Reflection from the community service program

Group meeting whiteboard notes on main research results and next steps

When I first stepped into this San Mei On Community project, I carried a designer’s toolkit full of frameworks and optimism. I thought cultural divides could be bridged with workshops and governance gaps filled with sleek systems.

But the community’s reality—transient populations, economic precarity, and layers of mistrust—shattered my assumptions. I learned quickly that designing for a community is futile if you aren’t designing with its heartbeat.

The tension between locals and foreign tenants wasn’t just cultural—it was structural.

Locals relied on informal micro-economies to survive stagnant wages, while migrants navigated isolation, unaware of their rights or how to voice them.

Interviews revealed stories like Inna’s, a Filipino advocate balancing gratitude for Macau’s opportunities with the loneliness of being unseen.

Tools like stakeholder maps and power grids shifted my perspective: landlords, elderly residents, and overlooked NGOs held quiet influence. This helped us move beyond the oversimplified “locals vs. foreigners” narrative and see the community as an interconnected system.

We then used an interest and power grid to prioritize action. This strategic focus ensured efficiency, avoiding wasted effort on disengaged stakeholders. The most sustainable designs aren’t the loudest or smoothest—they’re the ones that quietly empower people to rewrite their own stories.

Next, priority grids and system mapping highlighted public spaces as a key leverage point. Co-designing an information transparency policy with locals and foreign tenants will transform a neglected area into a neutral zone for collaboration. This will reduce tensions and lead to joint agreements on waste management and shared space rules.

Root cause analysis broke down broad issues like prejudice into actionable drivers. Language barriers and unclear governance roles emerged as critical pain points.

In response, we should develop accessible and visual guides and peer mentorship programs to bridge communication gaps and rebuild trust. Designers serve as connectors, facilitating communication and collaboration among stakeholders. This collaborative approach not only increases participants’ sense of agency but also strengthens their role as active contributors to change.

When local residents express frustration with foreign tenants, noting they rarely engage unless there’s noise or littering, foreign tenants are also pressing issues like poor waste management and the need for regular cleaning of floors and stairs.

Many foreigners seem indifferent to the community, treating Xinmeian as a temporary stop, which contributes to a neglected living environment. However, the truth is they care as well.

The absence of government and associations is the main contributor to this issue, then the residents start to blame each other. They have to stand on the same stage and do something for their community together as a whole group. Then we are the bridge to help link them.

But service design has limits.

Due to so many issues inside this community, and the cultural gap between them. No blueprint could erase the gaps.

A foreign tenant said in the interview, “We survive here, but we don’t belong.” Sustainability meant handing over the pen—training residents to iterate systems long after our post-it notes faded. Residents should build their own governance system. So we are going to help them start by building an induction for new tenants. We can never be empathetic enough to understand the issues from their positions, it’s more important that let them tell the story.

#Servicedesign #serviceworker #Communitydesign #residents #Macau #socialsupport