To the latter part of 2021 we worked on building a robust recruitment platform for a big player in China. They already had a solid foundation with plenty of customers onboard, however, they wanted to take their platform to the next level. This is where we came in, although we didn’t have a great extent of experience designing for the Chinese market, we had taken on similar projects before where we allocated additional time and resources for extensive research. Thankfully it was easier working with a team already established in China, and consequently familiar with the market, this helped to validate our findings, and bounce ideas back and forth.
With that in mind, we thought it would be useful to articulate our findings in a blog post. There are a plethora of technological and cultural differences between the West and China (and other parts of Asia), which has an impact on User Experience Design. This article will hopefully help anyone that was in the same scenario we were in, actively working in the market or even expanding their presence into the Chinese market. It can certainly be daunting to design for a market you’re unfamiliar with.
Note: “Western” or “West” in this blog post shall hereby pertain to North America, the UK and parts of Europe.
Language
Probably the most obvious one from the offset is the language. In contrast to the West, China’s language is logogrammatic, it uses rectangular characters consisting of many strokes, which highlights the complexity of the language. Although visually more complex, it takes up less space on a page over an alphabetical language like English. However this can make it difficult to type (also due to the different dialects), this is why it’s common to see all actions and options visible, browsing is the main behaviour rather than searching. Having all this information visible has increased the efficiency in which an individual can scan the information, however, for a Westerner who isn’t accustomed, this can make it appear chaotic and overcrowded. The overcrowded nature can also be attributed to the fact that there is a limited hierarchy in the language. Chinese characters have a lack of caps, spaces, italics and limited fonts.
Bonus tip: you should never use a font size smaller than 12pt, as there can be legibility issues with the logogrammatic characters, it can become difficult to differentiate between the strokes.
High-context
Chinese culture is known to be very high-context, this means that an individual needs to understand the broader context, to fully grasp what has been communicated as the language is full of subtleties and rarely is one character or word used. Whereas most of the West such as with the English language, which is seen as low-context a “no” is a “no”. English communication is much more explicit and direct. Furthermore, with high-context language there will need to be deeper context to the sentence. Also who has said what, can additionally impact on the answer. Non-verbal cues are much more apparent in conversations, such as tone of voice, eye movement and facial expressions.
It’s important to consider the context, especially for different demographics. This is one of the reasons why websites in China and Asia appear more content heavy and overcrowded to a Westerner. Ultimately there is higher information density, which could be perceived as more efficient use of screen real estate.
Complexity
Quantity and complexity are not only just apparent in the language, but also in the design itself and can often be indicative of an overall superior and richer experience. This is a complete contrast to minimal design often favoured by the West, “less is more” in China can be perceived as lacking and inferior, it’s more on the lines of “more is better”.
An interesting observation by Porter Erisman in Six Billion Shoppers
“Designers in the West accept as religious tenet that website usability depends on a clean, crisp, minimalist design that blocks out noise and directs users to buy something online. When they come to China, these same designers usually are shocked to find local websites that favor bright colors, flashy animations, and a more cluttered design.
My theory is that the daily life of a typical web user in Shanghai is so different from that of someone in, say, Sweden that it affects the way Chinese approach an online interface. Shoppers in China are used to the busy shopping environment typified by Nanjing Road. But in rural Sweden, a shopper might spend an hour driving along a quiet country road, enjoying the serenity of farmland punctuated by a few red homes and cows, to get to a store.
Although this is the case, it appears times are slowly changing as younger generations are becoming more international and aligned with design trends from the West, which are set by corporations like Apple, to a more minimal and simple aesthetic.
Superstition
Another aspect that those in the West may perceive as chaotic, is the amount of vibrant and lively colours visible on many websites in China. Colours such as red, yellow and orange are associated with luck, wealth and happiness. China is considered a superstitious culture hence why it can be so pronounced and a constant theme on many websites. Bright shades of purple, green and blue are also favourable.
Gamification is another feature often seen on websites, it can be seen on social media platforms, and even on travel and even e-commerce websites. It’s a hugely popular mechanic which helps retention and engagement. This may link to the higher rates of gambling in Asian communities, which could additionally emphasise the superstitious nature of the mainstream Chinese population.
“We have this saying in Chinese: If you don’t gamble, you don’t know how lucky you are.”
Collectivist
China scores amongst the highest on the Collectivistic scale, on average Western cultures are seen as Individualistic. Collectivistic culture is all about the group, and the larger unit. Because group approval and communication are so ingrained in the culture, many products will have social sharing, chat, communities, groups and reviews. Unlike in the West, reviews are perceived as highly trustworthy and valuable.
“Chinese are passionate about their online communities in a way that Westerners have to see to believe. China’s culture is… more group-oriented, while Westerners tend to be more individualistic. To a typical online community member in China, the community is far more than an online forum and becomes part of their identity.”
– Porter Erisman, Six Billion Shoppers
Privacy is perceived as not as important as in the West, constant surveillance is seen as important for safety and security, and helps uphold high standards of the community. This is one of the reasons why super-apps are so successful, they are able to deliver a more tailored experience, as a single app has a vast amount of data about the individual — more about this next.
Super-apps
Unlike the West where we have countless apps for every aspect of our lives, China and other countries in Asia use one single app for an abundance of activities, these are called “super-apps”. China’s digital landscape is dominated by these and are essential and used by all, these super-apps allow an individual to virtually do everything in one app, from watching videos, getting a taxi, to online banking.
There’s also mini-programs which are apps within the super-app, meaning an individual never has to exit the app they’re in. Unlike native apps, mini-programs don’t need to be downloaded creating a more efficient experience and a much lower barrier of entry. WeChat, Alipay, Baidu, Meituan and TMall are the most popular super-apps. WeChat is the most popular, with 1.24 billion monthly users!
Mobile-first
It’s important to considering designing a mobile-first experience as it is the most popular form of accessing the Internet in China, 98% of people own a smartphone (2018). Phone numbers, social media and WeChat are the most popular forms of registering and logging in to a website or app, the use of email addresses is not as common. Phone numbers are linked with National ID numbers and bank accounts, hence the popularity, this further argues the importance of a mobile-first design. Tao Bao, Alipay, QQ and Weibo are also other forms of popular super-app logins.
QR codes are also super popular and are widely used. One of the reasons they became popular was they made typing out URL addresses incredibly easy, again highlighting the typing difficulties. This propelled the emergence of the QR code, from there it has grown to become a staple in the everyday life and an ingrained habit. QR codes have had a reemergence in the West, especially for contact-free activities, mostly due to the pandemic. However, in China, it’s been hugely popular for many years and literally used on a daily basis. QR codes are used in online settings such as adding friends and downloading apps. But also offline, it is the most used method to pay in stores, in hospitals as an identity badge, and it is even used by the homeless. It really is a popular piece of technology!
Great firewall of China
Lastly, there is the great firewall, in China, most of the internet is censored. Many websites and apps that the world use on a daily basis, are simply unavailable. Websites such as Google, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Netflix, Wikipedia. YouTube, Vimeo, WhatsApp, Dropbox and many more.
To conclude
In conclusion, it’s clear to see the contrast between the West and China, not only from a cultural point of view but also from a design standpoint. We clearly haven’t covered all the differences and learnings, however, we found these were the most useful and interesting, hopefully, they can help you as much as they did us. Take these all with a pinch of salt, and do your own research. Our biggest recommendation would be to test the assumptions you’ve gathered with your actual user demographic, even if it’s just a few people (five is ideal). Also, don’t put all your eggs in one basket, incorporate these findings using short and fast iterations and feedback loops (such as design sprints), instead of spending months creating one all-or-nothing design solution. Read more about user testing here.
We found this project truly fascinating, and it has frankly opened our eyes to the broader perspective of design. No doubt there are key takeaways from China that the West can learn from, definitely things I will be personally considering and look to bring onboard in the future.
We hope this blog post has helped or piqued your interest in the topic. For now, zài jiàn 👋
Further reading
Books
Links
Statistical Report on Internet Development in China (2020)
https://blog.btrax.com/7-must-knows-when-designing-for-china/
https://marketingtochina.com/best-tips-build-good-website-china/
https://blog.prototypr.io/chinese-mobile-app-design-tips-for-westerners-4e3b36e4739f
https://uxdesign.cc/key-differences-between-designing-for-china-and-the-west-dad2c5132521
https://medium.com/demagsign/a-guide-to-cross-cultural-design-by-senongo-apkem-368c90de1b76
https://techcollectivesea.com/2018/02/15/battle-chinese-vs-western-style-ui-ux/
https://dropbox.design/article/5-tips-to-get-started-with-cross-cultural-design
Videos
As always we would love to hear your thoughts, do let us know in the comments below if you have any questions or want to know more!
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