Interactive Institute Annual Report 2012

INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE SWEDISH ICT

ANNUAL
REPORT
2012

CONTENT

WORDS FROM THE CEO: IMAGINATION IS THE KEY

3

SHORT FACTS

4

LET US CHALLENGE YOU

5

KEY AREAS OF EXPERTISE

6

KEY AREAS AND CASES:
• DESIGN STRATEGY AND PARTICIPATORY INNOVATION
KEEP THE INNOVATION PROCESS IN MOTION
• FUTURE ENERGY USE
INNOVATIVE SMART HOUSE RUNS ON FOSSIL-FREE ELECTRICITY
• GAME DESIGN AND GAMIFICATION
EXPERIMEDIA EXPLORES NEW DIGITAL REAL-TIME SERVICES
• INTERACTION DESIGN
EYE-TRACKING TECHNOLOGY COMES TO LIFE
• SOUND AND INTERFACE DESIGN
IMPROVING WORK ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH ADVANCED SOUND SYSTEMS
• VISUALIZATION
CREATIVE 3D VISUALIZATION TOOL MAKES MUSEUMS AND SCIENCE CENTERS COME TO LIFE
UPCOMING PROJECTS

7
8-9
10
11-12
13
14-15
16
17-18
19
20-21
22
23-25
26

HIGHLIGHTS 2012

27-29

PUBLICATIONS

30-31

FINANCIAL REPORT

32

ORGANIZATION

33

2

WORDS FROM THE CEO:

IMAGINATION IS THE KEY
An important part of what we do at the Interactive Institute has to do with exploration and
experiences. Technology has fundamentally changed the way people interact with the world
around them, and this development makes us constantly reinventing the world, piece by piece.
Our job is to create great user experiences that involve and engage people – no matter if the
challenge is to change the way museums communicate science to their visitors, to improve work
environments, or to involve lead users to give companies a competitive advantage. We enable
dialogue between different competencies by developing tools and processes that create transparency and mutual understanding.

I

n 2012, the diversity of what
we have to offer and the
never-ending range of possible
application areas reached new
heights and created more exciting
collaborations with extraordinary
results than ever before. New
user experiences can be created
in all types of businesses and
contexts. Therefore, imagination
and the ability to think new are
essential to our line of work. In
order to be successful we cannot
only work in the fields we
know – we have to explore,
experience and discover in
“Imagination is more
Photo: Nils Agdler
order to find the perhaps
important than knowledge,
unexpected intersections
that create user involvement and
and collaborations where
for knowledge is limited
participation. An application
new ideas emerge. This is
while imagination embraces
will not be better than the
why I am especially proud
the entire world.”
involvement it manages to
to present all the different
create - no matter if it deals with
cases in this annual report,
Albert Einstein
learning or home care.
each taking on a different
challenge and each working
With our unique expertise
with partner companies from different industries.
in visualization and interaction design we create
Imagination is also about using existing technologies
and techniques in new ways. For instance, it is
interesting to see that a lot of what drives product
and service development today comes from the
gaming industry. The gaming industry has increased
the accessibility of qualified hardware, thus making
powerful computers available and affordable.
Gamification drives the development of mechanisms

business opportunities in new and existing markets. A
breathtaking user experience is the difference between
failure and success in today’s competition. We believe
imagination is the key.
CHRISTINA VON DORRIEN
CEO, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT

3

SHORT FACTS

Interactive Institute was
founded in 1998 by the
Swedish Foundation for
Strategic Research (SSF).

Interactive Institute is a
non-profit distributing
organization.

Funding: National research
funding 43%, national
and international industry
25%, governmental funding
20%, EU project funding 12%

Turnover in 2012:
45,5 MSEK
Interactive Institute
has 55 employees.

Part of Swedish ICT
which is owned by RISE
Research Institutes of
Sweden.

• Stina, Experience Designer, Eskilstuna

4

LET US CHALLENGE YOU
Interactive Institute Swedish ICT is an experimental IT & design research institute that
conducts world-class applied research and
innovation. We create groundbreaking user
experiences and offer expertise in interaction
design, visualization, user behavior, sound
design, games and entertainment. Through
creative and collaborative processes we empower our partners to create new ways of
doing and thinking.

W

e develop new research areas, concepts,
products and services, and provide
strategic advice to corporations and public
organizations. Our results are developed in close
collaboration with industry and society, exhibited
worldwide, and brought out to society through
commissioned work, license agreements and spin-off
companies.

created renewal within the research community and
played an important part for Swedish industry, regional
development and the image of Sweden as an innovative
nation.
Since the start in 1998, our work has been
characterized by our exploration of the borders
between design and technology in industrial and
academic settings as well as public and private sectors.
With our expertise, we bring an innovative edge to
industry, we connect stakeholders for extraordinary
synergies, and we bring renewal to policy work. Our
knowledge of participatory innovation and creative
visualization brings a unique set of skills to our
partners and to the Swedish research and innovation
sector.

FINDING THE FRONTIERS
For more than a decade, Interactive Institute has
worked systematically to identify new research fields
and to create pioneering projects with great potential
for innovation. The research has given rise to larger
research programs and funding initiatives that have

• Marie, PhD, Senior Researcher, Kista

5

WE CREATE GROUNDBREAKING
USER EXPERIENCES
We explore future
user experiences
through human-centered
information and communication
technology. With our unique
expertise in visualization and interaction design we create business
opportunities in new and existing
markets.

We provide a competitive edge through
world-class interactive
solutions, services and products
that dramatically change and improve the way people understand
and interact with the world around
them.

Our clients come
from industry,
academy, public sector
and public agencies, and together
with them we build the structure,
strategy, operation and leadership
of collaborative research and
development projects.

OUR KEY AREAS OF EXPERTISE
DESIGN STRATEGY AND PARTICIPATORY INNOVATION

FUTURE ENERGY USE

GAME DESIGN AND GAMIFICATION

INTERACTION DESIGN

SOUND AND INTERFACE DESIGN

VISUALIZATION

READ MORE

»

6

KEY AREA:

DESIGN STRATEGY AND
PARTICIPATORY INNOVATION
Design and innovation seek to improve people’s wellbeing by introducing products and services that respond to human values, human interests and experiences. While disciplines such as
anthropology, sociology, and psychology have contributed social theory and methods to understand human behavior as a basis for design, design and innovation are also social processes.
Valuable change is not created in isolation or through the work of a select few, but may originate from unlikely sources. How product, service or system concepts originate and are nurtured
through a process has increasingly involved the users themselves, as well as other amateur or
professional sources.

W

e find that drawing on valuable resources
for design and innovation demands
introducing new frames through which to
view the objective and the processes of any initiative.
‘Context’ takes on special meaning in relation to both
the ‘context of change’ and the ‘context of production.’
Learning about human behavior is very different from
applying that knowledge to a process. Sometimes the
context of change and the context of production can
be one and the same, other times it is
valuable to keep them separate. We have
a long history of experimenting with
valuable ways of engaging in change
through design whether the starting
point is societal priority, user interests,
new technology, or business.

• Challenges conventional thinking throughout the
process to socially valuable design.
• Avoids ill-conceived project directions while
prioritizing others at early stages.
• Provides contextualized understanding and
assessment in short-term and long-term efforts.
• Increases organizational learning through inclusive
formats of engagement.
Ideas are not born, they are socially shaped!

We draw upon social theory,
technological development and design to
plan and participate in design processes
with our partners. We specialize in
introducing new ways of engaging
unlikely contributors that address social
and cultural values and interests. Critical
and socially informed project planning,
execution and facilitation:
CASE

KEEP THE INNOVATION PROCESS IN MOTION

•

»

7

KEY AREA | DESIGN STRATEGY AND PARTICIPATORY INNOVATION

CASE:

KEEP THE INNOVATION PROCESS
IN MOTION
IKEA boasts more than 8,000 different products in stock with new models and designs added
weekly. The Swedish furniture giant is forced to keep the innovation process constantly in
motion to maintain its market share and uphold the brand.

L

ike many companies, ikea is continually
looking for ways to innovate its product range.
Together with Interactive Institute Swedish ict
and Veryday, the Swedish furniture giant will explore a
new method of innovation during 2013 that draws on
customer insights more than ever before.
GET CLOSER TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

consumer-focused approach that will show how
users involved in the concept development phase can
improve innovation. A lead user has special needs,
special skills and great experience in a certain product
or service domain. Open innovation through a lead
user approach can give companies a competitive
advantage by enabling them to leverage the knowledge
and ingenuity of the lead user.

The innovative research project aims to develop a

“ikea is interested in coming in closer contact with

»

• A lead user approach seeks to give companies a competitive advantage through leveraging the vast knowledge and expertise of users with special
needs, special skills, and great experience in their product and service domain.

8

the customer and to get into a co-creation process,”
comments Interactive Institute’s Brendon Clark. “ikea
is a pioneer in opening traditional business areas by
inviting customers into their warehouse-like stores and the
product assembly process. But they don’t necessarily have a
history of inviting customers into the design process,”
he adds.
EXAMINE EVERY ELEMENT OF YOUR PROCESSES
Interactive Institute, with ikea and Veryday, are
setting up innovation labs to involve stakeholders,
lead users, and other valuable competences. The
labs will move over the stages of lead user research,
analysis, co-creation, express prototyping and user
evaluation of prototypes and concepts. The members
will be involved in activities such as trend analysis,
lead user studies, and collaborative design. In this way,
the project has a ‘collaborative mode’ of conducting
research where the stakeholders can explore their
interest in a rapid research process based on user
involvement. The labs will be based on both face-toface and online interactions.

•

PROJECT PARTNERS
IKEA, VeryDay and Interactive Institute Swedish ICT.
CONTACT
Brendon Clark, brendon.clark@tii.se
READ MORE
www.tii.se/InnovationLab

9

KEY AREA:

FUTURE ENERGY USE

DESIGNING FOR PEOPLE AND SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
IN THE SMART GRID.
The electrical grid as we know it has worked more or less in the same way for over a hundred
years. However, great changes are taking place in this system forming the very core of modern
society. New ‘smart’ technology is directed towards energy conservation and energy production
without any environmental impact. To address issues oriented towards user aspects of the
future electrical grid, our key area focuses on the role of design and design research in the
transition to new behavioral patterns and social practices.

I

n the future electrical grid, people’s consumption
of electricity will have to be managed in response
to supply conditions. This entails adjusting
electricity use to the supply at critical times or in
response to energy market prices, which will involve
a change of everyday practices in relation to optimal
conditions for using electrical appliances. The major
goals of the research program are:
1. To develop knowledge concerning implications for
people as users of the future energy system. Central

issues concern how sustainable practices may be
formed in relation to the future electrical grid, what
kind of information is needed to attract and maintain
people’s attention, and how to provide engaging
interaction models. Other important aspects are
privacy, automaticity of household appliances and
systems, and private production of energy.
2. To develop concepts and prototypes for
communicating relevant information with the
purpose of engaging households in the energy shifting
systems. Here we address
questions dealing with
how design may integrate
feedback, aesthetics and
playfulness to influence
people’s motivation and
engagement to change
their practices relating to
electricity consumption.

•

CASE

INNOVATIVE SMART HOUSE RUNS ON
FOSSIL-FREE ELECTRICITY

»

10

KEY AREA | FUTURE ENERGY USE

CASE:

INNOVATIVE SMART HOUSE
RUNS ON FOSSIL-FREE
ELECTRICITY
In March 2013, a family moved into a prototype flat – a living lab – in a new urban area of Stockholm. During a period of 12 months, automatic systems and new mobile tools that will enable
them to keep track of their electricity consumption. Interactive Institute is responsible for designing the interface between the back-end systems and the residents.

T

he task of lowering energy consumption and
reducing co2 emissions is a global challenge.
Acting on a local level, Interactive Institute
has decided to get involved in a smart grid-research
project that focuses on empowering residents with
tools to control their electricity consumption in their
apartments.

This may be the case but the setting must be right. By
visualizing the energy consumption pattern throughout
the day via a display, the residents get incentives
to move certain parts of the consumption to more
favorable times. “We are also providing planning tool
that enables them to see what the next 24 hour-period will
cost and the effect of their consumption pattern on co2
emissions,” adds Torstensson.

WORK TOGETHER WITH KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

The information needed for this is collected by an
Carin Torstensson acts as project manager at
automatic system that makes calculations based on
Interactive Institute and both she and her colleagues
instantaneous electricity rates, loads in the electricity
work together with electricity providers, home
network and the degree of environmentally friendly
automation providers, construction
companies, white goods sector, and kth in
• Anton Gustafsson and Cecilia Katzeff from Interactive Institute in the prototype flat,
this two-year research project funded by
located in Stockholm Royal Seaport.
vinnova. “We want people to adjust to the
supply and demand of fossil-free electricity,”
she says. “We believe that there are possible
savings of up to 30 percent of co2 emissions
in regards to electricity consumption for an
ordinary family.”

»

GET A GOOD OVERVIEW OF
CONSUMPTION
A common assumption is that it’s possible
to optimize energy consumption through
automation and changes in behavior.

11

production. The use of mobile tools like smartphones
is one method to present the information. The project
also believes in using ambient tools, i.e. interfaces that
influence residents in everyday life in a transient way.
START WITH ELECTRICITY, THEN ADD OTHER
COMPONENTS
Interactive Institute assumes the role of service developer
in the initial phase. Even though the project focuses on
electricity, the aim is to add new energy components
such as heating and warm water consumption. “Right
now, we are building a generic, standardized system that
can be reused,” explains Torstensson.
DON’T FORGET FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
This is the first time the system is being tested. Next,
the research group wants to install it in approximately
150 apartments. In the future, the smart house
might also act as storage with batteries being charged
during favorable conditions. Also, electric cars can
be charged at the optimal time for the electricity
network and when its production is less harmful to the
environment. Also, if needed, electricity can also be
transferred back from the car to the house.

• By visualizing the energy consumption pattern throughout the day
via a display, the residents get incentives to move certain parts of the
consumption to more favorable times.

•

PROJECT PARTNERS
ABB, Electrolux, Fortum, JM, ByggVesta, HSB, NCC, KTH and
Interactive Institute Swedish ICT.
CONTACT
Carin Torstensson, carin.torstensson@tii.se
READ MORE
www.tii.se/projects/activehouse

• There are possible savings of up to 30 percent of CO2 emissions in
regards to electricity consumption for an ordinary family.

12

KEY AREA:

GAME DESIGN AND
GAMIFICATION
Games, gameplay and gamification are becoming increasingly pervasive in our society. Not only
are games becoming one of the main leisure activities and more and more being seen as having
a cultural value, they are being possible to play nearly anywhere through the use of smartphones and other mobile IT. In addition, the mechanics within games are also seen as possibilities
for transforming all types of task and activities to be more engaging and stimulating.

G

amification, the use of game mechanics and
game design techniques in non-game contexts,
has also emerged into an area of much interest
from both society and business. At the Interactive
Institute, we explore how novel gameplay can be
combined with novel technologies to create synergies
that can affect all areas of society. With leading
expertise in game studies, gameplay and gamification,
Interactive Institute plays an important part in the
exploration and innovation within the field.

•

• Staffan, PhD, Senior Researcher, Gothenburg

CASE

EXPERIMEDIA EXPLORES NEW DIGITAL
REAL-TIME SERVICES

»

13

KEY AREA | GAME DESIGN AND GAMIFICATION

CASE:

EXPERIMEDIA EXPLORES NEW
DIGITAL REAL-TIME
SERVICES
How can we understand the future of the internet from a user perspective? Which new services can we expect? The EU-funded research project Experimedia uses three venues – in Spain,
Austria and Greece – as experimental sites to get to some answers. “We want to understand
which kinds of new real-time services the future internet will hold,” says Peter Ljungstrand at
Interactive Institute. The project has an open-ended approach, and new project participants will
be added as the project evolves.

T

he Experimedia project complements the larger
eu program fire – Future Internet Research
and Experimentation. But while fire focuses
on the technical aspects of the future internet, the goal
of Experimedia is to take a user-centric perspective and
explore opportunities in different contexts. The project

asks questions like ‘How can the new technologies be
used?’ and ‘How are different services experienced?’
Three disparate sites are used as experimental settings.
Schladming in Austria is an alpine ski resort, interested
in exploring new ways of creating value for their
visitors. The High Performance Center of Catalonia

»

Photo: Jan Zach

14

is a sport facility, and provides the-athletes-oftomorrow with extensive training resources. The
Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Centre offers educational
productions and multimedia exhibits related to the
Greek cultural heritage.“We are looking at user-generated
content as a driver for added value. One example of a
service could be to let skiers use smart phones, earphones
and different spatial sounds to localize their buddies,
or to track down the nearest warm shelter,” says Peter
Ljungstrand at Interactive Institute.
VALUE OF REAL-TIME SERVICES

PROJECT PARTNERS
Interactive Institute Swedish ICT (Sweden), IT Innovation
Centre, University of Southampton (UK), ICCS (Greece), Athens
University of Technology (Greece), Atos Research (Spain), Joanneum Research (Austria), Infonova (Austria), Foundation of
Hellenic World (Greece), Schladming 2030 (Austria), CAR High
Performance Sport Center (Spain), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), La F@brique Du Futur (France).
CONTACT
Peter Ljungstrand, peter.ljungstrand@tii.se
READ MORE
www.tii.se/projects/experimedia

There is a general trend in society that the value of
information is declining as time passes. “What is unique
and happens right now carries more value compared to
pre-recorded information. That is why we have chosen
to focus on real-time services,” says Peter Ljungstrand.
But the goal is broader than just creating new killer
apps. Instead, it is about a better understanding of the
advantages and disadvantages of different services.
SEVERAL EXPERIMENTS
The project started in October 2011 and will run
for three years. Interactive Institute acts as a tools
developer and also has a cross-border function, making
sure the technical side understands softer perspectives
such as psychology and sociology. “During the first year,
we have built the technological platforms. From now on,
we will execute concrete experiments and evaluate the
results,” says Peter Ljungstrand.
Interactive Institute is also responsible for the
experiments being executed in a scientific manner,
including collecting quantitative and qualitative data.
An additional role is to attract new partners interested
in performing experiments.

•

15

KEY AREA:

INTERACTION DESIGN FOR
EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS
We devise and implement new and innovative interaction design solutions in extreme environments,
for instance within industrial settings, outdoor environments, and public spaces. While substantial
resources are being invested into interaction design intended to support office work, mobile office
users, and more recently into design for home settings and leisure users, these more unusual
application domains have been largely overlooked even though they provide very interesting
challenges and opportunities from a research perspective as well as a business perspective.

F

or instance, how should we design an oil rig
service technician’s support system to provide
the right information at the right time? When
riding their bikes fast downhill a mountain, is there
a way to convey information to the riders in a safe
but yet informative manner? Is it possible to design
interactive public displays so that many users can
interact with them and each other simultaneously?

people within different environments, have grown
considerably in complexity. Such complexity has
shifted the kinds of problems interaction researchers
and designers are involved from relatively well-defined,
controlled problems with the overall aim to improve
usability of a product or service to more ill-structured
and open problem situations; so-called ‘wicked
problems’.

These three examples show that the problems
with interaction design today is concerned, in
developing technology behaviors and understanding
the interaction between these technologies and

In order to be able to take on and tackle such
wicked problems together with our partners, we at
the Interactive Institute combine leading academic
research in Human-Computer Interaction (hci)
with practical knowledge and skills in
design and information technology.
For us, the context of use itself and our
situated users’ problems and concerns
are the center of attention, not the
actual technology being applied. Our
contextual, user-centered approach in
combination with strong technology
knowhow leads to new insights and
help us shape innovative solutions for
our partners. In all our projects, we use
working prototypes to quickly explore,
test, and verify our novel interaction
design concepts.

•

CASE

EYE-TRACKING TECHNOLOGY COMES TO LIFE

»

16

KEY AREA | INTERACTION DESIGN

CASE:

EYE-TRACKING TECHNOLOGY
COMES TO LIFE
Dirty hands and computer devices don’t mix, especially if you work as a maintenance engineer
in the oil industry. So, how can operators retrieve digital information when something needs to
be fixed? One advanced solution is to use eye-tracking technology and a gestural camera.

H

ow will human/machine interaction in
the processing industry change over the
next decade? Are there alternatives to
the traditional way of doing things? This was the
assignment abb Corporate Research gave Interactive
Institute. Using eye-tracking technology and a camera
that recognizes bodily movements, operators can
navigate on the computer screen by both using just
their eyes and hands. With inspiration from the games
industry Interactive Institute has built a prototype for
abb Corporate Research, which does exactly that.
IT’S ALL IN THE EYES

“We’ve been working together with abb for several years,
building prototype concepts for the future, and we
keep track of current technology,” explains Ru Zarin,

Interaction Designer at the Interactive Institute. “abb
already had connections with the Swedish company Tobii
and abb knew that we were interested in exploring the use
of Microsoft’s Kinect Camera.” Kinect uses a 3d camera
that detects 3d movements and makes it possible
to steer objects on the screen. Tobii Technology has
developed eye-tracking technology, which enables users
to interact with computers using just their eyes.
MAKING HANDS-FREE NAVIGATION A REALITY
Interactive Institute’s prototype consists of two
flat screens, placed a couple of meters in front
of the operator. On the right-hand screen, a 3d
representation of an oil rig is shown. By swiping
vertically with the arm, the operator can
navigate through different levels of

»

17

the oil rig model. Instead of using a mouse to highlight
objects and make them clickable on the screen, the
operator uses his or her eyes. Menu items can also be
expanded to reveal more information. When an object
is selected, it is moved by a swipe gesture to the screen
on the left. In the process view, the operator can
interact more in detail with a specific component and
see how it performs.

PROJECT PARTNERS
ABB Corporate Research and Interactive Institute Swedish ICT.
CONTACT
Ru Zarin, ru@tii.se
READ MORE
www.tii.se/projects/eyecatcher

EXPLORATIVE APPROACH BRINGS RESULTS
“We did this to show what would happen when these two
technologies were combined,” says Zarin. “The project
had an explorative approach. We were hoping to initiate
a dialogue on how access to pertinent data could be better
retrieved in specific environmental conditions with the use
of new technology,” he adds.
The showcase piece received glowing reviews during
an internal abb conference in Texas. “With a prototype,
people start to think: Can we use this in another context?
Often they can,” believes Ru Zarin.
The research project was conducted by Interactive
Institute in just two months and involved a team of
seven.

•

18

KEY AREA:

SOUND AND INTERFACE DESIGN
FOR ENHANCED USABILITY AND RICHER EXPERIENCES

Sound is a natural part of everyday life. Talking and listening is perhaps the most important
way of interacting with other people. Sound reaches our ears from all directions and informs us
about events, materials, distances, directions and much more. Still, however, interactive
applications are strangely silent, with a few exceptions.

A

n increased information load in many user
contexts requires designers to focus on
multimodal solutions rather than purely
visual solutions. By using a multimodal approach,
we will be able to build interfaces that lead to more
efficient human-machine interactions as well as more
attractive working environments. Using sounds creates
opportunities for eyes-free interaction, which in many
situations is safer and less demanding as it does not
require the users’ full attention.
Today, sound as a medium for interaction is very
underused in most user contexts. Unfortunately,
existing auditory solutions are typically neither good
nor inspiring. In order to change the existing view
on the use of sound in interfaces, it is important
to develop good examples, build solutions that
users accept, and stop contributing to bad sound
environments.

• Sound is an undervalued source of information in today’s vehicles
and will become increasingly important in the future vehicle and
transportation business.

At the Interactive Institute, we commonly make
use of participatory design in our projects. This, in
combination with our competencies in cognition
research, sound design, acoustics, sound analysis,
sound programming, interface design and concept
development, makes a good platform. We are
experienced in project and innovation management,
and most of our projects result in working prototypes.
Using our mixed competencies and experiences, we can
go from problem and idea - through a research-based
design process - to prototype and evaluation.
We see a great potential for the use of sound
interaction in a range of domains, including the
vehicle industry, the process industry, and other areas
involving intense information flow and demanding
decision-making. Other interesting areas are the service
industry, the media industry, the creative industry and
product design.

•

CASE

IMPROVING WORK ENVIRONMENTS
THROUGH ADVANCED SOUND SYSTEMS

»

19

KEY AREA | SOUND AND INTERFACE DESIGN

CASE:

IMPROVING WORK
ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH
ADVANCED SOUND SYSTEMS
Alarm signals in control rooms are supposed to alert and inform operators when there’s a
problem. Often, though, they are hard to understand and irritating. A revolutionary research
project by Interactive Institute has produced a groundbreaking solution that has actually
increased efficiency and improved the work environment for the operators.

O

perators in industrial control rooms are
alerted to problems with machinery via
computer displays. The use of sound and
sound systems is a useful option when the eyes become
overloaded with information. Paper producer Smurfit
Kappa Kraftliner wanted to create a less stressful
work environment in the control room so turned
to Interactive Institute to come up with a creative

solution that would alert operators without being
irritating.
“We challenged ourselves to find a sound solution to
guide Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner operators to the section
that was having problems,” explains Katarina Delsing
at Interactive Institute. “The sounds we wanted should
convey the grade of priority and the operator should feel
okay with the sounds, or even like them,” she adds.

»

“From a workplace safety point
of view, it has been an incredible
change for the better”.
Lars Jönsson, Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner
• Stefan Lindberg, Interactive Institute, and Lars Jönsson, Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner, in the control room. Interactive Institute designed and
implemented a sound-based solution in the control room of Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner, a producer in the paper industry, which resulted in a more
efficient and less stressful working environment for the operators.

20

A SMART COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT TONES
During the intense research stage, sound signals were
produced via a combination of different tones, which
were used to indicate the priority of the problem:
a high-pitched alarm meant something was serious
wrong and could affect production. Another important
step was to design sounds that worked for the users.
Along with the operators, Interactive Institute
identified different sounds that could be used for
certain operating sections: a water drop represented the
washing section, the sound of a kettle boiling was for
the cooking process, and a breaking twig meant there
was a situation in the wood chip area.
CLOSE COLLABORATION GETS YOU RESULTS
Project leader Anna Sirkka and sound designer
Stefan Lindberg worked methodically together with
the operators to find the right solution. After being
tested during real working conditions, the project was
presented and evaluated. “The response was extremely
positive. The operators at Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner
thought it was easy to understand which of the operating
sections was being alerted and it was useful in their daily
work,” explains Katarina Delsing. “The operators also
thought that the work environment was calmer and that
they could focus better on problem solving. It was nice to
hear that they didn’t want to get the old sounds back,” she
says.

• Interactive Institute’s Anna Sirkka in front of the system used to
implement the sound solution at Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner.

A full-scale test is now being carried out in a control
room at Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner. Interactive Institute
is also looking into other ways of further developing
the sound solution with new partners.

•

PROJECT PARTNERS
Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner and Interactive Institute Swedish ICT.
PROJECT AND FINANCING
This project was part of the larger project LJUDIT which is financed by: EU Structural funds, the County administrative board of
Norrbotten, the municipal of Piteå, the municipal of Skellefteå,
and RISE.
CONTACT
Katarina Delsing, katarina.delsing@tii.se
READ MORE
www.tii.se/projects/ljudit

21

KEY AREA:

VISUALIZATION FOR INTERACTIVE AND COLLABORATIVE
EXPERIENCES

Today we see an enormous increase in data and information generation. Trends and technologies
such as more powerful computers, internet of things, open data, ubiquitous sensors, new imaging
and measurement devices, digitalization, simulations, social media and mapping technologies are
becoming more and more advanced and wide spread. We are entering the era of Big Data.

T

o be able to tackle the tidal wave of data
that we are experiencing within all areas of
society such as health care, city planning and
architecture, science, education, engineering, business
or just plain everyday life, we need to refine and
develop powerful visualization tools that transform
data to meaningful information and generate insights
instead of overload.
Visualization aids us to see what cannot be seen, to
generate insights from large and complex data and
imagining the future. The applications of visualization
is ever expanding, it helps us with everything from
saving lives at a hospitals and creating a more effective
production process in industries to helping students
to understand complex problems as well as creating a

• In the Urban Explorer project, we create visualization tools with the
city as the foundation.

more democratic city planning process.
At the Interactive Institute we combine powerful
visualization technologies with novel interaction design
and display technology to create innovative interactive
visualization tools and experiences. Positioned in
between academia, industry and public sector we
work with a practical and prototype driven approach
together with partners from a variety of sectors,
ranging from smes to large companies and universities.
Our projects always result in working prototypes or
applications ready to enter the market. The goal is to
develop innovations and experiences that help our
partners to deal the new era, the era of Big Data.

•

CASE

CREATIVE 3D VISUALIZATION TOOL MAKES
MUSEUMS AND SCIENCE CENTERS COME TO LIFE

»

22

KEY AREA | VISUALIZATION

CASE:

CREATIVE 3D VISUALIZATION
TOOL MAKES MUSEUMS AND
SCIENCE CENTERS COME TO LIFE
Imagine a tablet device the size of a dining table. You sweep the surface with your fingers to
experience and explore objects in intricate 3D detail. Welcome to Inside Explorer - a powerful
visualization system that gives visitors to museums and science centers the chance to virtually
interact with subjects that have been scanned using medical imaging systems such as Computer
Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). A large interactive touch screen enables visitors to enlarge, rotate and virtually dissect different examples on the table and explore
them in intricate detail.

O

riginally developed to support forensic
autopsy work, the first prototype of the
Virtual Autopsy Table was developed in
2009 as a result of a cross-disciplinary collaboration
between Interactive Institute, Visualization Center

C and Center for Medical Image Science and
Visualization (cmiv). Today, universities and hospitals
use it for educational purposes as well in preparation
for performing physical autopsies. “We understood
that the visualization system could also be used in

»

• Ground-breaking new technology has allowed a virtual autopsy to be undertaken on one of the British Museum’s most well-known mummies and has
revealed he was probably murdered.

23

• Gebelein Man was buried in about 3500 BC at the site of Gebelein in Upper Egypt, and is one of the key attractions in the Early Egypt gallery at the
British Museum. Discovered in 1896, this mummy is one of the best preserved individuals known from Ancient Egypt.

other applications, so Interactive Institute continued to
develop the product,” says Thomas Rydell at Interactive
Institute.
SMART TECHNOLOGY FINDS NEW USER BASE
Three years later, the visualization system, now
named Inside Explorer, has found a new user base by
providing amazing visualization experiences to visitors
at science centers and museums. Anything that can
be scanned can also be visualized, explored and used
as basis for an interactive visitor experience – from
meteorites to ancient mummies. The system requires
no training, and visitors can interact with it in seconds.
Inside Explorer can also be supplied with a number
of anatomy datasets from an existing digital library.
Museums can scan their own objects or partner with
local hospitals to conduct their own research and
the Interactive Institute can then work with them to
provide visualization experiences.
FINDING SUCCESS WORLDWIDE
More than 10 institutions are now actively involved
worldwide in using Inside Explorer, including the
British Museum, London’s Natural History Museum,
the Singapore Science Centre, the Field Museum in
Chicago, and the National Museum of Science and
Technology in Stockholm. For one of the British

Museum’s most well-known mummies, over 5,500
years old, Inside Explorer even helped the curators
to reveal that the mummy had almost certainly been
murdered. This investigation was also assisted by the
forensic team at cmiv.
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS
But Thomas Rydell is also eyeing another field of
application for the Inside Explorer. “Some scientists
are considering the idea of converting physical objects at
museums into digital libraries,” he comments. “This
would make it possible to use non-invasive methods

»

“This technology allows us to
learn more about life and death
in ancient Egypt, but most importantly our visitors can take
part in the exploration and
discovery process.”
Neal Spencer, Keeper of Ancient
Egypt of Sudan, British Museum,
London

24

to digitally archive collections on a much larger scale,
as well as provide digital access to the collection by both
scientists and the general public. One goal could be to
create digital 3 dimensional archives for entire species,
that could be used for both research, public access and
interactive educational experiences in the museum,” he
explains.

•

PROJECT PARTNERS
Visualization Center C, Center for Medical Image Science and
Visualization (CMIV), and Interactive Institute Swedish ICT.
CONTACT
Thomas Rydell, thomas.rydell@tii.se
READ MORE
www.tii.se/projects/insideexplorer

• A cut in the skin over the left
shoulder blade doesn’t look
like much from the outside,
but the 3D visualization of the
CT scan shows that this was
probably caused by a sharp
pointed weapon that penetrated
the underlying shoulder blade.
The absence of any signs of
healing and the severity of the
injuries suggest that this can be
considered the cause of death.

25

UPCOMING PROJECTS

MONKI R&D - PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
INCLUSION OF LEAD USERS
Monki r&d is a pilot study which aims to develop
concepts for the fashion company Monki. Together
with Monki and Lindholmen Science Park, we want
to explore technology and design methodology that
better meet individualized customer needs in a global
context. To accomplish this a close relationship with
the customer is at the core. In the border of analog
and digital contexts, the project will develop concepts
which meet and identify customer needs, which in turn
will influence design and product development. The
concepts will be designed and developed through open
innovation processes and co-creation methodology,
where the inclusion of lead users is central for the
achievement of the targeted goals.
The project started in December 2012 and will end in December
2013. Partners in the project are Monki (a subsidiary to H&M),
Lindholmen Science Park and Interactive Institute Swedish ICT.
READ MORE
www.tii.se/projects/monki-rd

THE NEXT GENERATION OF SPORT
APPLICATIONS - A MOVEMENT APP
FOR CROSS COUNTRY SKIING
The sports industry is very large in Sweden – the
turnover was about 80 billion sek in 2010. However,
we export very little sport-oriented products and
services from Sweden compared to the huge interest
we have for sports and wellbeing. Internet of Sports is
a new research area at sics and Interactive Institute,
where we for instance use smart phones to perform
movement analysis to help skiers develop their
performance capacity.
Through combining movement analysis, machine
learning and user experience development, we
create the next generation of sport applications. The
movement app for cross country skiing reveals specific
details on how to improve your performance by
making the invisible information in your movement
visible and accessible.
The projects is led by SICS and Interactive Institute, and project
partners include the Swedish National Cross Country Ski Team and
Winter Sport Center at the Mid Sweden University in Östersund.

26

HIGHLIGHTS 2012
JANUARY
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE RECEIVES 10 MSEK FOR
DESIGN RESEARCH ON SMART GRIDS
Interactive Institute, Fortum, abb, Electrolux, jm, ncc, hsb,
ByggVesta and kth secured funding from vinnova in order
to create the first active house in Stockholm Royal Seaport,
a new urban district in Stockholm. Interactive Institute was
also granted funding by The Swedish Energy Agency for
research in this area.

FEBRUARY

• Photo: Ellinor Algin

VIRTUAL AUTOPSY TABLE PART OF NEW INNOVATION
EXHIBITION AT TEKNISKA MUSEET
The Virtual Autopsy Table is part of an exhibition about the
100 most important innovations of all time. The exhibition
is called 100 innovations and opened at The National
Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm, Sweden
in February. It is the largest exhibition ever produced by the
museum.

MARCH
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE’S CEO AMONG COMPUTER
SWEDEN’S 50 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN IN IT - AGAIN!
For the second year, Christina von Dorrien, ceo of the
Interactive Institute, was on Computer Sweden’s yearly list
of powerful women in it that have a lot of influence and
impact on Swedish business, technological development,
policy and/or public opinion.

APRIL
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE NOMINATED TO REGIOSTARS
AWARD
The Interactive Institute in Piteå was nominated to
eu:s RegioStars Award in the category ‘Smart Growth Connecting universities to regional growth’.

• Photo: Nils Agdler

INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE AND VISUALIZATION CENTER
C VISUALIZE THE FUTURE OF GOTHENBURG
In spring 2012, Interactive Institute delivered an Urban
Explorer Table to The City of Gothenburg that will use it
to plan and communicate the major urban development
projects that the city faces.

27

MAY
DANIEL FÄLLMAN APPOINTED PROFESSOR
Daniel Fällman, studio director at the Interactive Institute
in Umeå, was appointed professor at the Department
of Informatics at Umeå University. Daniel Fällman has
previously been awarded the highly prestigious title as one
of the future research leaders by the Swedish Foundation for
Strategic Research (ssf ).
WORLD-CLASS VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY ON
DISPLAY AT WORLD EXPO 2012 IN SOUTH KOREA
For the second time in a row the Interactive Institute and
Visualization Center C were selected to represent Sweden
at World Expo. Through a collaboration with saab Rapid
3d Mapping the Urban Explorer was exhibited - a new
visualization tool that will facilitate future city planning.
CARIN TORSTENSSON ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE
SWEDISH GOVERNMENT’S NEW COUNCIL FOR SMART
GRID
Carin Torstensson, studio director at the Interactive Institute
in Eskilstuna, is one of the 14 appointed members of the
Swedish Government’s new council for smart grid.

JUNE
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE GRANTED FUNDING FOR
CHALLENGE-DRIVEN INNOVATION
Together with a number of partners, the Interactive Institute
participates in two of the 30 projects that have been granted
funding from vinnova’s challenge-driven innovation
program.

SEPTEMBER
AUDIO MOSTLY 2012 IN CORFU
The 7’th Audio Mostly Conference took place at the Ionian
University, Corfu in September 2012. Interactive Institute
started the conference that is focusing on sound in 2006.
VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY FROM INTERACTIVE
INSTITUTE REVEALS ANCIENT SECRETS AT LONDON’S
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
The Natural History Museum in London opened its doors
for their biggest-ever after hours ’Science Uncovered’ event
in October 2012, allowing the visitors to experience specially
selected specimens using the Inside Explorer table – an
interactive visualization touch table developed by Interactive
Institute and Visualization Center C.

28

OCTOBER
CARL HEATH INVITED SPEAKER AT THE 2012
STORYWORLD CONFERENCE IN HOLLYWOOD
Carl Heath, researcher at the Interactive Institute, was one of
the invited speakers at the 2012 StoryWorld Conference that
was held in Hollywood, California, in October.

• Photo: Karin Foberg

RESEARCH RESULT FROM INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE
INTRODUCED TO THE SWEDISH MARKET
In October, Bixia opened its first store in Linköping and also
launched a new smart energy clock, Aware Clock. The Aware
Clock is developed by the Interactive Institute and can easily
measure electricity use in the home and visualize our energy
related habits. The clock is commercialized by Pike Solution.

NOVEMBER
VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY FROM INTERACTIVE
INSTITUTE REVEALED A 5,500 YEAR OLD MURDER
MYSTERY
Interactive Institute and Norrköping’s Visualization Center
C provided a virtual autopsy table to the British Museum
in London in November 2012. This groundbreaking new
technology allowed a virtual autopsy to be undertaken on
one of the British Museum’s most well-known mummies
and revealed that he was probably murdered. The table
was on display at the museum from November 2012 to
March 2013, giving the visitors to the Museum a unique
opportunity to use the new non-invasive technology and
discover new ways of looking at life and death in Early
Egypt.
MEDIPAD PRESENTED AT RSNA 2012, THE WORLD’S
LARGEST MEDICAL MEETING
Medipad, a new concept for interacting with radiology
workstations developed by Interactive Institute, was
presented at RSNA in Chicago, the world’s largest annual
medical meeting, attracting more than 60.000 visitors.
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE GRANTED FUNDING FOR
OPEN INNOVATION AND LEAD USERS
Interactive Institute was granted funding by vinnova for
two projects within the call ‘Open Innovation and Lead
Users’. The projects are ‘Lead User Innovation Lab’, where
Interactive Institute has teamed up with VeryDay and ikea,
and ‘Product Development through Inclusion of Lead Users’
where Interactive Institute works together with Monki and
Lindholmen Science Park. Collaborating with lead users is
an increasingly important factor in contemporary product
development, and these two projects will develop the way in
which we help companies to work with and engage in user
involvement.

29

PUBLICATIONS 2012
Bergström, K. (2012). Playing for Togetherness:
Designing for Interaction Rituals through Gaming.
PhD thesis in Interaction Design at the Department
of Applied Information Technology, University of
Gothenburg.
Bergström, K. (2012). Creativity Rules – how rules
impact player creativity in three table top roleplaying games. International Journal of Role-playing
#3.
Björk, S. & Juul, J. (2012). Zero-Player Games What We Talk about When We Talk about Players.
The Philosophy of Computer Games Conference,
Madrid, 2012.
Clark, Brendon and Boije, Jakob and Fraser, Euan and
Young, Jonathan (2012) Delivering Collaboration:
Participatory Innovation Conference Proceedings.
Participatory Innovation Conference 2012, Swinburne
University.
Denward, Marie (2012) Broadcast Culture Meets
Role-Playing Culture: Consequences for Audience
Participation in a Cross-Media Production. In:
Global Perspectives on Media in the Swirl. Pentagon
Press, New Delhi, India. isbn 978-81-8274-653-4
Eriksson, Magnus. (2012) Political Participation
Among Youth in the Edgeryders Project. Edgeryders
working papers, Council of Europe, Strasbourg
Fagerlönn, Johan and Delsing, Katarina (2012)
Designing auditory displays for visually dominant
user environments. In: smc Sweden 2012, Sound
and Music Computing, Understanding and Practicing
in Sweden, ”Vad pågår just nu?”, 2012, kth, Royal
Institute of Technology.
Fagerlönn, Johan and Lindberg, Stefan and Sirkka,
Anna (2012) Graded Auditory Warnings During InVehicle Use: Using Sound to Guide Drivers Without
Additional Noise. In: 4th International Conference
on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive
Vehicular Applications, Portsmouth, nh, usa.

Fallman, D. & Yttergren, B. (2012) Using Virtual
Shadows to Represent User Proximity in Mobile
Information Technology Environments, In the
proceedings of hotmobile 2012, The Thirteenth
Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and
Applications, Poster paper, (Feb 28-29, San Diego, ca).
Katzeff, C., Nyblom, Å., Tunheden, S. and
Torstensson, C. (2012): User centred design and
evaluation of EnergyCoach – an interactive energy
service for households. Behaviour and Information
Technology, 31, 3, 2012, Taylor & Frances Group,
305-324.
Liljedahl, Mats and Delsing, Katarina (2012) Sound
for enhanced experiences in mobile applications.
SMC Sweden 2012, Sound and Music Computing,
Understanding and Particing in Sweden . pp. 10-12.
Liljedahl, Mats and Lindberg, Stefan and Delsing,
Katarina and Polojärvi, Mikko and Saloranta, Timo
and Alakärppä , Ismo (2012) Testing Two Tools
for Multimodal Navigation. Advances in HumanComputer Interaction, 2012 . issn 1687-5907
Liljedahl, Mats and Papworth, Nigel (2012) Using
Sound to Enhance Users’ Experiences of Mobile
Applications. In: Audio Mostly 2012 - A conference
on interaction with sound, 26-28 September 2012,
Corfu, Greece. (In Press).
Mazé, Ramia (2012) A Critical Practice. In: The
Swedish Museum of Architecture: A fifty year
perspective. The Swedish Museum of Architecture,
Stockholm, pp. 158-160. ISBN 978-91-85460-88-5
Trotto, Ambra (2012) Civic Forges: co-design
platforms based on people’s skills. In: Trend book
Dutch Design Week 2012. Dutch Design Week,
Eindhoven. isbn 978-94-90350-32 (In Press)
Trotto, Ambra and Tittarelli, Michele (2012) Musical
Viruses for graceful seduction. In: nordichi,
October 2012, Copenhagen.

30

Wangel, Josefin and Mazé, Ramia and de Jong,
Annelise and Höjer, Mattias (2012) Backcasting and
Design for Sustainable Social Practices. In: Nordic
Conference on Consumer Research, May 30- June 1,
2012, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Zarin, R., Lindbergh, K., & Fallman (2012) Using
Stop Motion Animation to Sketch in Architecture:
A Practical Approach. In: Design and Technology
Education: An International Journal, Volume 7,
Number 3. October 2012.
Zarin, R., Lindbergh, K., & Fallman, D. (2012)
Stop Motion Animation as a Tool for Sketching in
Architecture, To appear in the Proceedings of drs
2012, The 2012 Design Research Society International
Conference, (July 1-4, 2012, Bangkok, Thailand).

• Cecilia, PhD, Research Director, Eskilstuna

31

FINANCIAL REPORT
Statement of Profit and Loss for 2012, KSEK

2012

2011

Net Sales

45 534

43 676

TOTAL INCOME

45 534

43 676

Other external costs

-16 992

-13 502

Personnel

-28 504

-30 401

-149

-272

Operating profit/loss

-111

-499

Result from financial investments

136

646

25

147

0

82

NET PROFIT/LOSS FOR THE YEAR

25

299

Balance Sheet 2010, KSEK

Dec 31, 2012

Dec 31, 2011

Tangible assets (machinery)

214

425

Financial Assets

425

447

666

872

Work in progress

8 249

9 259

Receivables

7 196

4 064

Cash and bank deposits

7 792

9 357

Total Current Assets

23 237

22 680

TOTAL ASSETS

23 903

23 552

Share capital

100

100

Reserve fund

20

20

8 281

8 052

25

229

Total Equity

8 426

8 401

Current liabilities

15 477

15 151

TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

23 903

23 552

Income

Operating expenses

Depriciation and write-downs of tangible assets

Profit/loss after financial items
Other taxes

ASSETS
Fixed Assets

Total Fixed Assets
Current Assets

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Equity

Profit brought forward
Profit for the year

32

ORGANIZATION
CEO

OWNERS

Christina von Dorrien

The ownership of the Interactive Institute is held
by Swedish ict, which is a group of world-class
research institutes in the field of ict (information and
communication technologies), with expertise that
ranges from sensors and actuators, communication
networks and data analytics to visualization, interaction
design and service development. Swedish ict is owned
by the Swedish government through rise (60%), and
by two stakeholder associations (40%) with member
companies from Swedish industry.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Madeleine Caesar
Mikael Genberg
Hans Hentzell
Sören Sjölander
Tomas Lagerberg
Hans Malmqvist
Staffan Truvé (Chairman)
Christina Öhman, employee's representative
Carin Torstensson, employee's representative, deputy

SWEDISH ICT ORGANIZATION CHART
FMOF 20%

FAV 20%

ACREO

SICS

RISE HOLDING 60%

INTERACTIVE
INSTITUTE

VIKTORIA

OFFICES
Interactive Institute’s headquarter is located in Kista
(Stockholm, Sweden), with operations in major Swedish
cities and regions; Eskilstuna, Gothenburg, Karlstad,
Norrköping, Umeå and Piteå.

PITEÅ
UMEÅ

KARLSTAD

KISTA, STOCKHOLM
ESKILSTUNA
NORRKÖPING

GÖTEBORG

33

”

The Interactive Institute is a truly unique initiative, which
focuses on esthetics and creativity by combining artistic
development with research in design and technology.
In addition, it is a real-life experiment in the organization of cross-discipline
research combining art, design, anthropology, computer science, interaction
design, ethnography and many other disciplines.

It is hard to pinpoint what makes the Interactive Institute so completely
different, but I am convinced that the secret is that it is a unique platform
for creative people to pursue their dreams and ideas. The results are
creations that combine esthetics and novel information technology, and
in almost every case there is also a story to be told.”
Staffan Truvé, Chairman, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT
Chief Scientist and co-founder of Recorded Future

• Thomas, Studio Director, Norrköping

Interactive Institute Swedish ICT AB
Box 1197
164 26 Kista, Sweden
www.tii.se
info@tii.se
© Interactive Institute Swedish ICT 2013
Production and Graphic Design:
Sara Backlund & Anna Scherp

Interactive Institute Annual Report 2012

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Similar to Interactive Institute Annual Report 2012 (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Interactive Institute Annual Report 2012