Análise de contradições no desenho participativo de tecnologias sociais

Abstract

Contradiction, understood as the coexistence of mutually exclusive situations, can drive technological design. Participatory Design fosters shared knowledge domains among diverse individuals and communities, creating a fertile ground for leveraging contradiction as a force for codesigning technologies and artifacts that make sense for all communities involved in the design. However, contradictions can also hinder participatory processes by disrupting participation itself, its objectives, roles, rules, communities, and divisions of labor. As a result, this work introduces a theoretical and methodological tool for analyzing contradictions in Participatory Design practices, termed the Design-Redesign-Design spiral. Drawing on the concept of sociotechnical adequation from Latin American studies on social technologies, the instrument and its construction enabled the examining of how contradictions shape design processes through the analysis of two participatory design projects. The analysis using the instrument made it possible to identify contradictions in design, actions taken by participants in response to them, and contradictions that received no response. By addressing these challenges, this contribution seeks to support the creation of participatory spaces where the principles and objectives of Participatory Design align with the needs of all participants.