Walker Rehabilitation for Children with Disabilities: The Method User-centered

Abstract

This paper shows a product project that was developed by students of bachelor's degree in design of the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) with FUNAD (Support Foundation Persons with Disabilities). The Project has origin in a dynamics proposal in subject Product Project 1. This opportunity brought some real demands of situations experienced by the foundation. In addition to that, exposes the importance of a method centered in the user as an essential factor in development for assistive technologies. Those activities were developed by students groups, who choose one demand to take care, according to the organization structure of foundation which had been divided in coordinations by each kind of disabilities (Physical disability, visual, auditory and intellectual. The main goal of that activity was offer to the students some direct interactions with inclusive approach and resulting in experiences trade with professionals from other areas who were involved in that universe. For that it was used a method based from Munari (1998) proposal. As user is in the centre of the method all decisions and actions are been made to agree with the context dynamics. Moreover, it gives a sequence of advances and returns, when it is necessary, in total approach with use or their groups. In this way was possible to get some answers which were immediately applied, making continuous adjustments in our project. This kind of method has been widely used in design, always having the user as focus. Furthermore an approach centered in user allows discussing about the designer functions in our society, as well as his project actions and the ways to handle with users or clients, and how this can bring in positive results.