Plu Phumchumphol

Service Design (MA)

Policy Blueprint — Wicked Acceleration Module: Desk to Deck Initiative Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are essential for conservation but often fail to reflect the lived realities of coastal communities. Desk to Deck bridges the gap between top-down marine planning and local ecological knowledge. Co-created with UK fishers, scientists, and policymakers, the project introduces participatory tools that invite frontline actors to annotate, debate, and shape spatial plans, starting from their decks, not desks. It reframes MPAs as shared responsibilities, not imposed zones. By embedding trust, transparency, and everyday knowledge into policy design, Desk to Deck offers a path toward more legitimate, adaptive, and community-rooted ocean governance.

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Final Project: Rewiring Retail In multi-occupancy homes, food waste and overconsumption aren’t just personal habits—they’re structural symptoms. Rewiring explores how domestic food systems can be redesigned to enable shared ownership, affordability, and sustainability. Grounded in psychological ownership theory and behaviour setting analysis, the project reveals how invisible frictions in everyday food routines lead to isolation, duplication, and waste. Set within the UK retail context, Rewiring proposes low-friction interventions—like shared grocery models and co-owned storage—to reframe food as a collective asset rather than an individual burden. Co-created with households and food practitioners, it imagines a more equitable, circular future of eating at home.

Moj — Turning Point (Youth Rehabilitation in a Hyper-Surveilled Future) Set in the UK in 2040, where justice is automated and society is governed by AI surveillance, Turning Point imagines a radically human-centred alternative for youth offenders. In contrast to predictive sentencing and emotionless reform bots, the programme offers a structured, mentorship-based pathway grounded in reflection, purpose, and reintegration. Built around four stages, from stability to community return, it equips young people to rewrite their futures in a world that often predetermines them. Co-created with practitioners and inspired by lived youth experiences, Turning Point challenges the logic of digital justice, reclaiming empathy and growth in an efficient but unforgiving system.

Moj — Turning Point (Youth Rehabilitation in a Hyper-Surveilled Future) Set in the UK in 2040, where justice is automated and society is governed by AI surveillance, Turning Point imagines a radically human-centred alternative for youth offenders. In contrast to predictive sentencing and emotionless reform bots, the programme offers a structured, mentorship-based pathway grounded in reflection, purpose, and reintegration. Built around four stages, from stability to community return, it equips young people to rewrite their futures in a world that often predetermines them. Co-created with practitioners and inspired by lived youth experiences, Turning Point challenges the logic of digital justice, reclaiming empathy and growth in an efficient but unforgiving system.

Expedify:Choosing a career path remains one of the most high-stakes yet under-supported decisions for young people. Expedify is a peer-to-peer service that helps students navigate career uncertainty by offering real, lived experiences from those already working in the field. Instead of relying on abstract job descriptions or outdated tests, Expedify supports reflective, relational decision-making. Co-created with students and professionals, it reimagines career guidance as an exploratory journey—grounded in shared stories, everyday truths, and community-based discovery.

About

I am Plu, a service designer and futurist with over six years of experience in design research, innovation strategy, and venture building across Southeast Asia and Europe. I am currently completing a Master of Arts in Service Design at the Royal College of Art, where I focus on sustainability transitions, citizen equity, and future-oriented public services.

Before returning to school, I worked as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence and later became the first service designer at a leading global energy drink brand. I led projects in quick-commerce, digital transformation, and customer experience strategy, operating across both startup and enterprise contexts. I also co-lead the Youth Social Innovation Initiative with the World Economic Forum as part of the Global Shapers Community, supporting young changemakers across sectors.

During my time at the RCA, I have collaborated with Imperial College London’s Wicked Acceleration Lab and was selected as a Design Coach for London Business School’s Design-Led Innovation module. My work focuses on integrating multiple design disciplines to build future-proof methodologies for driving change and provoking critical reflection.

My practice is rooted in qualitative research, systems mapping, and speculative design. I believe meaningful change requires cross-sector collaboration, bridging policy, technology, and community perspectives. I am committed to using design not only to improve services, but to shift systems toward more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient futures.

Personal Website: https://www.paul-plu.work/

Email: paulphumchumphol@gmail.com

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