Design inclusivo no vestuário: etiquetas táteis para identificação de estampas por pessoas com deficiência visual

Abstract

This dissertation examines the relationship between inclusive design, ergonomics, and assistive technologies in the development of accessible tactile labels for identifying prints on clothing by visually impaired individuals. It starts from the understanding that clothing is an artifact laden with aesthetic, symbolic, cultural, and informational meanings, whose accessibility has historically been conditioned by models centered on visuality. In this context, the study sought to develop and analyze a sensory mediation system applied to clothing, articulating tactile resources, audio description, and digital technologies, with the aim of expanding access to information related to textile prints. The investigation is characterized as applied research, with a qualitative approach and exploratory nature, grounded in the principles of inclusive design. The methodology was structured based on participatory design and organized into three stages: initial exploration, discovery, and prototyping. The procedures involved a systematic literature review, semi-structured interviews, brainstorming, application of analysis sheets, development of tactile prototypes, and observation of interactions during testing. Five visually impaired individuals working in inclusive settings participated in the research, understood as active agents in the conception, evaluation, and reformulation of the developed solutions. The analyses indicate that accessibility in clothing constitutes a multisensory experience, allowing for an understanding of how haptic perception, spatial organization, verbal language, sensory repertoire, and bodily experience operate in an articulated way during the exploration of the garments. The interviews demonstrated that the construction of the mental image of the prints depends on interpretative processes articulated by memory, imagistic repertoire, informational organization, and technological familiarity. The results point out that factors such as tactile legibility, linguistic clarity, physical stability of interfaces, and information hierarchy influence the user experience. Among the research's contributions, the formulation of ergonomic recommendations for the development of accessible systems applied to clothing and the understanding of accessibility as a relational, sensory, and experiential process, permeated by the perceptual singularities of the users, stand out. It is concluded that the articulation between inclusive design, haptic perception, and assistive technologies expands the possibilities for informational autonomy, aesthetic interpretation, and identity construction for visually impaired people in the context of clothing, contributing to design practices focused on accessibility and sensory mediation in the field of fashion design.