O público idoso e o design participativo para apoio à inclusão digital

Abstract

The elderly public, growing in Brazil and increasingly adept at using the internet and digital media, needs attention when it comes to digital inclusion, since they may present physical and cognitive limitations that make it difficult to perform tasks that require computer use. Considering these users and involving them in the process of developing teaching materials in the digital format, using Participatory Design techniques, can ease the rejection related to the use of this material by this public. With this, it was defined as a general objective of this research to analyze the application of Participatory Design techniques with the elderly public for digital inclusion. In this research were applied the techniques of Participatory Design Storytelling Workshop, Creation of common languages and Braindraw with the elderly, for the development of an example of digital didactic material aimed at this public. The steps taken to reach the general objective were: a bibliographic study through a file and a systematic literature review; Data collection through interviews, to investigate the digital inclusion demands of the elderly public; Application of Participatory Design techniques with the elderly, whose objective was the survey of requirements for the development of didactic material. After analyzing the information obtained with the application of Participatory Design techniques, some observation points were identified and listed, which address the preferences of these users in the use of digital didactic materials. With these observation points, an example of didactic material in the digital format, characterized as Open Educational Resource, was proposed for learning an internet communication tool. This material was validated by elderly users and met most of the requirements. Finally, it was verified that the participative activity for the elderly generates positive results and can be adopted in the development of technologies for this public.