AbstractsComputer Science

This thesis was about designing and developing an improved solution for the numerous virtual services North Karelia University of Applied Sciences employs, such as email, schedules, and course material. These services were assorted programs, applications, and systems, which some users had problems using and managing. This decreases the efficiency, productivity, and ease of working or studying. Potential users include students, instructors, and staff members. In order to improve these working/studying activities, a better service product needed to be designed and developed. The aim of this thesis was a demo version of that service product. A user-centered method was used because the goal was to satisfy users’ supposed needs through user research and testing to design a suitable service product. Questionnaires, interviews, shadowing, and diaries were utilized to gather information. The possible solutions that could integrate the numerous services, in addition to fulfilling the diverse requirements, elements, and characteristics, for the various user groups were researched. It was decided to design a virtual workspace portal that could be personalized and customized by the users. An open source portal platform called Liferay was selected as the optimal solution choice. Services and tools would be integrated in the form of portlets, small applications, which users added and organized according to their preferences. This required background research about service, user interface, usability, and user experience design. Merging this knowledge with the user research and testing produced a successful demo virtual workspace portal that will continue to be developed.