Chenyu Chou Portfolio Service Design 2025

SERVICE DESIGN

PORTFOLIO

2025 SELECTED PROJECTS

BY CHEN-YU JASMINE CHOU

1

Design Future - Speculative Design

Background

The UK is legally committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, with agriculture contributing a significant share of greenhouse gases. Soil health plays a critical role in storing carbon and supporting climate goals.

Our Strategy: Reduce Vacant Land -> Soil Restoration

Drivers for Customers:

• Improvement in soil health by keeping soil covered

• Profit in off-season

• Utilise owned land for extra profit

Problem Identified Through Research

Through research and stakeholder interviews, we discovered a gap in how farmland is managed during off-seasons. Many plots lie unused, leading to soil degradation, lost income, and missed opportunities for sustainable practices. Existing off-season arrangements are informal and unregulated, making it difficult to scale responsible land use.

Method - Speculative Design

We applied speculative design methods to explore emerging futures in rural land use, positioning FarmBnb as a forward-thinking platform that bridges sustainable agriculture with policy and environmental goals. By mapping out future scenarios, we identified a preferable outcome. This speculative approach helped us engage stakeholders, align strategies, and assess longterm risks for a more sustainable agricultural model.

• Security in contract for landlord and tenant

• Security in screening for both landlord and tenant

• Standardised testing kit

The Service

FarmBnb addresses off-season farmland underuse and soil degradation by formalising seasonal land-sharing to align environmental goals with economic benefit. The service platform simplifies the process of finding, leasing, and managing agricultural land during periods of vacancy. To support sustainable practices, the platform includes DEFRA-aligned contracts and soil health monitoring tools

what we’re looking for

From Exploratory to Emergent Direction

Through a series of analytical activities (below), such as Horizon Scanning, Evidence Safari, Ban, Amplify, Create, Impact V.S. Timeline Metrics, examining past and present trends, we mapped key stakeholders across the PESTLE framework to understand the UK agricultural system and anticipate future developments. We found that improved land management and stronger policy support are emerging national priorities. Farmers, focused on profitability, identified off-season farming as a way to stabilise prices and increase income—yet current practices remain informal and unstructured.

UK PESTLE Agriculture System Map

Proposed Farmbnb System

The proposed system aims to enable efficient off-season land use through formal coordination between stakeholders and seamless integration of agricultural policy at the operational level.

System Evolution

✓ Centralised platform for structured off-season land rental

✓ Verified tenant-landlord matchmaking with contract support

✓ Integrated soil testing kit and digital tracking system

✓ Embedded policy guidance and incentives via DEFRA and RPA partnerships

✓ Systemic incentives to promote regenerative farming practices

✓ Transparent digital contracts, soil health data, and feedback system

Service User Experience

FarmBnb connects UK farmers and landowners for off-season land leasing, helping optimise land use and protect soil health. Users can join as tenants or landlords, with verified contracts, crop planning tools, and optional certifications. Landlords gain marketing support, while regular soil testing ensures sustainable practices. In partnership with DEFRA and rural agencies, FarmBnb aligns farm activity with national environmental goals.

Key touchpoints for our two main stakeholders features:

Search engine with detailed farm condition display

Fair economic negotiation strategies

A sustainable online community for farmer communication

Intelligent land management and soil detection assistance

Prototype & Touchpoints

Contract: Standardised farmland rental agreement with clear terms, guidance, and built-in conflict resolution to ensure smooth, transparent operations.

Website Profile (Top Right): Streamlines landlord-contractor interactions by displaying credentials, land status, availability, and clear usage expectations before and after the agreement.

Web Feature AR Landscape (Mid Right): The virtual tour feature showcases the land’s current condition, landscape, crops, and infrastructure, offering transparent, remote evaluation without a site visit.

Soil Health & Testing Box (Bottom Right): A tracking system and contactless sampling box, offering a convenient, standardised way to monitor and manage soil conditions for sustainable farming.

Laerdal Connected Communities

Community

• Medical Emergency • Systemic

2

Design

How To Turn The Tide In Time Critical Emergencies?

Background

Research shows that the vast majority of cardiac emergencies occur at home. However, due to the distribution of defibrillators in London is correlated with weekday population density, residential areas in suburban have lower defibrillator coverage and usage.

Problem Statement

How might we redesign the defibrillator distribution and usage system to support suburban residents to offer effective first aid so that survival rates are improved for cardiac arrests.

Team

Imbedding place-based interventions into the ‘RevivR ‘online firstaid training platform to increase communities’ ability to act.

Strategy

Using the training video as a springboard in the creation of a network of grassroot LCC supported action groups, giving power to communities to build and sustain collaborative cultures.

Service Ecosystem Service Concept

Connected Communities

Ecosystem Stakeholders

RevivR: Laerdal Medical supported British Heart Foundation to make RevivR, an excellent interactive online CPR and Defibrillator training platform in 2022

Laerdal Connected Communities place based interventions in RevivR

Imbed place-based interventions in the RevivR training video to increase user awareness of the local landscape of public defibrillators to elevate communities' ability to act at an individual level including:

Imbedding ‘The Circuit’s’ DefibFinder map into training making it part of the video to search for your nearest defibrillator (fig 1 - 4)

Opening a two-way dialogue around mapping by providing users a channel contact the platform with missing or outdated information about defibs in the area (fig 5)

Including a section of training about co-morbitity factors in cardiac arrests (fig 6 - 9)

A sharing option of the interactive section of RevivR training on social media (fig 10)

Providing an option to start or join an LCC local action group (fig 12)

Laerdal Connected Communities network of Action Groups

Interested individuals can start or join a group from thr RevivR training video (fig 12)

An action group starter kit will guide the individual or group through the initial start up process.

LCC will provide on-going support through a community engagement officer. This role includes signposting to various charities or decision makers, guidance on fundraising or recruiting more members in their area.

Laerdal Connected Communities Business to Business Support

Ongoing support for charities and defibrillator suppliers

Supporting the British heart foundation’s defibrillator mapping by imbedding ‘The Circuit’s’ DefibFinder map into RevivR training video (fig 1- 4)

Using AI capabilities to view real time information about defibrillators including mapping battery life and tracking live locations (fig 4)

Providing in-built tracking technology in Laerdal manufactured defibrillators

Why the Public Defibrillator Network?

Research shows that the vast majority of cardiac emergencies occur at home. However, due to the distribution of defibrillators in London is correlated with weekday population density, residential areas in suburban have lower defibrillator coverage and usage.

and there is only a 10% survival rate

"What is it? You want to buy it?"

"The defibrillator has been stolen twice!"

but defibrillation is applied in only 10% of at home cardiac arrects

Stakeholders Analysis

Stakeholders Potentials Needs

Interview

Defibrillator location in Bellingham

Different types of public defibrillators in South London

Theory of Change

Building a collaborative culture within a community that recognises the needs and potential of different actors in time critical cardiac arrest emergencies

Rationale Primary Users & Stakeholders Assumptions

Lack of Collaboration:

Communities do not know where to go for help

Siloed knowledge: Individual knowledge is not shared in local setting or linked to local resources

Low visibility of defibrillators:

Mapping is hard to access and information about defibrillators is not detailed

People who are interested in health care and first aid

People who would like to improve their health support system in their own communities

People who would like to take part in their community affairs

British Heart Foundation

Increased awareness of defibrillators and its importance

Motivate people

To engage with related information and take action in their own communities if there are room for improvements

Link training material to actual photos of defibrillators in their area

Link training material to Circuit

Support British Heart Foundation to use AI in mapping to provide detailed information e.g. battery life, live location

Make defibrillators trackable by imbedding tracking technology in all defibs

Action group support

RevivR training shows the appearance of local defibrillators

Awareness of what defibrillators look like in their area

RevivR training shows the location of local defibrillators

Awareness of where the defibrillators are in the area

Impact

Reduced reaction time in cardiac arrests

Better sense of what it means to be a community

Users are able to see circuit map of own area and level of risk

Option to add to the mapping by users

The Circuit that shows and shows exact location and battery life

Support for fundraising, replacement, first aid training, etc

Awareness of the situation at a local level

Updated condition of defibrillators reflected on Circuit in communities

Owners are able to retrieve used defibrillators in a more timely manner

Better coverage of defibrillators for emergency services and public

Empowerment and agency for residents

Improved cardiac arrest outcomes

Better integration of defib data into circuit

A service that supports users in navigating career advancement and family planning goals

Project Summary

This project is designed to support early-career women professionals as they navigate the complex intersection of career advancement and family planning. By offering personalized guidance on key milestones, such as financial preparedness, projecting family planning timelines, and understanding workplace policies on parental leave and flexible work.

This service aims to empower women to make informed, intentional decisions. The ultimate goal is to help them create sustainable balance between personal and professional aspirations, fostering long-term fulfillment and success.

Amy | Finance Associate | Single

Age 30 | Occupation: Asset management associate at a multinational finance firm

Family Planning: Stressed because of her age and societal pressure

Amy’s recent egg-freezing procedure eased her stress from uncertainties in her situation.

Ally | Finance VP | Mother of 2

Mother of 2 kids | Occupation: VP who has reached the career ceiling in her field while pursuing her personal aspirations.

Ally has successfully managed two pregnancies while working towards her career goals, taking a strategic approach to align her family planning with her profession.

Ashley | Finance Associate | Single

Age: 32 | Occupation: Associate at a global finance firm

Ashely feels supported to have kids because of flexible company policies and a supportive manager.

Company Policy Maker

Age: 30 | Human Resource and Governance

Team member at Trading Company

HR and policy-making systems need active reflection and changes to align with employee needs, including family planning and work-life balance.

Background: Couple married for three years and they’re considering having kids in the future

Career Journey: Husband: Senior Staff at Finance Company

Wife: Relocated, in process of Career Transition

Considerations and Worries: Work-Life Balance Challenges

• Impact of Career on Family Planning

• Insufficient Support for Parental Leave

• Cultural/Societal Pressures

Interview Findings: Worries When Considering Having Kids

Financial Stability (48.7%)

Career Impact (30.5%)

Time (15.1%)

Performance Pressure (5.4%)

The pie chart visualizes the findings showing users concerns about having children while maintaining a professional career.

The

Problem

& How Might We Help?

"How

might we provide women professionals in their early career stage with support in planning and feeling confident about achieving their career ambitions while aligning personal family planning goals to their life aspirations and readiness?"

Quoting Interview Feedback

“Finance often influences personal decisions. My former boss returned to work just a month after giving birth, but she has money to hire nannies and childcare.” - Ashley

“I personally wanted to build a financial buffer before considering building a family.” - Married Couple considering kids

“Finance and flexibility are my biggest concern when considering having kids” - Amy

“It’s a huge responsibility to raise a new generation to be good people and the amount of sacrifices I will need to make” - Married Couple considering kids

“When considering family planning, it was important for me to understand the company culture, policy, employee rights, and benefits regarding maternity and paternity.” - Ally

“Advice I give to junior staff, especially women staff, is to consider the opportunity cost before having kids. The cost includes income, expense, career progression and opportunity, cost of absence and many more. Measure your career and plan your pregnancy accordingly” - Ally

Co-discovery: Family Planning to Toddler

Problem Worries v.s. Controllability Matrix (Top)

During the co-discovery workshop, the participants mapped out a woman's journey from family planning stage to toddlerhood across three categories: life events, worries, and existing tools.

Solution Influence v.s. Feasibility Matrix (Bottom)

Childcare Expenses Performance

Forming mother's group at work

Development App Flow Structure

and iterative process

1. Research on income and expense breakdown & child development & existing products

2. Evaluate on Feasibility for current stage

3. Define and design app components and flow

4. Co-Design with target user using card-sort/ ranking activity to identify the importance level of each component & discovery the seen and unseen consideration from users perspective

Modify app prototype 6. Present prototype of target user group for feedback

Disclaimer The calculator is based on collected resource and data, it is suggest to be used as reference, not as a guildeline.

Business Model

NestWise’s business model involves three key client groups: individual users, HR companies, and organisations.

Each group uses the service differently and contributes unique value.

All groups contribute feedback and data that support NestWise’s development and outreach efforts.

Future Projection

The service is projected to continue with the ongoing development of community building and feature expansion.

The initial stage focuses on an income and expense calculator and a resource platform. The highlighted feedback shows the need for more consideration for comprehensive support, including benefit calculators, career pathway maps, and tools for alternative family planning.

The future service hopes to become a two-way conversation with users to collect data and feedback to make future alterations to customise a more suitable service to include more audiences, aiming to become a community to support users.

Thank you!

BY CHEN-YU JASMINE CHOU