I recently joined the gym and my new habit is to listen to an podcast episode every time while sweating on the cross trainer. To get the best out of my time there I decided to start a podcast about VR Development. I found the “Zero to Start VR Podcast” on Spotify and gave it a shot. It is about two women where one of them has no experience in VR development and she wants to create a project she can publish on the Oculus Start developer program. In each episode the two ladies talk about her progress and about other VR related topics.
What I really like about the podcast is that the ladies start from scratch and also talk about how to install Unity and what she struggles with at the beginning. In one of their first episodes they talked about when starting with VR development you should wear rose-colored glasses and be super optimistic even when it’s going to be a super bumpy road. And this is the approach I am going for. Just do it. Just start and don’t worry.
What I don’t like that much is that there is a lot of bla bla and quite some beating around the bush. I understand that when they started, in the third episode COVID-19 and the pandemic started and they had to switch to remote recording and nothing was happening on their side but it was also a great start for VR Dev the time to shine. I am currently on episode 8 and I’m curious how it will continue.
Last week, shortly before Christmas I had the honor to conduct an interview with Petra Duhm. She is the project lead for the platform “Berufe-VR” by WKO. Mrs. Duhm and I talked about my thesis topic as well as the project “Berufe-VR”. She explained how they started the project and also about the pits and falls she and her team faced during the implementation phase. Also how they started shortly before the COVID-19 Pandemic started. Another important partner which was involved in this project was the Tyrolean company Mediasquad. They developed the VR application and were responsible for the technical aspects.
The project is very successful and currently they have 50 videos on the platform. For the next year 10 new videos are planned. The hardware used is a pair of VR-glasses from Pico. They swichted from the Oculus to Pico regarding some license issues.
The interview I had with Mrs. Duhm gave me a lot of interesting insights and we will stay in touch for future exchange.
At the WUC 2023, I participated in one of the workshop led by Sabina NB about “Design Declutter – a hands on guide” The workshop focused on the use of design methodes to soptimise our lives. Sabina, is an Human-Centered Design specialist. She told us how to analyzing our digital media habits to declutter our life from stressful habits with digital media.
Based on UX design research strategies, we tried to better understand our habits with dsmartphone and social media plattforms. Questioning ourslelfe we scrutinised our relationship with our everyday habits with the smartphone from waking up until the end of the day. We oberserved our daily routine to find out about where we could improve our habits. With this observation and self-interviewing, we should be able to identify stress-inducing patterns and inefficiencies in our digital consumption.
Using the principles of human-centred design, we tried to become more conscious about the use of digital media. We understood the importance of developing solutions that are specialy designed to our individual needs to ensure that our digital activities align with our goals and our lives. She also emphasized the importance of building a team of friends to sustain the changes. A team like family or friends is often a good supporter to help you keep up the strategies for a more balanced life with digital media.
Sabina’s workshop provided a holistic insight that used UX design methodologies to gain personal development. It encouraged us to reimagine and refine our digital lifestyles. The idea was that we as designers us the tools and strategies we already have to create a more mindful interaction with digital media in our daily lives.
Impulse II
How bad UX can lead to catastrophes
Usually UX problems are just annoying and can annoy and drive customers away but in some cases bad UX is fatal. That happens when boing devloped his new Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) for Boeing 737 Max for more aerodynamic stability. This system has major design flaws which led to critical problems. The system intended to prevent stalling by automatically adjusting the plane’s nose, but Boeing failed to communicate this addition to pilots effectively.
Two planes crashed due to this failure and shows the disastrous consequences of inadequate human-computer interaction in aviation. Neglecting UX design rules cost 346 lives and costs Boeing dearly.
The design flaws in the MCAS system of the Boeing 737 Max can be understood through Jakob Nielsen’s usability heuristics to see the key issues:
Visibility of system status: Pilots were not informed about the MCAS activation or the erroneous data from the AoA sensor, lacking crucial warnings or indications. An optional AoA Disagree Alert could have aided pilots, but it wasn’t included.
Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors: Pilots faced the consequences of the system’s error without any clear error messages. They needed information on what was causing the plane to dive and how to counteract it.
User control and freedom: Pilots lacked a clear emergency exit from the situation caused by MCAS’s erroneous decision. They couldn’t easily override the system, leading to a struggle to regain control.
Help and documentation: The aircraft manual failed to offer timely help during critical moments, forcing pilots to juggle through it without finding any helpful information. The lack of a user-friendly manual compounded the crisis.
These problems could have been addressed with a cockpit warning light for MCAS status, proper scenario testing, and an easy-to-use manual providing real-time guidance. A more comprehensive testing approach and an AI-based system capable of offering instant guidance during emergencies could have averted these disasters.
Was Boeing 737 Max Lion Air Crash Caused by Poor UX Design? Greg Nudelman Oct 31, 2019 https://medium.com/@greg_2590/was-boeing-737-max-lion-air-crash-caused-by-poor-ux-design-aa04c7a7d285
Fatal UX — How a poorly designed feature led the Lion and Ethiopian Airplanes to Crash Raju Verma https://medium.com/@raju.vrm2/fatal-ux-how-a-poorly-designed-feature-led-the-lion-and-ethiopian-airplanes-to-crash-dae475564c4
Impuls III
Does AI kills jobs in creative industries?
People in the creative business are worried about AI taking over their jobs. AI can generate pictures, write Stories, create logos a lot faster than humans. Ashley Still, Adobe’s senior vice president of digital media, compares AI to the invention of the camera. She believes AI won’t eliminate graphic design roles. She said that the develpoment of digital cameras has not replaced professional photographers. Adobe recently introduced new AI features, like text-to-template capabilities, across its Creative Cloud tools. They emphasized the need for design-focused people to guide AI effectively. Despite fears among people in creative industries about AI job displacement there will always be humans neccessary to supervise AI and ensure proper system functionality. But the rise of generative AI will reshape creative jobs. And will these tools support or hinder our creative evolution? Can AI really be creative?
Creativity, as defined by Margaret Boden in “The Creative Mind,” encompasses two human types: psychological (p-type) and historical (h-type). The P-type is about thinking of something new, even if it has been thought of before, and synchronising thoughts with others, like a child recognising the adaptability of water. The H-type is about groundbreaking thoughts that have never been conceived, like Archimedes’ “eureka” moment. Extraordinary legacies, such as Wandjina’s petroglyphs or Einstein’s work, characterise thinking. Generative AI does not fit into either category. AI lacks the neccesary connection between mind and reality to work like human creativity. AI is based on statistical data. This limits its relevance in the real world and its ability to trigger “eureka” moments. To distinguish AI-driven creativity Boden coined the term “generic” (g-like) creativity, which recognises the innovation of AI within its data constraints. It is expected that the widespread use of AI will lead to an increase in generic creativity, resulting in less cognitive diversity and cultural rigidity. This could limit creativity and social flexibility and impact everything from our living spaces to shared environments. By incorporating more and more content into AI, the results are becoming generic. While AI is good use for specialised tasks, its omnipresence brings the danger of a generic spiral that could lead to an Orwellian-like political economy. To preserve human creativity, human creativity must be prioritised over artificial creativity. Legal frameworks, especially intellectual property laws, are crucial. If AI is restricted by rights such as “fair use” of copyrighted material can change further development of the creative system. The impact of artificial intelligence on jobs, whether for high-skilled or low-skilled jobs – have often proven wrong. Historical predictions, such as those about computers in the 1950s, underestimated the long-term impact and created new job categories instead. The rise of AI raises concerns about job displacement, but predicting the exact impact remains difficult. Human imagination and creativity are benefiting from the advances of AI, and our work life will continue to be defined by our human qualities.
UX Optimizations For Keyboard-Only And Assistive Technology Users with Aaron Pearlman
Aaron Pearlman´s speech is about the importance of optimizing designs for Keyboard-Only and Assistive Technology users in web applications. He introduces himself as the Principal User Experience Designer and proceeds to discuss the importance of optimizations on keyboard navigation or assistive technologies. The target users are people who use keyboards to navigate web systems. They might have problems with motoric skill or visual impairments. Therefore designers need to consider incorporating assistive technologies like screen readers or braille readers.
He explaines three major categories of optimizations:
skip links
modal enhancements
focus handling
Skip links menas to allow users to skip sections of a webpage, making it easier for Keyboard-Only and Assistive Technology users to reach the main content. There are different types of skip links like displacement, overlay, and multiple skip links.
Modal optimizations means that the focus is set within within modals. Some examples of modal behavior show where focus is not properly trapped explain the significance of focusing on modal content or headers for better accessibility.
He also talks about the UX design process, discussing its discovery phase and the importance of thinking about accessibility from the beginning to throughout the whole design process. He introduces Deque’s Trane, an accessible pattern library, and how it can help create accessible web applications.
Impulse V
User Needs/User Requirements vs. User Stories
Im Alltag, wenn agile Prozesse eingesetzt werden kommt es immer wieder zu einem grundlegenden Missverständnis zwischen Product Owner, Requirements Engineer und UX Designer. Ein Hauptproblem ist oft das fehlende Verständnis für Erforschung der Bedürfnisse der Nutzer. Projektleiter auf der Kundenseite und Product Owner auf der Seite der Entwicklung stellen ihre Schlussfolgerung und damit Lösung oft einfach über die Notwendigkeit mit dem Benutzer zu sprechen. Oft ist das einfach der Bequemlichkeit geschuldet und dem Umstand, dass User Stories ausreichend sind um ein Produkt zu umschreiben und zu erstellen. Eine User Story hilft aber nicht dabei eine benutzerorientierter Lösungen zu finden. Im Gegenteil verhindert eine übereilt erstellte User Story einen passenden Lösungsansatz.
Was ist im Umfeld des UX-Designs unter Benutzerbedürfnis zu verstehen? Formal ausgedrückt heißt das: Benutzerbedürnisse sind die Dinge, die Menschen von einem Produkt oder einer Dienstleistung brauchen, um eine Aufgabe ausführen zu können. Um die Bedürfnisse der Benutzer zu verstehen, muss man in die Erfahrung der Benutzer eintauchen und sich in ihre Probleme, Motivationen und Ziele einfühlen. Es geht darum, relevante Fragen zu stellen wie: Vor welchen Herausforderungen stehen die Nutzer? Was sind ihre Ziele? Was erwarten sie von dem Produkt oder der Dienstleistung?
Das wichtigste ist: Die Bedürfnisse der Nutzer legen keine spezifische Lösung nahe! User Stories hingegen, wie sie im agilen Entwicklungsumfeld genutzt werden, bieten eine Lösungsperspektive. Sie bescheiben, wie ein Benutzer mit einem Produkt oder einer Dienstleistung interagiert, um ein bestimmtes Ziel zu erreichen. Diese Geschichten skizzieren das “Wer”, “Was”, “Warum” und “Wie” der Benutzerinteraktion.
In der agilen Entwicklung werden User Stories verwendet, um Funktionen und Features eines interaktiven Systems in verständlicher Sprache zu beschreiben und zu priorisieren. Die Lösung selbst ist bereits vorgegeben, ob eine vorherige UX-Phase durchlaufen wurde oder nicht.
Wikipedia: „A requirement is a formal description of a need, a user story is the informal description of a feature”
Eine User Story hat in der Regel das folgende Format: “Als [Benutzer] möchte ich [eine Aktion] durchführen, damit [ein Ergebnis] erzielt wird”. Diese Form klingt zwar nach einem Bedürfnis, wenn zuvor aber die eigentlichen Nutzerbedürfnisse nicht identifiziert werden, ist diese Formel nur eine leere Floskel. User Stories sind Beschreibungen von schon gefassten Lösungen, welche sich häufig nicht auf tatsächlich ermittelte Ziele oder Anforderungen der Benutzer im Nutzungskontext beziehen. Im Arbeitsalltag erschwert dieses Unverständnis die Zusammenarbeit zwischen PO, UI/UX Designer, Entwickler und trägt nicht zu einer benutzfreundlichen Lösung bei. Es geht bei der Entwicklung von digitalen Produkten nicht nur um die Erfüllung einer Liste an funktionalen Anforderungen, sondern darum, die Bedürfnisse des Benutzers zu verstehen um dann diese Bedürfnisse mit dem Produkt zu erfüllen. Wie diese Lösung aussieht soll im UX-Prozess und vom UX Designer ermittelt werden, erst danach formuliert man die User Story für die Umsetzung.
Aaron Walter’s Book “Design for Emotion” deals with the integration of emotional elements into the design to provide better user experiences. TIn his book, he writes about the important role that emotions play in the design of products, services and digital interfaces. He highlights the big part emotions hold in the interaction of individuals and technology. Emotions like joy, surprise, sadness, or fear should be used to create a connection between users and the product
To integrate emotions or evoke them with the design can have a huge impact tof the perception of a product. He explains that while usability and functionality are crucial, they alone might not be responible for customer loyalty and bond with the product.
Walters also presents approaches, methodologies, and real-life case studies. These are guiding principles for designers, and show how to embed emotion into the design process.
Human emotions intertwine with cognitive processes, leaving an imprint on the memory. Emotions, generated and stored within the limbic system of the brain, are very strong and determine our perceptions and responses for a product. By evoking positive emotions, designers can steer users to overlook imperfections and errors, provide guidance and lead them on to to things. There was a study that people tent to overlook bad usability when the UI is beautifully made. Still a lack of functionality, reliability, or usability, will damage the envisioned positive experience and could lead to user frustration.
Our perception of beauty often reflects our innate ability to extract meaning from forms. The human mind identifys patterns and shapes. If a design is flooded with elements it can overwhelm users and lead to cluttered design, lacking clarity and comprehension. Therefore design shoudn´t be merely ornamental. but neglecting aesthetics undermines the overall impact of functionality. Personal objects mean more to people and creates deeper connections. Therefore design should be able to adjust and better be adjustable. Personalisation is a good way to better user experience. Emotional design should help human-to-human communication. Its is not essential to create a good connection with the computer. Nevertheless the design needs to understand and follow real-life interactions. Emotional design isn’t only about aesthetics. It is about integrating emotions into the every part of the design, enriching user experiences through profound and engaging interactions.
As technology evolves and user behaviors changes, there are always new challenges for the UX industry. Some articles of UX designers claim UX is on the decline, but is that true? There are some arguments that might lead our perception into that direction:
The massiv interest and hype in UX design led to a market saturation and overcrowded market. The result is that there are fewer entry-level opportunities for newcomer. They often find it challanging to get a good position and start their UX career. This over-saturation represents a significant challenge. Bad circumstances, like economic stagnation or declinement can withhold technological or any investments and growth. That means that there are reduced budgets, layoffs, or a slowdown in innovative projects, which affects UX within the industry. With the opularity of UX careers, there came the self-learning and consulting businesses. Numerous educational programs and bootcamps evolved, but not all have high-quality standards, which produces underqualified professionals. People often struggle with real life circumstances like what they had been taught and what is needed in a project. A big thing is that for some jobs you need design skills. Making visually appealing interfaces with optimal functionality is a challenge. Providing that balance ensures a good user experience. Not every UX Designer is also a good UI Designer. Also meeting diverse user needs is a challenge. Accommodating various user groups requires a deeper understanding of diverse needs. This includes considerations for accessibility, cultural differences, and varying user expectations. And of course a good understanding of all stakeholders and keeping the budget in mind. Good teamwork with diverse stakeholders is crucial. It is a priority to keep good communication and relationship with all stakeholders.
Constant technological development makes it neccessary to know new devices, platforms, and interaction tools. Designers have to constantly keep up with this fast evolving tech landscape. Staying ahead of the changes and designing flexible experiences is key to success.An important part of UX is also the ROI and impact of UX improvements on the business which is always challenging. Demonstrating the value of UX in terms of user satisfaction and business success requires ongoing reasearch and analyses. This challenge is about effectively presenting the tangible results of UX efforts. Exept for the first problem with the market situation those are ongoing, problems but are there some real future challenges we are not aware of yet? Of course the evolution of technologies like AR, VR, AI, and IoT creates new challenges. To integrating and work with these technologies requires not just an understanding of the experience those technologies offer but also a technical understanding. Designers have to learn this new technologies. With globalization comes also challenges. We need to understand diverse user perspectives and cultural differences. As the world becomes more interconnected, knowing about cultural differences in design becomes a crucial factor for a product´s success. Designers are also very responsible for maintaining thical standards in design practices, privacy, accessibility, and responsible AI use.
And what about AI, will it be a helpful tool or replace designers? AI often raises questions and concerns about its impact on job roles and the future of designers. While AI definitly provides opportunities to enhance and make certain aspects of UX design more effitient, its will not replace the designers.AI can be a helpful tool by automating repetitive tasks such as data analysis, pattern recognition, and generating design iterations based on user feedback. It enables designers to focus on more creative and strategic aspects of their work. AI can help with personalization based on data-driven insights, predicting user preferences for bespoken experiences. Also it could assist with prototyping and design generation. What AI can not provide is the Human-centric aspect like understanding human emotions, motivations, and behaviors. AI is not able to solve complex problems, as it has to take different perspectives, cultural nuances and ethical considerations into account. These are areas where AI lacks contextual understanding. The technology will always struggle with ethical and moral decisions, also emotional design, creating experiences that deeply connect with users, remains a strength of human designers.
The masterclass is from Mia Guo, a Senior UX Designer at Magic Leap and a Harvard alumna. She is crafting immersive experiences in Extended Reality (XR). Mia explains how to build compelling XR experiences, emphasizing three design principles that define the user experience: Information Hierarchy & Density, Context, and Usability.
Understanding the context off an XR product is very important. You have to understand the setting in which the product will be used and how various factors might impact the UX. Mia categorizes XR applications into four main pillars: XR Training and Simulations, XR Gaming, XR Workspace, and XR Communication and Social Interaction. Each of these areas presents unique challenges and requirements. For instance, in XR Training, replicating real-world scenarios for professionals like firefighters. They need the most authentic environment to improve real-life skills. XR Gaming requires considerations of gameplay mechanics that make use of the interactive capabilities of the XR technology. In XR Workspaces, enhancing efficiency while ensuring security and integrating the app with existing systems is crucial. Safety measures in noisy or hazardous environments, such as manufacturing facilities, have to be consider. In XR Communication and Social Interaction, it is important that users can personalize the app and to offer emotional feedback and expressions within the XR environment.
Usability is a very important factor for a good immersive experience. XR apps can be very complex and hard to learn, therefore the onboarding process becomes a critical aspect. Users need guidance on navigating XR interfaces, including learning how to use controllers and accessing tutorials easily within the app.
Information Hierarchy & Density is also an important point for user navigation and the overall user experience. Designers need to reduce the cognitive load, improve task efficiency, and enhance safety and contextual awareness. This means prioritizing important elements in the XR interface through size, color, positioning, and effectively organizing information to minimize visual clutter. In XR this is even more important than in normal UI/UX Design.
There are also some other things to consider like technical limitations, including motion sickness, tracking accuracy, and glitches. Overcoming these problems is essential, because the user retention rate because of discomfort and complexity is very high.
Kristina Heidinger, BSc, Faculty of Informatics, TU Wien, Advisor: Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Peter Purgathofer
Gestaltungshöhe
Die Arbeit ist für eine Diplomarbeit nett gestaltet. Der Text bzw. die These wird mit Bildern erläutert, das lockert die Arbeit schon ein wenig auf. Die Bilder wurden in den Text eingebunden. Überschriften und Titel sind gesondert gestaltet und die Gliederung im Text ist auch durchdacht.
Innovationsgrad
Die in der Dissertation vorgestellten Methoden sind alle bekannt und weisen daher einen mäßig hohen Innovationsgrad auf. Die Generative Walkthroughs verwenden soziotechnischer Prinzipien und stellen daher einen neuen Ansatz zur Entwicklung von Designalternativen dar. Während das Konzept des szenariobasierten Designs nicht neu ist, sind die Anwendung von Prinzipien wie “Situated Action”, “Rhythms & Routines” zur kreativen Ideenfindung für die Neugestaltung eine Neuerung. Die Methode GWIDO (Game with Interaction Design Objective) bietet die Möglichkeit, große Gruppen von Benutzern zu befragen, um die beste Wahl für ein UI-Element zu treffen. Während es nicht neu ist für Design-Feedback mit Benutzern zu sprechen, ist in der Anwendung von GWIDO in einem interaktiven, spielerischen Rahmen innovativ.
Selbstständigkeit
Die Arbeit stützt sich stark auf bestehende Methodiken und Literatur. Die Autorinn greift auf vorhandene Theorien und Forschungsergebnisse zurück, um ihre Arbeit zu untermauern. Die Arbeit verwendet eigene Untersuchungsmethoden wie eine vergleichende Analyse anderer Studenteninformationssysteme an anderen Universitäten. Auch der vergleichenden Experten-Workshops ist eine eigene Untersuchungsmethode. Die Arbeit beschreibt bereits vorhandenes Wissen über das TISS-System sowie vorangegangene Arbeiten zur Problemanalyse aus der Sicht der Student:innen. Durch diese Eigenständig. Vor allem die Anwendung von vergleichenden Analysen und Expertenworkshops, um das Verständnis für das Problemfeld zu erweitern, machen die Arbeit eigenständig und innovativ.
Gliederung und Struktur
Struktur und Gliederung wirken konsitent und gut geordnet. Die einzelnen Kapitel und Unterkapitel sind klar benannt und behandeln verschiedene Aspekte des Redesign-Prozesses von Informationssystemen. Darüber hinaus wird in der Einleitung erklärt, wie in der Arbeit vorgegangen wird und welche Ziele verfolgt werden. Die klare Struktur und Gliederung der Arbeit erleichtern das Verständnis und die Orientierung.
Kommunikationsgrad
Die Arbeit vermittelt den Sinn und die Relevanz der Arbeit gut, angefangen mit der Zielsetzung, der Erörterung von Theorien und Literatur, einer detaillierten Beschreibung des Prozesses und Präsentation des Vorschlags für die Neugestaltung. Am Ende gibt es eine abschließenden Empfehlungen für zukünftige Bemühungen. Der Text ist klar und schlüssig und vermittelt die Erkenntnisse und Ergebnisse der Forschung in verständlicher Sprache.
Umfang der Arbeit
Der Umfang der Arbeit ist ausreichend. Es wurde ausführlich hergeleitet wie die Ergebnisse zu Stande kommen, es gibt ausreichend Bildmaterial, die Arbeit ist mit etwa 60 Seiten aber nicht zu ausufernd.
Orthographie sowie Sorgfalt und Genauigkeit
Der Text enthält keine offensichtlichen Rechtschreibfehler oder grammatikalischen Ungenauigkeiten, soweit ich das beurteilen kann. Fachausdrücke werden angemessen verwendet und tragen zur Klarheit und Präzision des Textes bei. Informationen werden präszise und klar beschrieben. Einige Details werden erklärt (z.b. Mockups) und das trägt zum Verständnis bei.
Literatur
Die Literaturliste enthält viele unterschiedliche Quellen, darunter Websites, Blogposts, technische Artikel, Konferenzpapiere, Berichte, Thesenarbeiten und Bücher. Das weist auf eine umfassende Recherche hin. Viele der Quellen sind aktuell. Einige ältere Referenzen, die sich mit grundlegenden Theorien vefassen sind aus den frühen 90er Jahre, ansonsten sind alle Quellen aktuell. Die verwendete Literatur enthält auch Fallstudien, Evaluationsmethoden, Theorien des Designs und praktische Leitfäden.
Für den vierten Impuls gebe ich Einblicke der OpenAi Devdays und in die neuesten Entwicklungen von GPT. Die Livetalks habe ich zwar verpasst, aber glücklicherweise konnte ich die Keynote und die Produktentwicklungen von OpenAI nachträglich in Artikeln nachgelesen und auf deren YouTube-Kanälen ansehen. Die Insights lieferten wertvolle Informationen für die Implementierung eines eigenen GPTs am digital university hub. Ich würde davon abgeraten, einen GPT von OpenAi direkt in den Hub einzubauen, stattdessen soll die Arbeitsweise anderer Modelle studiert und eine Firma gefunden werden, die ebenfalls GPTs entwickeln kann.
In der Keynote von Sam Altman wurden neue Features, wie DALL·E-ChatGPT Enterprise, sowie Verbesserungen und Pricing-Modelle vorgestellt, welche für meine Zwecke jetzt nicht relevant sind, aber dennoch nicht uninteressant zu verfolgen, was sich in dem Bereich verändert. Besonders spannend ist für mich die Integration von GPT-4 Turbo sowie den eigen entwickelten GPT, denn um die digitalen Barrieren vom DUH abzuschaffen benötigt es eine Übersetzung von akademischem Text in leichte Sprache. Da kommt der eigene GPT von OpenAI gerade recht für Prototyp Testing, bevor es für den Hub als endgültiges Produkt ausgelagert werden.
Zu regeneratives Design gehört auch die Wiederverwendung von bereits bestehenden Produkten und Materialien. Wir müssen unser Konsumverhalten zu überdenken und Wege zu finden, wie wir bereits vorhandene Ressourcen besser nutzen können. Ein entscheidender Schritt ist das Bewusstsein für die für die Vorteile der Wiederverwendung zu schaffen. Wenn wir verstehen, wie die Wiederverwendung von Gegenständen die Umweltbelastung reduzieren kann und auch sonst von Vorteil sein kann, sind wir eher bereit, unser Verhalten zu ändern. Dabei spielen Second-Hand-Märkte und Plattformen für den Tausch und Verkauf gebrauchter Gegenstände eine entscheidende Rolle. Außerdem sollten Reparaturzentren und -diensten gefördert und beworben werden. In Reparaturcafés und Workshops, können Menschen lernen Gegenstände reparieren und so Abfall vermeiden. Letztlich geht es aber darum, dass Design und Produktion von Gegenständen auf Langlebigkeit und Wiederverwendung ausgerichtet werden. Die Förderung einer Kreislaufwirtschaft die auf Wiederverwendung ausgelegt ist erfordert eine kollektive Anstrengung von Regierungen, Unternehmen und der Gesellschaft. In einer Kreislaufwirtschaft, die auf die Wiederverwendung oder Ausleihe von Produkten setzt, gibt es verschiedene Stakeholder, die an diesem Prozess beteiligt sind.
Stakeholder-Map:
Designer: Diese Stakeholder haben eine Schlüsselrolle. Sie sind für die Gestaltung von Produkten zuständig, die für die Wiederverwendung oder Reperatur geeignet sind. Sie müssen Designs entwickeln, die langlebig, reparierbar und wiederverwendbar sind.
Produzenten und Hersteller: Unternehmen müssen Produkte aus hochwertigen Materialien herstellen und müssen diese so herstellen, dass Teile ausgetauscht und repariert wrden kann.
Verbraucher / Nutzer: Als Teil des Prozesses der Kreislaufwirtschaft sind die Verbraucher entscheidend. Sie leihen oder verwenden Produkte, anstatt sie zu kaufen und wegzuwerfen.
Wiederverkaufs- und Leihplattformen: Unternehmen, die Plattformen für den Verkauf von gebrauchten Produkten oder für die Ausleihe betreiben.
Reparaturdienstleister: Dienstleister, die Reparatur- und Wartungsarbeiten an Produkten durchführen.
Politik und Regierung: Die Regierung kann durch Förderung von Kreislaufwirtschaft, Schaffung von Anreizen und Gesetzgebung zur Abfallvermeidung eine entscheidende Rolle spielen.
Logistik- und Transportunternehmen: Post und Transportunternehmen werden für die einfache Lieferung und Rückgabe der Produkte gebraucht.
Bildung und Forschung: Universitäten und Fachhochschulen die neue Methoden zur Förderung der Wiederverwendung lehren.
Den meisten Einfluss sehe ich bei den Designern. Bei Ideenfindung und Gestaltung, auswahl von Materialien können Designer entscheidend Einfluss nehmen.
Design Kit
Kitchentable (used):
What is it for? It serves as a functional and social space to support everyday activities like writing, reading, eating.
How did it get here? We took it over from the previous tenant because we were too lazy to look for a suitable table.
Who uses it? We use the table every day to eat, place things on it, sit and read or write
What does it do? It provides a stable surface for meals, work, or other tasks.
What is it made of? Spanplatten
Who made it? I don´t know.
Why does it exist? Because people need flat surfaces on which they can do things so that they don’t have to sit on the floor
As my revised thesis topic focuses on encouraging the practice of hobbies and learning of new skills for personal and recreational reasons, I thought I would complete the “What is this?” exercise in relation to one of my own hobbies, painting, and namely on the above painting.
What is this?
A painting
Oil paint on canvas paper
An image
A drawing
An imagined depiction
An expression
How did it get here?
I created it, then took a picture of it and uploaded it
The paints and paper came from my hometown in Canada, I brought them with me last Christmas from Winnipeg to Montreal to Vienna and then to Graz. Before that, the paints came from an online supplier that ships from Ontario to Winnipeg. The paper came from my local art store. Before that it came from a paper supplier, before that a paper mill, and before that it was trees.
Who uses it?
Art doesn’t have a particular “use” but you could say that everyone who views it “uses” it, in a way. Everyone who looks at it will have some reaction, from indifference to enjoyment. As the artist, I also “use” it when I look at it and consider if I achieved the expression I wanted to, and how it makes me approach future paintings.
What does it do?
It’s purpose is just to exist
It expresses something – a feeling, a moment in time, etc.
It can (hopefully) inspire, cause someone to think and reflect
When is it used?
It’s used whenever someone is looking at it or thinking about it
What is it made of?
Paint, paper, brush hairs that get lost, water, painting solvents & creativity (;
Who made it?
I did!
I used a reference photo that I took of flowers I got from the farmer’s market at Kaiser-Josef-Platz in Graz
Why does it exist?
It exists because I created it, for myself, to express something
It exists to communicate a moment, a feeling, a message
It exists just because
It exists because art is important and humans have an innate need to express ourselves
We all want to use our time well. We want to feel that we are getting the most out of our time outside of work, enjoying ourselves, experiencing new things, and spending time with loved ones. One way to make the most of your time is to have dedicated time for hobbies and leisure activities, such as a weekly pottery or foreign language class, a recreational sports team, or volunteering in a local museum. There are plenty of options for online learning, but in our post-COVID world, face-to-face connection is particularly important. But how do you find such a thing? What if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, just that you’re searching for a little something extra in your week? Getting started with something is often the most difficult part. When looking for a class or other weekly activity, we immediately face a lot of decisions and option, and this can be paralyzing. If these barriers were removed, would we be more likely to engage with the communities around us, learning new things and creating connections?
How important is connection with one’s community? What is the value of face-to-face connection, as opposed to online? How might we make it easy to build a full and fulfilling life through life-enriching activities? How do we make finding these life-enriching activities equitable and accessible?
These questions are the basis of a new direction for research that I will pursue during the thesis semester. The thesis will include both research and a practical output. I will first address the current state of research. Then, I will conduct field trips and include a series of interviews with relevant experts (transcripts and reflections). Building on both the research and interviews, I will begin the design process and focus heavily on user testing, which will lead me through prototypes and onto the final design. The current idea for a practical output is as follows:
Passion Project addresses the previously stated problem by offering a service to support you from start to finish. Through the Passion Project website or app, the user is onboarded with a series of questions to get to know their location, age, priorities, interests, availability, needs and wants. Following this, the algorithm can offer personalized recommendations. For each class, the sign-up process is the same and is hosted directly on Passion Project, never on a third-party website. Additionally, Passion Project stores important information such as class times, location, and supplies lists, and sends email/push notification reminders at appropriate times.
The preliminary structure is as follows:
Introduction (problem statement, state of research, goal, hypothesis, research question, concept & approach)
Research (tbd)
Expert Interviews & Field Trips (interview transcripts & analysis)
Practical Work (design process & outcome)Conclusion (applications, thoughts & reflections)
My personal theory is that regular, in-person activities that aren’t related to work or other obligations can be extremely important for creating a healthy, balanced life. Theory references, although yet unexplored, will likely include psychological journals to explore the impact of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the comparable benefits of in-person connection and community. I will also explore social design, or the practice of designing for a better society.
Some questions I have
What are your thoughts on the potential of this topic? Should the scope be broadened or narrowed at this point? Do you have any recommendations for potential site visits/field trips and/or interviewees? What are your thoughts on the practical input piece? Having never done a thesis before, one of my biggest concerns is having enough to work with to fill the timeline of the thesis – how do I really dig in to this topic over such a long period of time?
Working title: Inclusive Employment: A Platform for Women’s Job Opportunities
The problem: The starting point is the challenges that women face when trying to find one-day/ contract or similar job positions due to reasons such as pregnancy, family issues, money, cultural reasons and other circumstances. The lack of flexible work options tailored to these constraints hampers women’s economic empowerment and independence.
State of research: Existing information shows the importance of finding a solution for this but platforms often lack a focus on one-day or short-term contract jobs that align with the requirements of women facing limitations in employment.
Question: How can the creation of such a platform empower women who have constraints related to full-time jobs and help them have a better life?
The hypothesis: The main hypothesis/objective of my master’s thesis is to use inclusive design to create a platform that would empower women who have difficulties and constraints concerning work hours or contracts. A lot of the time happens that women cannot work or have difficulties finding jobs because of several reasons: no education, pregnancy, and maternity. the need for flexible working arrangements. This would also be a great tool for women from low-income countries/ unstable economically countries. So, my main idea is to have a platform that would allow women to have different types of jobs, even some without prior experience and to be able to create CV there and put skills. I want it to be easy to use for women from different countries and for it to help them grow financially and personally. This way women with limited resources would have access to earning opportunities and more economic independence.
The method: Literature review, research, finding already existing interviews, conducting interviews, analysis of already existing solutions/platforms.
Structure: 1.Introduction 2. Literature review 3. Interviews and Surveys 4. First drafts and user testings 5. Design 6. Conclusion and recommendations
