Interactive visualization of radio waves propagation in 5G massive MIMO

Abstract: The complexity of advanced antenna techniques used in the new generation of wireless networks (5G) makes communication between experts and non-technical staff more difficult than ever. As cooperation between network vendors and network operators affects the adoption of the new standard, a need for a new tool has emerged to make technical presentations more engaging and compelling. This thesis presents an exploratory study that aims to examine various design options for an interactive visualization of radiowave propagation to be used by advanced antenna systems experts. Through a Research-oriented Design, functional and non-functional requirements were identified with the help of domain expert. Later, an interactive prototype was designed and developed using a participatory design approach. Qualitative and quantitative data was gathered through usability testing, System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaires and semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 researchers and engineers at Ericsson AB a multinational telecommunication company. User evaluation proved that such a tool could facilitate communication between technical experts and non-technical staff. The developed prototype was considered intuitive and useful by the majority of study participants as measured by interviews and the SUS survey. Future research is encouraged to include the target audience representatives in order to measure their engagement while using the tool.