KUKU: Laboratory for Digital and Community Curiosity

What if curiosity were the key to approaching technology in the context of digital exclusion of older adults? KUKU proposes an innovative approach to tackle the challenge of active participation amongst older adults and takes a chance on activating curiosity as an engine for learning, connection and social transformation. The challenge was to design a safe, horizontal and creative space to explore this hypothesis in community. Through co-creation dynamics, accessible digital tools and participatory methodologies, the laboratory enabled experimentation with new forms of technological and social relationships, generating shared learning and empowering older adults to take agency in their environment.

The solution was to co-create a community lab with older adults in the Bidebieta neighborhood (Donostia/San Sebastián) to explore curiosity as a driver for digital equity. The process culminated in the Kukutegia, a participatory installation that served as a unique temporary agency of curiosity, which was developed through dynamics that prioritized play, trust, experiential learning and the generation of meaningful bonds. This innovative space facilitated sharing learning, activating community conversations and connecting generations. With tools like the Kukumeter and the Curiosity Kit, playful and transformative experiences were offered that reinforced social cohesion through the protagonism of the older adults.

KUKU showed that fostering curiosity can be a strategic path toward digital equity and stronger social cohesion. 25 older adults took part, and over 270 neighbors visited the Kukutegia, creating new connections and conversations in the neighborhood. The project proved that human-centered design, even with limited resources and working with digitally excluded groups, can spark deep learning and lasting community bonds. Its easily replicable approach has inspired new local initiatives promoting more human, sustainable, and accessible models of digital inclusion and starting conversations about public policies that view curiosity as a driver of social change.

KUKU is a laboratory for digital and community curiosity, designed specifically for older adults from a participatory approach. Its design is based on three main axes: curiosity, technology and community. Through six co-creative sessions, participants who were mostly over 70 years old, explored accessible digital tools, such as ChatGPT, Kahoot, Mentimeter, Google Docs and more also combined with theatrical dynamics and empathy exercises. This approach, guided by design methodologies, made it possible to move from exploration to the creation of new ways of relating to the digital world and to people. The project was led by a core group composed of Donostia Lagunkoia, an initiative that promotes social cohesion and participation in Donostia/San Sebastian; the Asociación de Personas Mayores Guardaplata (Guardaplata Seniors’ Association), which works in the social field with older adults; APTES, which brings its experience in the promotion of Social Technology; and Apitropik, specialized in designing participation and co-creation processes. These entities worked collaboratively, sharing their experience and resources to create an accessible, safe and stimulating learning environment for older adults. Together, they wove a community support network that allowed participants to enter the digital world with confidence and curiosity.