Reflecting on my recently studies, my initial project focused on the spatial packaging of stores. Traditional retail design assumes that the spatial environment can subtly influence consumers’ emotions and behaviors. This assumption is increasingly challenged by a new generation of consumers who are highly knowledgeable about brand strategies and often resist them.This creates a crucial gap: while brands continue to use spatial design as a tool of influence, consumers may no longer interact with them as expected.
Understanding this shift can be applied not only to retail design practice but also to reveal a broader transformation in the relationship between space, power, and consumer agency. At the beginning of this project, I was somewhat stuck. I did some case studies and kept struggling with some very basic things in the industry. Later, through conversations with my mentor, I realized that without a background in advertising or marketing, my project’s questions were too deep and too broad. My existing knowledge and research made it difficult to make the project convincing and sustainable.
I recalled accompanying my grandmother to the hospital, where everything involved booking appointments via mobile phone and obtaining a number from a machine. She said she couldn’t imagine what she would do if I didn’t accompany her. Even this process was difficult for me; I can’t imagine how difficult it would be for someone unfamiliar with digital products or an elderly person coming alone. Therefore, I began to focus on the increasing reliance on digital systems for basic services in China. At the beginning of the project, I focused on a real problem arising from the rapid digitalization of Chinese society: more and more basic services, such as hospital appointments, taxi hailing, restaurant ordering, and payments, require smartphones. But for many elderly people in China, this digitalization doesn’t mean convenience, but rather a new obstacle. Research suggests that digital healthcare systems may unintentionally increase social exclusion among elderly users (Hong et al., 2017).
Initially, my understanding was rather superficial. At first, I simply viewed the problem as: “elderly people struggle with technology.” However, as the research progressed, I realized that the issue wasn’t just about “not knowing how to use a mobile phone,” but rather: overly complex service systems, inconvenient user path design, and the assumption that everyone in digital systems possesses digital literacy, leading to the marginalization of elderly users within modern service structures. Studies show that older adults in China experience significant difficulties navigating digital medical services due to complex interfaces and low digital literacy (Wang et al., 2024). Recent research argues that the issue is not only access to technology but also usability and interface complexity (Ine, 2026). Therefore, my research question gradually shifted from: “How can elderly people learn technology?” to: “How can service design reduce digital exclusion for elderly users in China?” This was the first significant change in the project. My biggest takeaway from this stage was that design is not just about creating functionality, but about understanding who is being overlooked by the system. It’s about putting yourself in the people’s shoes.
Midway through the project, my biggest challenge was that if the scope of the problem was too broad, it would end up being “doing everything, but not going deep enough into anything.”Initially, I tried to discuss simultaneously: aging society, China’s digital divide, healthcare, daily life services, social exclusion, and smart device learning. However, my tutor pointed out that if the research question was too broad, the project would lack depth and a clear intervention direction.
Therefore, I began to redefine the problem.
I began to ask myself: Which scenario best exemplifies digital aversion? Which system is most likely to cause anxiety among the elderly? Which service has the greatest social impact?Ultimately, I focused on: the hospital appointment process in China. This is because the healthcare system is characterized by: high-frequency use, strong emotional stress, high cognitive burden, and a high dependence on digital operations, making the problem more concrete.
Therefore, my question further developed into:
“How can service design simplify digital healthcare access for elderly users in China?”
One of my biggest growth experiences during this period was learning to not just identify problems, but to think about how design can intervene.Previously, my expression tended to focus on: “What is the problem now?” or “How difficult is it for the elderly?”But later, I started learning how to simplify processes, reduce operational steps, lower the cognitive burden on users, and make services more inclusive. This process allowed me to truly understand for the first time that service design is not about “redrawing the interface,” but about reorganizing the human experience. All of this gradually transformed my projects from “concepts” into projects with genuine design logic.Previously, I easily relied on intuition to complete projects, having many ideas but lacking logic. Now, I realize that a complete project requires extensive research, evidence, and clear rationale.During the research phase, I began to try to support my viewpoints with evidence, rather than relying solely on personal observation.
I conducted the following research:
1) Research on the Digital Context in China
I researched the current state of development of China’s intelligent society, including:
Online hospital appointment systems, Mobile-first service systems, Cashless society, App-based public services
These studies helped me understand that digitalization is not neutral; it actually changes “who can smoothly access social services.”
2) NHS Digital Inclusion Research
I also referenced NHS research on digital inclusion. NHS England highlights that digital healthcare systems must improve accessibility and reduce barriers for vulnerable users (NHS England, 2023).
In particular, NHS reports on elderly accessibility and healthcare access made me realize that:Digital healthcare systems need not only “function,” but also:accessibility, usability, emotional reassurance, simplified interaction
This supports a core argument in my project:
Healthcare systems should reduce anxiety rather than increase cognitive pressure.
3) User Journey Analysis
I began to break down the actual hospital appointment process in China.
I found that:
The process was hierarchical and complex;
The page contained a large amount of information;
Repeated identity verification was required;
The navigation logic was unclear;
The process placed high demands on the memory and operational abilities of elderly users.
Therefore, I began to try:
Reducing steps
Simplifying visual information
Optimizing the operation path
Reducing cognitive load
At this stage, I truly began to engage in service design thinking for the first time, not just interface design. Inclusive design theory supports my project by arguing that systems should be accessible to users with different physical, cognitive, and technological abilities.
Feedback had a significant impact on me during the project’s development. Conversations with others revealed that the project needed a clearer intervention point. Therefore, I gradually stopped discussing all digital issues related to the elderly and began to focus on: healthcare access, appointment systems, and a simplified service flow.
I believe the project is now complete: A clear research direction, focus on target users, establishment of social context, preliminary research and case analysis, and establishment of intervention direction. However, I still lack: More realistic user testing, contacting experts in this field; more primary research; service process analysis; more in-depth visual system design; more specific prototype interaction; and more complete evidence mapping. Regarding the next stage, I hope to:
1) Continue to optimize the hospital appointment process, further reducing:
operation steps; page complexity; and information anxiety.
2) Increase user testing to verify:
whether it is truly easier for elderly users to understand; and whether the simplified flow effectively reduces stress. Service Design theory helped me move beyond interface redesign and instead focus on the entire healthcare journey and emotional experience of elderly users.
The biggest change this project brought me was that I began to truly understand that design is not just about creating “pretty things,” but about rethinking who can access the system.I also began to realize that often, the truly important design is not about adding more features, but about reducing the barriers for users to access the system.
Hong, Y.A. et al. (2017) ‘The Digital Divide and Health Disparities in China’, Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(9), e317. Available at: https://www.jmir.org/2017/9/e317/ (Accessed: 20 May 2026).
Wang, N. et al. (2024) ‘Perceptions and Satisfaction With the Use of Digital Medical Services Among Older Adults in Hangzhou’, Health Policy and Technology. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S1438887124005867 (Accessed: 20 May 2026).
NHS England (2023) Inclusive digital healthcare: a framework for NHS action on digital inclusion. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/inclusive-digital-healthcare-a-framework-for-nhs-action-on-digital-inclusion/(Accessed: 20 May 2026).
NHS Confederation (2024) Inclusive digital healthcare: what you need to know. Available at: https://www.nhsconfed.org/publications/inclusive-digital-healthcare-what-you-need-know (Accessed: 20 May 2026).
NHS England (no date) Health equalities and digital inclusion. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/health-equalities-and-digital-inclusion/ (Accessed: 20 May 2026).
Age UK (2024) Offline and Overlooked. Available at: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/siteassets/documents/reports-and-publications/reports-and-briefings/offline-and-overlooked-report.pdf (Accessed: 20 May 2026).
Ine, C. (2026) The Digital Divide in Geriatric Care: Why Usability, Not Access, is the Real Problem. Available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.17012 (Accessed: 20 May 2026).