett stort tack till referensgruppen..

This guide is the result of research we have done in the 2-years long project InPro-Hym (INclusive andPROductive HYbrid Meetings), and also draws on our work in the research projects MnC (Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) and MeetWell(Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). The InPro-Hym project has been performed in collaboration between Mälardalen University, the University of Gothenburg, Hitachi Energy and the municipality of Västerås. The project has been funded by Vinnova.This guide is based on empirical, theoretical and analytical work. The vignettes and the quotes reproduce parts of the empirical material produced through participatory design methods. We are thankful for the generous way in which employees of Hitachi Energy, the municipality of Västerås and also Arbetsförmedlingen have participated in the project and we wish in particular to thank Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström, Anette Gustaffson and Ylva Thim for their additional contributions. A big thanks goes to the reference group too.

Den här reflektionsguiden är ett resultat av den forskning vi gjort i det tvååriga projektet InPro-Hym(INkluderande och PROduktiva HYbrida Möten). Guiden bygger även på vårt arbete i forskningsprojekten MnC(Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) och MeetWell (Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). In Pro-Hym har genomförts i samarbete mellan Mälardalens universitet,Göteborgs universitet, Hitachi Energy och Västerås kommun. Projektet har finansierats av Vinnova. Guiden bygger på empiriskt, teoretiskt och analytisk tarbete. Vinjetterna och citaten återskapar delar av det empiriska materialet som tagits fram utifrån en deltagande ansats och en designtänkade metodik. Vi är tacksamma för den generositet med vilken anställda på Hitachi Energy, Västerås kommun och även Arbetsförmedlingen har deltagit i projektet och vi vill särskilt tacka Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström,Anette Gustafsson och Ylva Thim för deras bidrag.Vi vill även rikta ett stort tack till referensgruppen.

This guide is the result of research we have done in the 2-years long project InPro-Hym (INclusive andPROductive HYbrid Meetings), and also draws on our work in the research projects MnC (Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) and MeetWell(Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). The InPro-Hym project has been performed in collaboration between Mälardalen University, the University of Gothenburg, Hitachi Energy and the municipality of Västerås. The project has been funded by Vinnova.This guide is based on empirical, theoretical and analytical work. The vignettes and the quotes reproduce parts of the empirical material produced through participatory design methods. We are thankful for the generous way in which employees of Hitachi Energy, the municipality of Västerås and also Arbetsförmedlingen have participated in the project and we wish in particular to thank Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström, Anette Gustaffson and Ylva Thim for their additional contributions. A big thanks goes to the reference group too.

Den här reflektionsguiden är ett resultat av den forskning vi gjort i det tvååriga projektet InPro-Hym(INkluderande och PROduktiva HYbrida Möten). Guiden bygger även på vårt arbete i forskningsprojekten MnC(Meetings and Community in the postdigital era) och MeetWell (Leadership and Employee Well-Being in Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). In Pro-Hym har genomförts i samarbete mellan Mälardalens universitet,Göteborgs universitet, Hitachi Energy och Västerås kommun. Projektet har finansierats av Vinnova. Guiden bygger på empiriskt, teoretiskt och analytisk tarbete. Vinjetterna och citaten återskapar delar av det empiriska materialet som tagits fram utifrån en deltagande ansats och en designtänkade metodik. Vi är tacksamma för den generositet med vilken anställda på Hitachi Energy, Västerås kommun och även Arbetsförmedlingen har deltagit i projektet och vi vill särskilt tacka Carl-Ove Kolmodin, Jörgen Sandström,Anette Gustafsson och Ylva Thim för deras bidrag.Vi vill även rikta ett stort tack till referensgruppen.

21st Century education and professional practice require novel engagement with ideas, technologies and toolsets. Virtual Reality (VR) and similar technologies are advancing rapidly, and protocols to understand, implement and measure the new values for design education which need to be further elaborated on. This paper discusses the impact of VR on craft and design in a university design class. A pilot was conducted to study students’ experiences and opinions around VR in craft and design in an advanced CAD design course. The findings indicate improvement in design and communication from the students’ perspective. This study suggests that VR can be an effective design tool integrated into design education.

Today, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has seen a technological evolution accelerate at an exponential rate (Schwab, 2016). Due to the development of digital technology, this accelerating trend has been identified around workforce, technology and learning (Richardson, 2012). COVID-19 has exasperated the digitalization in industry, academia and society. In design education, due to the pandemic, design students and teachers are often situated at different locations, at a distance.
 We are now working and studying remotely with a documented detriment to learning. This distance diminishes engagement between peers, instructors and also the important corporeal material in design amongst others. Preparing students to thrive in these distant interactions and then their rapidly advancing professional domains becomes a cornerstone for today’s pedagogical foundations through technological-enabled distant learning. Heidi Hayes Jacobs sees differentiated learning interactions actualized in practice by Rosan Bosch Studio (2018) around metaphors of mountain top, cave, campfire, watering hole and hands-on and movement (Thornby, 2014). These ideas relate to differentiated learning scenarios such as lecture, informal intimate conversations, focus groups, spontaneous meetings, and tacit and embodied interplay. These ideas and metaphors are critical in design education that are at risk of disappearing in our virtual zoom world. Research indicates a need for immersive collaborative learning across educational, design, psychological, and neurological domains to specifically include ideas of inclusion even by way of a literal diversity of thinking that multimodal learning provides.
 Extending this focus in distant learning we believe it is critical to include multimodal embodied options through collaborative virtual environments (CVE). A previous pilot on virtual reality (VR) among design students indicates the potential for divergent thinking and creativity (Lee, Sun, and Yang, 2019). Our aim is to explore co-created learning in immersive VR to study if it supports flexible thinking to move design studio pedagogy forward. Flexible thinking in this case deals with the students’ possibilities to be innovative, creative with divergent thinking.
 This research sets out to answer the question, what are the differences and similarities between the students’ design concepts when co-creating in a multimodal and immersive virtual classroom in VR, compared to previous real classroom experiences.
 The study is conducted in a design class with approximately 30 industrial design students. We will evaluate student project outcomes and surveys in an industrial design course at multiple points, with a design process map over the course to determine any effect on flexible thinking.

Detta bidrag diskuterar vad interaktiv forskning kan vara inom designforskningen, med utgångspunkt ur exempel, erfarenheter och upplägg i projekt Vis´man. Vi reflekterar särskilt över relationerna: metod-roll-resultat.

Vis´man är ett KK-finansierat design- och forskningsprojekt som undersöker visualiseringens roll inom visual management, tillsammans med användarna i deras kontexter. I interaktivitet med användarna utvecklas befintligt design- och kunskapsläge i de verksamheter som deltar.

Centralt för all interaktiv designforskning är att användare och andra parter inkluderas i undersöknings- och/eller designutvecklingsprocesserna, eller med andra ord att deltagarna ingår i ett kollektivt designutvecklingsarbete. Ibland benämns detta användarinvolverande designansats (eller designforskningsansats). Användarinvolvering kan ske i olika grader och deltagarna kan anta olika perspektiv och roller beroende på när i processen de deltar (och vad man kan tänka sig att deltagarna kan bidra med utifrån sin specifika erfarenhet). I detta bidrag analyserar vi och förmedlar upplägg, exempel och erfarenheter ur projekt Vis’man, samt reflekterar över deltagarnas grad av inkludering, perspektiv och roller inklusive metoder för deltagandet.

Deltagarnas roller skiljer sig under projektets gång. De antar till exempel rollen som empiriinsamlare, alltså någon som observerar i sin egen kontext. Med sin yrkeskompetens deltar de då som experter, och tar del i analysarbetet gällande det som är kontextspecifikt. Här kan man anta att just deras perspektiv bidrar med en kunnig blick på det som undersöks. Det kan gälla förutsättningar och problemområden men också mer specifik detaljkunskap. De är på samma gång också källa till empiriska data.

Deltagarna/användarna fungerar också som en slags assisterande formgivare, särskilt i ide tidiga faserna av innovation och designprocesser. De fungerar också som kvalitetsvärderare av resultat. Med utgångspunkt i sin yrkeserfarenhet deltar de i iterationer och utvärderar i samspel med designforskare de utvecklade designkomponenterna i sin användarkontext.

*Vis’man, står för Visual and spatial communication in management from users’ perspectives.

Many organisations use daily meetings, whiteboards and an information system for employee intra-communication. While Operation Management research is often management centred, Human Centred Design, instead, takes a user’s perspective. This research aims to reflect upon and describe a method, applied in practice in a double case study within manufacturing, on how to (re-)design meetings and visual management boards, and what type of information and key performance indicators are most relevant for the personnel. The paper proposes a lean Kata-improvement inspired design method, which takes the personnel’s perspective on design of daily visual management.

Based on participant observation conducted for a total of 85 hours spread across two months, this paper investigates the different types of information maintenance technicians seek, and discusses which of those types are relevant and challenging for a technical communicator to design. In order to design useful technical information, the technical communicator must not only understand the information needs of a user, but also understand the various aspects of the user context. This paper highlights a gap that exists between the type of information maintenance technicians seek, and what is relevant for a technical communicator to design. Information about the construction of a machine and work task instructions are relevant for a technical communicator to design. However, information regarding business identities and numbers, the cause of errors, placement of equipment and tools, as well as information related to various aspects of task execution seem very challenging\- or even impossible\- for a technical communicator to design during product development. This paper contributes knowledge to user behavior research within the technical communication research field. The results provide technical communicators with an understanding of what type of information maintenance technicians seek and select in order to satisfy an expressed information need. This discussion enables technical communication practitioners and researchers to gain a better understanding of what type of information is relevant to design and which information is a challenge to design, thus which types of expressed information needs are suitable to focus on, and why.

This paper presents a sub-study on participatory design in visual management (VM), bracketed from a larger case study. In this case, VM refers to the recurrent meetings when managers and co-workers use dashboards (VM boards) to continuously organize work activities and performances and contribute to the ongoing development and improvements within the organization. The study focuses on when the managers and co-workers are participating in the process of designing and visualizing work-related information regarding workload for future VM boards. This paper emphasizes collaborative workshops and the creation of moodboards as participatory methods, and the application of theories of metaphorical thinking and conceptual and visual metaphors. The findings show that participants perceive the visual output they create metaphorically, in this case, the moodboards. Such visual outputs represent conceptual and visual metaphors that evoke the participants’ sharing of core concepts and an establishment of stories related to the information to be designed. In turn, the metaphors and the storytelling stress desires, visions, objectives, and themes, besides workplace atmospheres, norms, and values governing the workplace. This understanding translates to shared work experiences where conceptual and visual thinking impact how work teams develop work-related information on VM boards together.

Outdoor office work is an emerging aspect of the concept of ‘new ways of working’, but only sparse data are available about the environmental qualities of the outdoor office space, experiences of office workers, and work-related well-being of outdoor office work. Here, we present an exploratory pilot study on well-being and outdoor office work in a public urban space. An outdoor office was set up in the courtyard of a university campus, and the participants (n = 16) conducted office work outdoors for 30 min and thereafter participated in an eye-tracking session for 11–15 min (n = 8) and subsequently filled out surveys (n = 16). The eye tracker allowed the discovery of natural and built elements in the outdoor environment that caught the participants’ visual attention, whereas the surveys assessed aspects of their subjective experiences of the outdoor office space (its visual and spatial qualities) and the work there. The results are presented as network graphs where correlations are shown regarding different aspects of office work outdoors. The results indicate that outdoor office work in a public urban space may promote work-related well-being in terms of positive outdoor office space experiences. Based on the findings, a preliminary set of outdoor office qualities is proposed. Those qualities relate to the legibility and imageability of the outdoor office space, its focal points, and depth/spaciousness, in addition to attributes of usability and environmental richness, including if the outdoor office space affords natural contact and supports activities, in addition to social and individual interactions and relations.

The style of cognition which is examined by Carina Söderlund & Pete Evans is the participatory or collaborative design (codesign). This “de-signing together”, which is developed through the help of the  immersive virtual reality devices, also permits the co-presence, i.e., to become aware of the presence of the other team members, while collaborating. This tech-nique can be used to exhibit ideas or products. Furthermore, the users can participate in such digital devices or displays in order to view and interact in public spaces ("museum exhibitions").The authors take as starting point the temporal continuity in design and study the connections of design and virtual reality (VR) to a detailed de-gree. The result is quite up-to-date and future-oriented, although the short history of digital simulation is considered. The discussion combines en-vironmental studies in the psycho-social realm. Then the idea of a multi-sensory approach connects visual space with tactile experience. This idea is enlarged up to introspection in general and as a self-reflective study method.

This paper deals with the development of participatory methods in visual management (VM) when investigating parts and system/s related to VM devices in organisational contexts. Four theoretical perspectives – sociocultural theory, boundary objects, diagrams, maps and models, and visual rhetoric – have been applied to gain an overall understanding of the participants’ collective investigation of the system/s. Managers and co-workers in five Lean-inspired organisations have used the method Multimodal Origami (MO) to design their VM devices, in this case the VM boards and associated meetings.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role and function of visuals, visual communication and information design as they relate to management control systems and visual management (VM) in lean-inspired organisations. This paper helps expand knowledge on how visual and design studies can contribute to research on VM as part of a management control system.

Design/methodology/approach

A study is outlined, which was conducted at a multinational manufacturing company to investigate employees' perceptions and use of visual devices on the shop floor, including their related reactions and behaviour. The study is delimited to operation management, lean manufacturing and lean boards (i.e. daily management boards and performance measurement boards).

Findings

The findings point out the persuasive purpose of lean boards, as well as the metaphoric and persuasive functions of the visuals and information design in management control systems.

Originality/value

Visual research and design research are rare within studies of management control systems. There is a need to perform research that takes into account the role and function of visual communication and information design in VM. The proposed areas for future research can provide design principles, as well as insights into the complexity of visual communication and information design in VM and management control studies.

This article examines information source selection behavior among maintenance technicians and how this behavior might infl uence the design of technical information. For this entry, “maintenance technicians” are individuals who maintain machine equipment (e.g., generators or bearings) in industrial enterprises, and this process includes the troubleshooting of problems and the repairing of machine equipment. In this entry, the authors use a review of the literature on information source selection behavior to discuss core concepts within the fi eld of source selection behavior. Three of the main concepts examined are “information,” “information source,” and “source preference criteria.” These core concepts function as a frame of reference for discussing how maintenance technicians might select information sources to perform maintenance activities. The authors also use these concepts to review why certain sources are selected for use over others. The results tentatively suggest maintenance technicians prefer information sources that can be adapted to specifi c workplace contexts.