Methodological remarks of the design process of an App for risk management in an informal settlement

Socially, economically and culturally excluded communities do not receive in the same way the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICT). This situation causes the digital divide to be amplified and reinforced. The contemporary challenge is to reverse this trend to seek an improvement in the quality of life, through the use and appropriation of digital technologies. This article presents the methodological remarks of the experience of designing an application, jointly between a public university and a marginalized community, to manage the risk of social conflict caused by limitations on access to drinking water in an informal settlement. The methodological proposal of the design process was conducted from the perspective of design justice and public university decolonization approach. This work contributes to the debate on the role of the public university in the process of computer technology production, aiming to contribute to the reduction of the digital divide effects and the improvement of the living conditions of vulnerable communities.