INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE SWEDISH ICT
ANNUAL REPORT 2012
CONTENT
WORDS FROM THE CEO: IMAGINATION IS THE KEY
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SHORT FACTS
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LET US CHALLENGE YOU
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KEY AREAS OF EXPERTISE
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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
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HIGHLIGHTS 2012
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PUBLICATIONS
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FINANCIAL REPORT
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ORGANIZATION
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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• 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.
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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.
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PROJECT PARTNERS IKEA, VeryDay and Interactive Institute Swedish ICT. CONTACT Brendon Clark, brendon.clark@tii.se READ MORE www.tii.se/InnovationLab
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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.
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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.
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CASE
INNOVATIVE SMART HOUSE RUNS ON FOSSIL-FREE ELECTRICITY
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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.
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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.”
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GET A GOOD OVERVIEW OF CONSUMPTION A common assumption is that it’s possible to optimize energy consumption through automation and changes in behavior.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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• Staffan, PhD, Senior Researcher, Gothenburg
CASE
EXPERIMEDIA EXPLORES NEW DIGITAL REAL-TIME SERVICES
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KEY AREA | GAME DESIGN AND GAMIFICATION
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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.
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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
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Photo: Jan Zach
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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.
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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.
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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.
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CASE
EYE-TRACKING TECHNOLOGY COMES TO LIFE
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KEY AREA | INTERACTION DESIGN
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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CASE
IMPROVING WORK ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH ADVANCED SOUND SYSTEMS
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KEY AREA | SOUND AND INTERFACE DESIGN
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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.
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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.
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“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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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CASE
CREATIVE 3D VISUALIZATION TOOL MAKES MUSEUMS AND SCIENCE CENTERS COME TO LIFE
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KEY AREA | VISUALIZATION
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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.
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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
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• 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.
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• 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
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“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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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”
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