Desenho Industrial e Tecnologia Assistiva: perspectivas de atuação para os profissionais de projeto de produto

Abstract

The thesis aimed to place Industrial Design as a pertinent and relevant area to Assistive Technology, with perspectives for the designer qualified in product design. It presents an overview of the area in Brazil and in the world, with related concepts, its relevance, its main challenges, the initiatives that are being undertaken to solve them and the groups that are working towards this. It makes a contextualization about the target audience, the market and the industry of assistive products. Based on concepts related to Industrial Design, attributes and attributions of designers and the different areas in which professionals are qualified to work are characterized. By focusing on the design of assistive products, the activity's unique contributions to Assistive Technology stand out. Factors that interfere throughout the designers’ performance are identified, which must be recognized and avoided, so that the contributions are effective. Through diachronic research, which included multidisciplinary literature and representations of various artifacts used throughout history to promote functioning, factors that influenced the configurations of assistive products were identified, as well as possibilities that were explored in the design of products for people with disabilities, which can be resumed in the contemporary context in order to reduce the high rates of dissatisfaction and abandonment of assistive products. The synchronic research, in turn, was carried out from interviews with designers who work on assistive product projects, from the organization of opinions and attitudes of people with functional difficulties in relation to projects and products, and from successful undertakings in promoting innovation in Assistive Technology, and which use Industrial Design methods and professionals for this. Thus, there is Assistive Technology as a field that not only has scope for product design professionals, but also has needs that compete with their peculiar skills, and perspectives for their performance. The concept of functioning that is more aligned with the industrial designer's scope of action is recommended. It is proposed that assistive products should be understood as those that promote functioning by enabling their users to be the way they want and perform the activities they value. It is considered that such guidance approximates and situates Design in Assistive Technology; minimizes the biases that act on the contributions of industrial designers; expands and diversifies design opportunities and professionals' perspectives. From there, bases from which designers should act in favor of functioning are proposed: certification of the target audience; selection of appropriate technology; collaboration of trained professionals; constant update; and principle of mutuality. Paths of action which designers are qualified to exercise, which can be undertaken according to their specific aptitudes and motivations, are pointed out: design; curation; training; research; and consultancy. Finally, fields of work in which the industrial designer can contribute, claim services, partnerships or can work in projects related to Assistive Technology, are indicated: specialized service institutions; teaching and research institutions; companies and startups; and in projects for people with disabilities.