As my project developed, I gradually realised that building networks is not only about finding professional contacts, but also about understanding the wider systems, institutions and relationships connected to the issue I am researching. My project focuses on digital exclusion among elderly users in China, particularly within healthcare appointment systems. At the beginning of the project, my understanding of the issue was relatively broad. I was mainly interested in how older people struggle to adapt to rapidly digitised systems in China. However, after receiving tutor feedback and conducting further research, I gradually narrowed my focus towards healthcare accessibility, specifically the hospital appointment process. This helped me identify more precise stakeholders and networks connected to the issue.
One of the first organisations I contacted was Age UK. I sent emails to explore whether there might be opportunities for discussion or support related to elderly digital accessibility. Although I have not yet received a response, this process itself became part of my network-building experience, helping me understand the importance of actively initiating communication with organisations already working within this field. During my research, I also discovered that Age UK has many offline consultation and community support centres across the UK. I plan to visit some of these locations in person in order to conduct informal interviews and conversations with elderly people and staff members. I believe these face-to-face interactions will help me understand more deeply how older adults experience digital systems in everyday life, especially within healthcare-related situations.
At the same time, I established contact with a gastroenterology doctor in China who is also a vice president of the hospital. He has expressed willingness to participate in interviews and discuss the current digital healthcare system in China. More importantly, he mentioned that if future interventions or testing processes do not interfere with hospital operations, he may also be willing to provide practical support. This connection became particularly valuable because it allowed me to access not only user perspectives, but also institutional and professional viewpoints within the healthcare system itself. Through these conversations, I began to understand the operational pressures hospitals face and why efficiency and speed are often prioritised over accessibility within digital appointment systems.
Alongside institutional networks, I also started identifying the social relationships connected to my project, including elderly users, family caregivers and healthcare staff. Through my research, I realised that many elderly people rely heavily on their children or family members to complete hospital appointments and digital procedures. This helped me understand that healthcare accessibility is not only a technological issue, but also a social and emotional issue connected to dependency, anxiety and confidence.
In addition, I plan to continue contacting professionals involved in developing “elderly mode” interfaces and accessibility functions within Chinese apps. I am interested in understanding how inclusive design decisions are made within commercial digital platforms, and whether there are tensions between accessibility goals and business efficiency. I believe these conversations will help me better understand the gap between design intention and real implementation.
Looking ahead, I will return to China during the summer and plan to conduct in-person testing and field research with elderly users who fit the target group of my project. This stage will allow me to move beyond secondary research and begin testing whether simplified healthcare service flows can genuinely reduce anxiety and cognitive pressure for elderly users. I hope this future engagement will strengthen both the realism and social relevance of my project.I should also conduct further interviews with experts in areas such as service systems, healthcare systems, and geriatric psychology research to gather evidence to support my project.
The process of network building has also changed how I understand design itself. Previously, I viewed design mainly as the creation of visual outcomes or interfaces. However, through this project I now understand that design is also about building relationships between people, systems and institutions. More importantly, I realised that meaningful social design cannot happen in isolation. It requires dialogue, collaboration and engagement with multiple actors who influence how systems operate. Therefore, network building is not only preparation for my future major project, but also an essential part of the design research process itself.
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