How to Develop Information Systems to Improve Accessible Tourism: Proposal of a Roadmap to Support the Development of Accessible Solutions

Abstract

The right to tourism has become a crucial aspect of society. Through more accessible tourism, it is possible to improve travel conditions for people with disabilities. Nonetheless, barriers still exist, with the lack of information about accessibility conditions representing a main obstacle. Information systems can help overcome these hurdles. However, it is verified that methodologies to support the development of accessible IS are currently very scarce. Thus, this study intends to develop an accessible IS for accessible tourism and propose a roadmap to support the creation of accessible IS solutions. To obtain the intended accessible tourism solution, an action research methodology was followed, which involved adapting already established frameworks, that combine Agile development and user-centered design techniques. Following the methodology, a web application named access@tour by action was created. This mobile solution is capable of improving information management within the accessible tourism market. From this experimental study, a proposal for a methodological roadmap emerged. This roadmap helps to better understand how to develop accessible IS by demonstrating techniques for gathering accessibility requirements and validating them. The roadmap is adaptable and suitable for IS projects involving accessibility. Both results provide a better perspective on how to integrate accessibility during the development of IS, possibly supporting future researchers in creating accessible solutions.