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Object Tracking has been a very active area in the field of C omputer Vision. Over the years, a variety of approaches have been put forth to solve this problem and though many of them have demonstrate considerable success none of them have been completely successful. With more methods being written each day, the evaluation of such systems becomes a very important task. If an evaluation system exists that is able to point out specific flaws in the stage of development, it can lead to a very robust and improved algorithm. This work attempts to create such an evaluation framework. Given an algorithm that detects people and simultaneously tracks them, we evaluate its output by considering the complexity of the input scene. Some videos used for the evaluation are recorded using the Kinect sensor and a benchmark dataset from the PETS workshop is also used. To analyze the performance of the tracking system,the reasons due to which the algorithm might fail are investigated and quantified over the entire video sequence. A set of features called Scene C omplexity Measures are obtained for each input frame. The variability in the algorithm performance is modeled by these complexity measures using various regression models. From the regression statistics, we show that we can compare the performance of two different algorithms and also quantify the relative influence of the scene complexity measures on a given algorithm.

Aiming to advance the knowledge regarding the experience of love for products, and following Russo’s person-product love research, we investigate the experience of love for cars. The goal in this research is to investigate the effects of products’ behaviors in people’s love relationships. The investigation of people-cars love relationships is particularly interesting: first, people often tend to express their love for cars, seem to show no resistance in sharing or exposing their true feelings and thoughts about their beloved cars, and tend to be very open and comfortable about these relationships. Second, although every product has the potential to be a loved object (Brown, 1987), products people interact with on a daily basis have higher chances of becoming a loved object (Russo, 2009). Third, unlike mobile phones or shoes, we use our whole bodies to interact with cars. The variety of interactions that can be carried out with a car should help us gather rich insights and design-relevant knowledge. Fourth, there are limitations in the focus of car designers. They do not have the knowledge and tools to design cars that have the potential to be loved in a long-term span. We aim to provide car designers data and knowledge on how cars affect people’s experience of love. In order to understand the impact of product’s behavior in person-product love relationships, car’s kind and unkind behaviours are investigated. People couldn’t recount the car’s behavior without support, therefore a product behavior tool is developed with a set of 14 personality traits (relax, dominant, untidy, lively, provocative, honest, serious, boring, gentle, elegant, pleasant, reliable, pretty and cute). Results pointed out that the product behavior is one of the important influencing factors in the people’s experience of love and as such it should be included in the person-product love framework. The positive car behaviors tend to keep the overall experience of love high or heightened it more and the negatively car behaviors lower the overall experience of love. The conclusion is that when people treat their beloved products kind and with love, the product will probably react in the same way because the product reflects people’s feelings. It seems to indicate that people often invest efforts to overcome threats and maintain (or prolong) the relationship with their beloved products. To help people overcome product’s threats and hostilities, designers should avoid these interactions when forging relationships and designing for love. The ultimate intention of this research was to provide car designers with a framework. The idea about the framework is to create a character for each car behavior, based on the car characteristics represented in the car behaviors from the tool. Since a continue study is required for this, we will recommend a development of a framework for a future study.

The goal of this study is to improve design support for designers at Philips Design. Philips Design is organized to be completely ‘people centric’: their products fully aim to fulfill user needs and wishes. To achieve this, the employees are supported by the High Design Process. It enables them to do people centric innovation for the Business. This study is ‘designer centric’; it aims to derive the needs and experiences of the designers based on a theoretical model and a phenomenological study. The findings of this study show that improving support for designers will not be achieved by improving the High Design Process, but rather by improving the contextual support. Based on these findings, six opportunities for Philips Design are devised amongst which improving knowledge sharing is the most beneficial in the context of this project. Knowledge sharing is in fact a coupled action of sending (answering) and receiving (asking), if one of two fails, sharing fails. In a collaborative workshop the designers indicated that the two main barriers for sending are motivational of nature: there is no passion for sharing; there is no clear reward system for sharing. The two most important barriers for receiving are operational: it is difficult to know who knows what; there is not enough time to engage in sharing. To tackle these four barriers both motivational and operational, knowledge sharing should become embedded in the ways of working: the Philips Design sharing culture needs to change. To change the knowledge sharing culture, an eight step roadmap is designed which builds on the employees daily routines, on existing solutions and on personal relationships. The roadmap introduces small steps that together will nudge the existing mentality into a knowledge sharing culture. The first two steps of this roadmap introduce small tweaks of fully embraced technology within Philips Design. These steps have been further developed to an operational level to enable testing. The test indicates that the end users perceive the solutions to be a helpful and – more important so – seem to like implementing them. The participants’ suggestions are leveraged into a redesign, further enhancing the efficiency and usability. Philips Design is working hard to implement knowledge management into the organization in the near future. The solutions posed for knowledge sharing in this project contribute to this activity and strengthen the overall proposition. Interest is shown by key stakeholders for knowledge management deployment, to implement certain solutions of this project in the Philips Design organization.

The meaning of the dwelling consists of multiple layers, which makes it a complex concept. Therefore it should be dismantled (ref. Rapoport, 2001). This paper presents a conceptual framework in which settings, activities and values are systematically related. The data is derived from a telephone survey among 659 respondents in the Netherlands. This data offers insight into how different places in the dwelling are used, the way in which these different places are related to one another and which values people attach to activities in the dwelling. As such it reveals some of the patterns that constitute the meaning of the dwelling. The data show that: 1) The dwelling is a place to be together with family and friends; 2) The dwelling is a place to relax; and 3) The dwelling is a place to retreat from the outside world. Besides common patterns, the conceptual framework can also be applied to reveal differences in use and meaning between groups of people. For example, the meaning of the dwelling for people who live in a one or two person household emphasizes on the dwelling as a centre for leisure activities. This is reflected in values such as creativity and keeping busy. For people who live in a three or more person household, values like sense of safety and having time for one another are more prominent. As such the conceptual framework proves to be useful in dismantling the meaning of the dwelling.

City centres are changing. More and more do they compete with suburban centres or other cities. Jan Gehl has proven that making historic cities car-free AND improving the conditions for pedestrians is a vital strategy (Hoeven et al, 2008). Since 2000 the City of Delft is implementing car-free zones in the historic city centre (with a lot of scepsis and opposition). In 2009 the results were evaluated. Delft carried out several questionnaires. The results were very positive – over 70% of the people appreciated the city more since implementing the car-free zones (DIP/2009) In this short paper I will discus the implementation and evaluation of making the city of Delft car-free: a essential intervention to keep the historic city alive, make it more attractive and improve the city centre for pedestrians.

User experience with public products needs special attention considering the specific context. Different from other consumer or personal products that users own, public products do not belong to the user; they are shared with and used in front of other people. Thus, different concerns and problems are incorporated affecting the user experiences. This thesis dwells on the effects of presence of other people on user-public product interaction. The relationships between social context, users’ feelings, and task performances constitute the basis of the thesis. These relationships were investigated by consulting to the literature, but mainly by conducting three empirical studies. All these studies revealed that the presence of other people affects the users’ feelings and task performances greatly.

“Deaf” with a capital “D” refers to a group of people who are deaf and rely mainly on sign language to communicate. Most Deaf people in South Africa are functionally illiterate. They claimed that they are in need of a practical tool, which would help them to communicate better with hearing people, especially in the healthcare context. Following this claim, the iteration research team has been trying to find a practical way to deliver effective communication for Deaf people in South Africa. In the current project, the research team decided to design a communication tool for a simpler dialogue tree in the pharmacy context. As part of the team, the author combined “Vision in Product Design” and “Human Centered Design” to design feasible communication tools for the pharmacy context. Interview, storyboard, and role play were a few of the main techniques used to unfold the users’ needs and wishes. The investigation revealed that Deaf patients clearly need to understand their medication requirements from the moment it is prescribed by the doctor until the time the medicine is dispensed by the pharmacist. As Deaf people commonly use mobile phones, the communication aid named, “SignSupport v3” was designed to be stored on the phone and it will serve as a portable interpreter when the Deaf patient communicates with healthcare practitioners independently. The researcher made recommendations about the properties required to make a mobile phone an ideal tool for Deaf people in communication. Other recommendations concerning certain features, which will enhance the performance of the SignSupportv3, were also made. A message and queue notifying system was also proposed to prevent Deaf patients from missing their turns in public hospitals, as this was one of their main complaints. The evaluation of the efficiency of SignSupport v3, as stated by the Deaf people and the pharmacist, in assisting pharmaceutical communication was satisfactory. All the message outputs of the SignSupport v3 were clearly understood by the Deaf participants and they were happy to test such a product. However, there are some aspects of the product, which can be improved and some further research should be done before the communication tools will be ready to be launched.

Accelerating Moving Walkways (AMWs) are conveyor systems that accelerate pedestrians from a low speed at the entrance to a higher speed at the middle section, and then decelerate them to a low speed again at the exit. It is envisaged they can be a potential transport mode to fill the gap between short and moderate distance transport. However, present day AMWs are still relatively short, so there is no knowledge on the application and performance of these systems for longer distances. In comparison, long bulk material belt conveyors have been utilized for many years. Their application is made possible due to the distribution of power along the belt conveyor. Because moving walkways and belt conveyors have some similarities in their mechanism, the experience in developing long bulk material belt conveyors can be taken as analogy for developing long AMWs. Nevertheless, the two systems have different characteristics related to their different application and load, one for people and the other for bulk materials. This thesis aims to investigate the possibility of applying AMWs for moderate distance continuous people transport. In approaching this main research objective, we distinguish three main elements in the application of AMWs, i.e. the system itself, the passengers, and the location. The characteristics of each element and their interactions are analysed with respect to how they impose requirements and boundaries towards the application of AMWs, in general and in particular for moderate distance transport. Using a dynamic AMW belt conveyor model, simulations are carried out to study the dynamic behaviour and operating performance of long AMWs for single- and multiple-drive configurations, and for different operational stages, load conditions and control strategies.

Post-Exodus or the involuntary prisoners of Architecture, is a project about corrupt well intended top-down pretentions. A project about when utopia becomes dystopia. About when the built environment becomes out of tune with experienced and desired reality. Accumulating to the point of large scale vacancy and crisis. The focus of the project will be the case of the Kleiburg flat, the last untouched piece of Bijlmer ideology. The project was done in the graduation lab 'Design as Politics' with the underlying theme 'In the Ghetto', in which a personal view on the definition of a ghetto was encouraged. In this project the ghetto is described as an urban area that resonates with negative associations, as a segregated area often associated with the social-economic-weaker section. Due to the unpopularity of the urban area, real-estate values drop, investors and project-developers stay away. Conditions deteriorate. For those who want to leave the ghetto but can not afford to do so, the ghetto becomes an urban prison. The title of the project plays with the idea of architecture's ability to manifest dreams and desires. As the exodus took place and people moved towards the better, they left behind the old. The exodus was for those who could afford to leave; those unable to escape the undesired urban conditions where left behind. Post-Exodus focuses on these deprived areas, on these places of undesired architecture. It searches how to become a desired place once again, even when the means are limited. The research investigates a South-American Prison situated in Bolivia, in the capital city of La Paz. In the old city center, on the old colonial spanish grid the prison of San Pedro stands. Hidden behind the stucco walls, upon passing the guarded gate, a unexpected vivid community is revealed; the self-regulating inmate population of San Pedro. The prison was inspired by the panopticon model (Pentonville, London) of Jeremy Bentham. Built around the nineteen hundreds, this ideological prison model proved to be one of unrealistic utopia. The penitentiary system could not live up to the build expectations. The conditions of the inmate population deteriorated inside the prison walls. Without a welfare state or governmental subsidies the prisoners where appointed to their own ability to take matters into their own hands. Escape was not an option, the solution had to come from within... The do-it-yourself attitude of the prisoners resulted in an unique bottom-up transformation of the old prison model. Over time the prisoners slowly adapted the building to fit their basic needs, constantly fighting for their rights and defending every square inch. They held no nostalgia of the past, adapting to the new reality of their needs, adapting the build environment at best to survive. Over time San Pedro Prison developed its own logic, a mini-society with its own micro-economy, micro-policies, democratic elections, a prison real-estate market, cafes, restaurants, fitness area, sauna's, pool halls, tv corners, shops, dentist, churches, ceremony square, football competitions, tourism, workplaces, jobs and even more.. The San Pedro Prison inspires to look in a different way at the built environment we inhabit. It inspires to think in a different way about our attitude towards buildings. It inspires to think in a different way about architecture. It inspires to see how in the worst conceivable conditions, the prisoners of San Pedro where able to transform their built environment into a more favorable condition, to suit their lives and needs better. Transformation as a continues process, attuning to the ever changing times. Kleiburg is dead, it's ideology faded in the face of reality. Time has changed, Kleiburg stood still. If Kleiburg is not to parish in irrelevance it must once more become a part of our dreams and desires. Emergent societal trends and changes must then form the basis of its transformation. In times of financial crisis, unpredictability and uncertainty the means are limited. The answers must not be sought in the top-down financial power of big project developers but in the power of the ordinary people; the power of the people dwelling and working in and around Kleiburg. The design investigates a bottom-up approach, a do-it-yourself attitude, a gradual growth towards a new future. To clarify such a development a scenario was written in which the existing local social and urban fabric where extrapolated into the Kleiburg building. The initial conditions are dictated by the structural possibilities of the Kleiburg flat itself. The installation of the 'Gate' marks the presence of an underlying democratic process. Spatial hierarchy determines the relationship of space and influence of individuals/collectives on the built environment. In a set of projects possibilities are designed, each design telling a different story, each story exploring a new theme, each theme adding to a bigger scale. By the time we look back at all the different designs we will witness the emergence of museum. A Bottom-Up-Museum symbolizing the deconstruction of the prestigious 'starchitect' object, reconstructed by ordinary people.