Bridge to inclusion - An exploration of service inclusion for customers with cognitive challenges in Coop supermarkets
Authors
Leinum, Amalie Mettine ; Cienciala, Wiktoria Elzbieta ; Kraus, Swenja Christiane Flavia
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Abstract
Cognitive challenges are common, yet everyday environments like supermarkets remain hard to navigate for many people. This thesis explores how service design and inclusive design can be combined to better support customers with cognitive challenges in Coop supermarkets in Denmark. The literature review highlights two key gaps: practical tools for applying inclusion principles within service systems are underdeveloped, and research tends to focus on diagnoses rather than shared barriers, with limited attention to inclusion of people experiencing mental challenges. Using the Systemic Design Framework, the project adapts Design for Service Inclusion to be more actionable in this context. The aims were to create a tool to assess service inclusivity, use it to evaluate the current supermarket service, and design a more inclusive service. The outcome is the Service Inclusion Bridge, applied alongside interviews, a survey, service safaris, co-design, and prototype testing, which showed that the current service is exclusive for customers with cognitive challenges. Based on these insights, six interventions were developed, tested, and evaluated: a crowd counter, navigation signage, color codes and numbers, a digital map, an information tablet, and a guide for practical changes. The work provides concrete tools to help designers and supermarkets make services more inclusive in ways that benefit all customers.
Kognitive udfordringer er udbredte, men hverdagsmiljøer som supermarkeder kan stadig være svære at overskue for mange. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan servicedesign og inkluderende design kan kombineres for bedre at støtte kunder med kognitive udfordringer i Coop-supermarkeder i Danmark. Litteraturgennemgangen peger på to centrale huller: praktiske værktøjer til at anvende inklusionsprincipper i services er underudviklede, og forskning fokuserer ofte på diagnoser frem for fælles barrierer, med begrænset viden om inklusion af mennesker med mentale udfordringer. Projektet anvender Systemic Design Framework som metode og videreudvikler Design for Service Inclusion til et mere anvendeligt format i denne kontekst. Målet var at udvikle et værktøj til at vurdere om en service er inkluderende, bruge det til at vurdere den nuværende supermarkedsservice, og designe en mere inkluderende service. Resultatet er Service Inclusion Bridge, som blev brugt sammen med interviews, survey, service safari, co-design og prototype-tests til at konkludere, at den nuværende service er ekskluderende for kunder med kognitive udfordringer. På den baggrund blev der udviklet, testet og evalueret seks interventioner: en tæller for antal kunder, navigationsskiltning, farvekoder og numre, et digitalt kort, en informationstablet samt en vejledning til praktiske ændringer. Arbejdet bidrager med konkrete redskaber, der kan hjælpe designere og supermarkeder med at gøre services mere inkluderende på en måde, der gavner alle kunder.
[This abstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]
Keywords