Zhihan Zhang

Service Design (MA)

Here is the posters of our project and the photo of its exhibition. — BACKUP is a gentle, long-term support system designed specifically for older adults living with chronic back pain. There are nearly 10 million patients in the UK, so we conducted deep research for more than 15 interviews with Charity group, NHS worker, target users. After a series of secondary and primary research, several ideations and prototype testing stages, we found that 1. Patients need more emotional support 2. Patients lack support when waiting for GP appointments 3. Encouragement from trusted people can better improve patients' awareness of self-management To fix the gap during the patients' NHS back pain recovery journey, our group designs BACKUP, a digital companion for chronic back pain combining gentle AI guidance, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and human empathy to help patients reconnect with their lives. At the exhibition, we also presented a hand-crafted soft massage chair designed to evoke an empathic sense of support for visitors. In addition, six 3D-printed components displayed on the shelf represent speculative extensions of our service system — future touchpoints that explore how the service might evolve across different care scenarios.

Some user interfaces of BACKUP — Our design is not a task-driven tool, but a medium for emotional connection. Visually, we wanted to create a world that feels rhythmic, culturally grounded, and gently interactive. Patients can receive daily advice based on seasonal rhythms — like a reminder during Minor Heat to slow down and nourish. They can pair with family or community members to move together. And most importantly, the entire interface responds to their state and mood.

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Our project studies the impact of climate and natural disasters in the UK, analyzing the role of climate change and environmental pollution in disasters to provide scientific evidence for risk assessment and disaster reduction policies. By integrating our research into a board game, we make climate concepts more accessible through interaction and engagement, increasing public awareness of environmental issues, promoting responsible lifestyles, and advancing sustainable development. “Twilight Valley” is a 2 to 4 players cooperative board game, where players work collaboratively to protect and recover the city from wind disasters. The game progresses in rounds, and during their turn, players can move, gather resources, or activate their character’s abilities. The key element of the game is the wind-blower where it provides physical wind that affects the pawns on the map constantly, whenever the Windstorm card is drew, creating this sense of crisis while having fun from the randomness. During the game, players have different roles including Construction worker, Emergency expert, Forest ranger and Scientist who all have different character abilities and strategies. Players are encouraged to communicate and cooperate in many ways during the game, for example, the Forest ranger provides timber for Construction worker as building materials for reinforcing houses; the Scientist forecasts the wind directions for the Emergency expert to set up defence. This cooperative mode of playing not only builds up engagement, but also provides a co-learning experience. The making process of the board game involved considerations in sustainability. The base is made using laser-cut plywood and CNC styrofoam; the pawns are made with card paper and 3D printed PLA which can be fully recycled.

Tate Trail is a service design project co-created by RCA students in collaboration with Tate. It explores how physical and digital experiences can be integrated to foster long-term engagement among 18–25-year-old visitors, Cool Hunters. To deepen their connection with art and the gallery space, we designed a series of interactive, physical fanzines tailored for ‘cool hunters’ — young audiences seeking creative discovery. One of the zines is an AR game zine, which blends playful analogue design with digital and physical rewards to encourage exploration, repeat visits, and emotional engagement with the gallery experience.

About

Zhihan Zhang is an interdisciplinary designer with a background spanning fashion design, digital future, and service design. Her journey reflects a passion for exploring diverse design systems — from physical craftsmanship to immersive AR/VR and human-centred service ecosystems.

Through her study at RCA with an MA in Service Design, she combines systems thinking, emotional insight, and hands-on prototyping to create meaningful experiences. Her work explores how emerging technologies can support wellbeing, inclusivity, and long-term care, particularly in health, emotional and social contexts.

Zhihan thrives in cross-disciplinary environments. With a fast learning curve and an inquisitive mindset, she navigates fluidly between digital and physical realms — translating complex needs into engaging, emotionally resonant services. Whether designing wearable tools, co-creating with communities, or user interfaces under a complex system, she is committed to using design to connect users, stakeholders and futures.

Email: liach926@gmail.com/zh407510@163.com

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