Design for obsolete devices. : Exploring the marginalization of users of obsolete devices regarding the Swedish public services’ digitalization.

Sammanfattning: This thesis project addresses the obsolescence of technology through the lens of accessibility to public services. It explores the processes by which electronic devices age in regards to a technological normativity that marginalizes owners of obsolete devices. My research focuses on two main questions: How might we enable owners of non-smart phones to have access to public services that have been digitalized? How might we design public services’ infrastructure in a way that challenges the obsoletion processes of technological devices?  The research is based upon a critical analysis of the term ‘obsolescence’, low-tech approaches and studies that examine the accessibility of technology. This work is based on the study of the digitalization of public services in Sweden, with specific attention to public transportation and to the electronic identification technology which enables access to various essential public services. I present the exploration of these services through the lens of obsolescence and encounter with users of obsolete devices. This leads to the design of two prototypes that propose ways of integrating obsolete devices’ users in the existing digitalized Swedish infrastructures, followed by their analysis. The designs seek to take a critical stand on technological progress as it is understood in the technology industry and propose ways of reimagining the digitalization of public services while taking into account the obsoletion processes they foster. Overall, I argue for design for obsolete devices as a way of caring for groups that are put aside during technological innovation processes. I propose ways of ‘circuit bending’ public services’ infrastructures in a way that is more hospitable to obsolete devices.