Background: In Brazil, the federal government has developed a digital platform for public health services, with state and municipal governments connecting their solutions to unify citizen registration. Objective: To understand the phenomena involved, in order to provide recommendations for the acceptance of digital technologies by low-income elderly people in the context of smart cities. Method: The theory of the consolidated meta-analytic approach (TCMA) was used for a systematic bibliographic review (SBR) and case studies presented in a Design Postgraduate class, carried out in collaboration between two Brazilian Federal Universities. Results: Creation of recommendations in three categories within the framework of human-centered design. Conclusions: This study identifies opportunities for the development of products, services and public policies for the digital inclusion of low-income older people in the context of smart cities.