Storytelling as a Motivational Resource in the Therapy of Childhood Cancer

Abstract

Digital storytelling has proven to be an attractive and positive motivational resource in recent years, especially if it is focused on learning. The objective of the project revolved around the design and layout of an illustrated story for children suffering from childhood cancer with the use of new technologies such as Augmented Reality and Storytelling. This proposal was developed following the Design Thinking methodology with its five stages (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test). The result was a graphic proposal focused on the use of a children’s story that explains in a creative and dynamic way the therapy and recovery process of children with cancer, which makes them cope better with this disease in their daily lives. The idea of the proposal is center on the metaphors and stories with a positive message encourage the mood of the children to change in an effective way, in addition to the use of augmented reality as an additional technology, for both children and their families can conceive with optimism the benefit in the recovery from cancer. This research project is the result developed by students and teachers of the Graphic Design career of the Instituto Tecnológico Particular Sudamericano in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. The proposal was implemented with 30 children of Fisiosens (therapy center). It is concluded that overcoming the disease of childhood cancer depends largely on the external motivation received by children in the therapy process and of course the resources used, so digital storytelling can be of great support.