Old women and tablets: information behaviour in unfavourable contexts and social mediators

Abstract

Introduction. In Uruguay, the Ibirapitá Plan provides a tablet for every low-income retired woman. That motivated the research of old women’s information behaviour related to access and use of inclusive information for overcoming their disinformation. This work has the following purposes: (i) contributing to research focused on knowing and interpreting the role of social mediators and old women in the processes of access, search and appropriation of information using the Plan’s tablets; (ii) investigating users' needs of local information; and, (iii) offering such information in a participatory design of a digital solution for tablets by an interdisciplinary team. Methods. A mix of methods was applied using a questionnaire and mainly qualitative methods: in-depth interviews with qualified informants and trainers, observation of tablet-distribution workshops, focus groups and validation workshops of the digital solution designed for tablets applied in two capital cities and two small towns with the collaboration of community organisations. Analysis of the results.The analysis of the results is presented according to five dimensions of analysis and the questions that the research seeks to respond to. Discussion and conclusion. The affirmations and experiences raised regarding the technological device open a wide range of challenges to overcome and learning opportunities both for tablet users and for the production, content management and future designs of search interfaces.