Design is a broad field that covers a variety of specialties, including user experience design, service design, interaction design, visual design, product design, and content design. Each discipline focuses on different aspects of solving problems and creating value for users and organizations. Understanding these distinctions helps businesses assemble the right expertise for a project and ensures that customer needs are addressed from multiple perspectives.
Design - it’s not all the same
How the user interfaces of Chinese superapps differ from those we know and love.
In our previous report, we analysed how high mobile penetration has established strong foundations for mobile-first markets in China and Southeast Asia.
This has led to the advent of superapps, where you can perform a wide range of functions, all without leaving the app. Chinese superapps like WeChat and Alipay pioneered this trend, establishing strong ecosystems, creating mini-programmes, and welcoming integrations with third parties.
With this full suite of functionalities, the interfaces of Chinese superapps are often perceived as complex and cluttered to the Western eye. Animated banners call for the user’s attention everywhere. First-time users are easily confused by which button to use or where to find the information needed. Critics might say that these apps were poorly designed, gaudy and loud.
Before mislabelling this as “poor user experience”, it’s worth considering that different cultures and social nuances are manifested in the design of digital experiences. At the same time, Chinese consumers’ interactions and expectations of digital services are being shaped as they spend more and more time on the most popular apps.
While many Western apps place a large emphasis on usability, superapp users are choosing eventual learnability, forgoing minimalism, and immediate intuition for high-powered function.
In this report, we explore Chinese superapps, mother of the superapp trend, and outline four experience principles we have observed as well as how user behavior patterns on these apps are analogous to their physical interactions and culture.
Design Diversity - FAQs
UX design focuses on understanding user needs and creating experiences that are useful, usable, and enjoyable. While visual design may concentrate on appearance and branding, UX design examines how users interact with products and services to accomplish their goals. The discipline often incorporates research, testing, information architecture, and journey mapping to improve overall experience quality.
Complex products and services involve many interconnected elements. Designers from different specializations bring unique skills and perspectives that contribute to stronger outcomes. Collaboration helps ensure that visual appeal, usability, accessibility, content, and service delivery work together to create cohesive experiences.
The appropriate expertise depends on business objectives, customer needs, and project requirements. Organizations should begin by identifying the challenges they are trying to solve and then determine which design disciplines can best address those issues. In many cases, combining multiple design specialties produces the most effective results.
Design helps organizations create better products, services, and customer experiences. It can improve usability, increase customer satisfaction, strengthen brand perception, and support innovation. When integrated strategically, design contributes to both customer value and business performance.
Design is not just about aesthetics. It is a problem-solving approach that helps organizations understand users, identify opportunities, and create meaningful experiences. Businesses that invest in design as a strategic capability are often better positioned to adapt to change, differentiate themselves, and achieve sustainable growth.