Support agency, not an aging label.
Participants welcomed useful assistance but resisted services framed as caregiving or diminished capability.
Design implicationMake support feel universal, optional, and self-directed.
Amazon-sponsored Integrated Product Development capstone · 2026
Amazon
Curio
A service built around the confidence to begin.
- Role
- Product Manager & UX Designer
- Research
- Conducted research that steered the hobby + connection direction
- Service design
- Co-created with two UX designers
- Project leadership
- Coordinated faculty, sponsor, and team touchpoints
- Delivery
- Produced the final concept film
- Context
- Five-person student team · concept proposal · no launch metrics
amazonCurioFrom curiosity
to confidence
to confidence
01 · Opportunity
Aging was not a decline.
It was a recalibration.
Recently retired adults were exploring new rhythms and identities, while the services around them remained transactional, effort-heavy, or framed around dependency.
How might we support people transitioning from active to conscious aging to enrich exploration through light connections?
02 · Research synthesis
Design for the
life stage, not the label.
In-depth interviews and contextual inquiry revealed that the important shift was not age itself, but changing identity, routine, energy, and sources of belonging.
Retirement creates an identity gap.
New hobbies helped people test future identities and rebuild purpose. They were not simply a way to fill free time.
Design implicationLower the emotional and practical cost of trying something new.
Small connections still count.
Brief interactions around errands, pickup points, and familiar places provided rhythm, visibility, and belonging.
Design implicationDesign light social reinforcement without requiring a new social commitment.
Recently retired, independent, curious, and seeking purpose without permanent commitment.
Research in the room
I reframed the conversation
around possibility.
I conducted the user research that steered our direction toward low-pressure hobby exploration and light social connection. As project manager, I kept the five-person team aligned through faculty reviews, Amazon sponsor touchpoints, and internal and external working sessions.
03 · Experience principles
Four feelings the
system had to earn.
The team translated research into emotional outcomes, product requirements, and concrete Amazon touchpoints.
Effortless exploration
“I feel curious”
Ready-to-start kits · No setup required
Guided progress
“I feel accomplished”
Step-by-step guidance · Clear progression
Light social connection
“I feel connected”
See others’ experiences · Passive interaction
Meaningful use of time
“I feel fulfilled”
Structured short activities · Keep mind engaged
04 · Concept testing
Simplify the invitation.
The team made early concepts tangible and tested them with 15 users. Competitive and task-based mechanics felt unnecessary or overwhelming.
DecisionMove toward a value-driven experience built around low-friction exploration, emotional relevance, and community support.
05 · Concept film
Make the system
feel human.
I produced this film to communicate the proposed physical-to-digital Curio experience: a tailored kit, a confident beginning, and continued discovery beyond delivery.
This film shows the proposed experience. Amazon did not launch it as a product.
Read the film description
The concept follows a Curio hobby kit from delivery into guided learning and continued discovery across the proposed physical and digital service.
06 · Final concept
From “I’ve always wanted to try”
to “I know how to begin.”
Amazon Curio is a proposed Amazon-native experience that packages a hobby as a confidence-building starting point: low-commitment Try Pods and pilot pop-ups, a curated kit, guided learning, and access to nearby experts and hobby communities.
My contribution With two other UX designers, I co-created the service design connecting discovery, curated kits, guided learning, and light community participation.
01Spark
02Explore
03Anchor
04Select
05Experience
06Share
07Grow
07 · Hybrid system
One experience.
Five connected layers.
The proposal used existing Amazon capabilities where possible, connecting commerce, content, recommendations, social visibility, and fulfillment around the Explore Kit.
Physical
Curated Explore Kits delivered through Amazon fulfillment.
Application
An Experiences layer inside familiar Amazon mobile and web surfaces.
Recommendation
Personalized hobbies and next steps shaped by interest and engagement signals.
Social visibility
Community examples, local experts, and passive recognition.
Fulfillment
Inventory, packaging, delivery, feedback, and replenishment.
08 · Final digital experience
A familiar Amazon shell.
A different reason to return.
The prototype spans Amazon mobile and web. Open any framed page, then scroll inside it to inspect the complete design.
01 · Discover
Make curiosity visible inside everyday browsing.
Curio enters through familiar Amazon surfaces, then opens a collection built around interests rather than individual products.
02 · Personalize
Package the first step.
The Curio detail page turns interest and experience level into a tailored kit, learning path, community evidence, and replenishment plan.
03 · Learn & belong
Turn delivery into guided participation.
Tutorials, AI assistance, community reviews, nearby experts, and lightweight posting help users continue after unboxing.
09 · Business hypothesis
More continuity
than one transaction.
The business case proposed recurring engagement through kits, consumables, and progression. The figures below come from the report’s market estimates; they are not measured product impact.
Curated hobby experiences among Amazon Prime users aged 60–80.
The report’s proposed reachable serviceable market.
The report’s initial obtainable-market estimate.
Structured exploration · reduced friction · ongoing guidance · social reinforcement
More frequent engagement · repeat consumables · deeper integration into daily life
10 · Outcome & limits
A product-service proposal
with clear questions left to test.
A hybrid concept spanning mobile and web interfaces, physical Explore Kits, recommendations, learning, community, fulfillment, and a phased business proposal.
Primary research, contextual inquiry, competitive analysis, ecosystem mapping, and qualitative concept testing with 15 participants.
Adoption, first-project completion, repeat engagement, community participation, operating consistency, and the proposed market model.
This was an Amazon-sponsored academic concept proposal. Research and qualitative concept testing informed the direction; the proposed service, business model, and future success measures were not launched or validated in market.