User Centered Design Brief
As previously stated, our aim is to solve the innate issues concerning the ergonomics and behavioral adjustments to drinking tereré. However, another important concern is adapting the practice to better suit the habits and traditions of a demographic of elderly people in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. This portion of our population tends to honor their heritage and convention of drinking chimarrão, a hot beverage akin to tea, in the usual way of serving themselves and passing it to whomever is also unwindind with them while chatting. Among the youth, this habit has been sometimes replaced with tereré, an iced alternative to this tea, which contains juice as a base. This allows for a more pleasant and refreshing drinking experience especially in warmer weather conditions, mostly those akin to Brazil's climate. The challenge is to solve its inherent issues stated in the previous briefing description, while also introducing it to our target demographic in a way that does not seem distant to what is traditional. Going from tea to tereré, from hot to iced. Food-Related Traditions and Habits Brazilian meals are exceedingly abundant, as they usually contain a vast variety of recipes, vegetables and carbohydrates all on the same table. In a sense, providing this much food is a symbol of pride in the eldery women who tend to prepare it. Churrasco, or barbecue, is a social food practice usually done on the weekends, and in a way reflects the same values and principles of community and abundance that meals and tereré also share. Café colonial, roughly translated to "colonial coffee” is a style of food of great variety, that brings together traditional food. Most of these are prepared by hand, or are not heavily processed, like cuca bread, linguiça sausage, colonial cheese, pressed coffee, cheese bread, polenta, pastel, among many others. In a general sense, southern brazilian food habits are varied, most of it is bought, some of it is homemade, an some is picked up in local fairs or in road-side stores. Daily necessities Outdoor Activities and Exercise The elderly in Rio Grande do Sul are not necessarily keen on outdoor activities, they are mostly reserved to social behaviours, such as visiting friends, going to church or church member’s houses to pray, and mothers’ groups. Some, due to health reasons, also partake in activities like swimming aerobics, pilates or just going on regular walks, as they otherwise lead a pretty inactive life. Clothing preferences During the summer, temperatures are quite high and conditions are mostly humid, as summer is the rainy season. Temperatures tend to reach 40 degrees Celsius sometimes. So, during this time, their wardrobes consist of floral blouses and sleeveless shirts, long knee-length shorts, light and airy dresses. On their feet, it is common to wear flip-flops, an extremely popular shoe style in Brazil, not just among the elderly. Due to its rubbery material, it provides comfort and less stress on the feet, while also allowing them to breathe due to its minimal material…