Understanding services and design in China / Zichuan Xiong / Episode 158

Here's a question you might not think about daily... How is service design practiced in China?

I'm always eager to learn about the (subtle) differences in how our field is perceived within different cultures. Why? Because seeing that there are other ways to approach things enriches my perspective and keeps me grounded about my way of working.

The goal isn't to copy what's being done in other places but rather to understand its reasoning and philosophy. That's why I was excited to have a conversation with Zichian Xiong recently on the Show. He currently lives and works in the USA, but Zichuan was also at the forefront when service design started to emerge in China. As he's seen both worlds, Zichuan is in a great position to articulate the relevant similarities and differences.

To get a good understanding of these similarities and differences, you'll hear about:

Who is driving the design movement? (it's not consultancies)

Which kinds of services are being designed in China and which ones aren't?

What is the state of design education?

Investing the time to listen and learn from stories like this, which give you a broader understanding of our field, is good practice for any professional. They help you to get out of your comfort zone and might hold the clue to connect the dots or spark a completely new insight.

I found this an eye-opening conversation, with much more to be explored. So it's exciting to think about where design could be heading in the next 5 years.

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to episode 158

03:00 Who is Zichuan

04:15 Lightning round

07:45 Zichuans backstory

11:45 The context of service design in China

18:00 Perception of services

24:45 Design in China

27:15 The implications

32:00 Only two industries

37:00 State of design education

41:30 The next frontier

47:45 The one thing you need to know

52:30 Final thoughts

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

* https://www.linkedin.com/in/zichuan-xiong-94aa3b13/

--- [ 3. NEXT STEP ] ---

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