Beyond Usability: a New Frontier for User-Centered Design of “Future Internet” Services

Abstract

This paper proposes a new challenge for the Future Internet initiatives: the need of bridging the digital divide that, even in Europe, still hampers the access to the internet for a large part of the population. As a case study, we discuss the design of communication services for elderly people in northern Italy. The process was conducted by a multi-disciplinary team by involving a large group of stakeholders. The outcome was not just a set of simplified services but a new device offering sophisticated functionalities tailored to the actual needs of the targeted users and respectful of their personal meaningful practices. We argue that such a holistic approach that goes well beyond the objectives of usability and accessibility should become a common practice of approaching the design of new services for Future Internet