Modern society is increasingly affected by digital inequality (Hargittai, 2022), a challenge that becomes particularly critical for specific social groups such as children, individuals with disabilities, and elderly citizens, who often require customized digital formats (Vieritz, 2015). Although society recognizes the vital role of digital media in promoting social integration and participation (Der Rat der Europäischen Union, 2018), marginalized groups often face significant barriers in benefiting from the opportunities created by the digital revolution (Kreuder-Schock, 2024). In today’s image-driven world, individuals must develop the ability to interpret and critically reflect on images, especially as manipulations like deepfakes become increasingly prevalent (Messaris, 2012). In an educational context, user-friendly digital creative tools, such as image and painting programs, can empower users to assess the overwhelming abundance of digital images and media, evaluating their critical and artistic value.

To address this inequality and promote visual literacy, we propose “ArtEater”, a digital education platform designed to provide accessible and inclusive opportunities for digital art creation across all ages and abilities. The platform was originally developed to encourage the participatory inclusion of elementary school children, a user group rarely considered in creative software design, and to foster their ability to critically consume and create images. We expand its scope to include diverse social subgroups that are often overlooked in the commercial digital landscape. Specifically, we conduct extensive participatory research with three target groups: senior citizens, individuals with cognitive impairments, and elementary school children. During the research, participants create their own digital artworks using the ArtEater software, either on a specific target group-oriented topic or a freely chosen one, following their autonomous exploration of the program's functions. Educational interventions and motivational impulses are introduced to encourage participation and mitigate any initial resistance to unfamiliar media. We improve the software using information collected throughout the study by observing participants and conducting interviews, with the ultimate goal of providing an inclusive art education platform.

Our study comprises two phases. In the first phase, we conducted participatory research to identify the unique characteristics, challenges, and needs of each group. Participants engaged in creative activities using the platform while receiving educational impluses and guidance. Feedback and observations from this phase inform iterative improvements to the platform, including customized functionalities. The second phase involves a follow-up study with the improved platform, aiming to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate its increased accessibility and usability.

Recently, we completed the first study phase and identified intermediate conclusions to enhance the platform's interface and functionality. Through meticulous analysis of our observations, participant feedback, and artistic results, we extracted both the common needs and unique requirements of each group, which will be detailed in the conclusion.

In summary, achieving digital inclusion and reducing inequality through education requires addressing multi-dimensional aspects, including the role of media, accessible technologies, and educational practices. Our project seeks to enhance digital participation and media skills by developing a creative art program that overcomes barriers, combats discrimination, and empowers marginalized groups to actively engage in digital literacy. To achieve this, it is crucial to identify the unique requirements and specific needs of each target group (European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, 2022) and constructively incorporate them into the development process of a tailored creative platform. Finally, the creative program will be adapted into target group-specific versions, customized based on the users accessing it. Through inclusive digital education, the project aims to transform underprivileged users into influential digital creators, fostering social participation, self-expression, and ultimately, self-empowerment.

To identify the target-oriented needs for the creative software, we employ the participatory research (PR) method (Bergold & Thomas, 2012). This method aims to promote greater social justice in the long term (von Unger, 2014) and emphasizes 'the people who take part in it—their perspectives, their learning processes, and their individual and collective (self-)empowerment' (von Unger, 2014, translated by the authors). In the context of art educational software development, the artistic-practical requirements of the software must be defined by the target groups themselves, rather than being solely determined by programmers (Mohr 2008, 2009, 2011). Therefore, the PR method enables us to involve marginalized groups in the development process, valuing their perspectives in both educational practice and the research process as co-creation partners. This approach provides new insights for educators and researchers, not only in terms of educational practices but also in the development of creative programs, which are often subject to unintentional biases. Close collaboration between art education and computer science helps mitigate the risk 'that technical content is indirectly dictated by the specifications of computer scientists' (Mohr, 2020, translated by the authors). In alignment with PR principles, participants test the software under realistic conditions, or 'live tests', and offer feedback based on their experiences. For the evaluation of research data, we adopt a mixed-methods design. By triangulating extensive data collected throughout the study—such as questionnaires, group discussions, interviews, participatory observations, and videography—we capture the multi-dimensional perspectives, needs, and feedback of the target groups. These extracted requirements are then integrated into the improvement of the software, ensuring accessible and inclusive digital creative tools for everyone.

From the first phase of the study, we have confirmed the following findings. First, we observed significant interest among participants in digital media and a strong desire to create their own artistic works using digital devices, regardless of the studied groups. As mentioned earlier, these groups are conventionally regarded as marginalized in the context of modern technologies and media. Consequently, their opportunities to engage with digital media are notably limited in social contexts, and their potential as digital artists is rarely recognized. Second, we identified the potential of creative digital platforms as transformative and inclusive tools for reducing inequality in digital competency, rather than serving as additional hurdles to accessing new media. The participants’ desire for digital creation was met through our digital creative software, while educational interventions and interactions helped them realize the accessibility and availability of the digital world. Last but not least, each studied group displayed unique characteristics and specific needs when using digital devices. For instance, one senior participant suggested incorporating communication and social-interactive functionalities to share creative works, envisioning these as a means of fostering social connections. We interpret this suggestion as an indication that our approach may address issues of social isolation. By embracing the needs of underprivileged groups, new media program 'ArtEater' has the potential to integrate society and generation through digital creativity.

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