Imitation, Creativity, and a Right-Hander's Dream in Chinese Mobile Phones

As I have mentioned many times before (most recently here), a broad variety of mobile phones are designed, made, and sold in China. During a recent visit to Zhuhai's Jida subdistrict, I took a closer look at a store selling phones not made by better known Chinese brands such as BBK, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Gionee. Although some of the phones imitate other brands, some include "micro-innovations" and some can be rather distinctive from phones commonly available in markets outside of China such as the U.S.

Below, I will share four examples of what I found. My intent is simply to stimulate some thought about the mobile phone domain in China.

The iPoone above on the left obviously fits into the "inspired-by-Apple" category--a category in which I regularly spot new designs. The "Think Different" phone I saw in Guangzhou and the iPncne phone I saw in Ningxia also fit in this category.

The phone above on the right has no obvious Apple influence and is just one of the many small clamshell phones available with various images.

The yellow phone on the above right offers a butterfly light show. The shopkeeper made sure I noticed the digital clock on the outside.

The "Dlor" phone on the above left is what most caught my eye that day, so I will provide a few more details about it. These words are above the image of the two hands:

I'm not left-hander
幸福在我的左边
可是........
却不是个左撇子
抓不住你

Numerous instances of the same image with almost exactly the same words can be found on a number of Chinese online sites. However, I was not able to pin down the original source.

One reasonable translation of the Chinese is "Happiness is on my left, but I can't catch you since I'm not left-handed".

If you're now puzzled by the poem or wondering why hands with an extra finger were used (did you notice?), you're not alone. Any Chinese friends I have asked expressed some confusion, and examples of confusion can be found online (in Chinese) as well.

Yes, there are many questions to ask. And all of the above phones raise more general questions such as "What motivated the design?" and "Why would somebody purchase this phone?" The answers to these questions could guide the design of new phones, whether they look like the above phones or not, for people in China and in other markets as well. As I first suggested after seeing the Think Different phone in Guangzhou, even when there are imitations, such phones can be a potential source of valuable insight or inspiration for global mobile phone brands.

Finally, there is one question I will answer now. No, despite it fascinating me, I did not buy the Dlor phone. After all, it doesn't suit me since I'm a left-hander.

Signing for Love in Malaysia

What's the best way to seek a boyfriend's forgiveness? One young woman in Malaysia decided the answer included collecting signatures from people in various Malaysian cities and taking photographs with them while she held a sign. When I happened to meet her today in Melaka, she already had many signatures in a previously blank book. For what was she seeking forgiveness? That didn't seem to be something she wanted to discuss.



One reason her actions caught my attention was that I could imagine a similar story playing out in China on a service such as Sina Weibo. And like the messages I saw on a bulletin board in a Changsha dormitory room, there could be important insights to gain about why she did not chose to express herself online.

Many may now be wondering if her boyfriend will respond favorably when she shares the fruits of her efforts. Without knowing more I don't think I could make a meaningful prediction. But she happily agreed to provide an update. If I hear anything, I'll pass it on.

Deconstructing Mental Boxes

Several years ago while working on a fascinating research project at Microsoft China, an interaction designer tried to motivate me with a phrase I referenced in my previous post: "You should try to think outside the box!"

Staring at him straight in the eyes, I slowly and emphatically said, "I don't even have a box."

The designer appeared to be rather surprised by my response. After letting it soak in for a moment, I proceeded to animatedly explain that I considered the phrase to be sometimes overused or misused. Fortunately, he was greatly entertained by my commentary. And for better or worse, I never heard him use the phrase again except in a joking fashion.

Shortly after that incident, I came across a video which gave the phrase a well-deserved treatment and captured some of what I had expressed. I recommend watching this great example of, um, thinking outside the box.


outside the box from joseph Pelling on Vimeo.

Thinking Outside the Internet

Much of the research for guiding the design of improved and new technologies focuses on how people use existing technologies. However, knowing what people are doing and thinking when they are not using a technology can also be valuable. To provide a sense of how this is true, I will share two examples of research relevant to online services. The first is about a company familiar to many, and the second is about my own research.

In the MIT Technology Review Tom Simonite discussed his involvement in a recent user research project conducted by Google:

For three days last month, at eight randomly chosen times a day, my phone buzzed and Google asked me: “What did you want to know recently?” The answers I provided were part of an experiment involving me and about 150 other people. It was designed to help the world’s biggest search company understand how it can deliver information to users that they’d never have thought to search for online.

Billions of Google searches are made every day—for all kinds of things—but we still look elsewhere for certain types of information, and the company wants to know what those things are.

“Maybe [these users are] asking a friend, or they have to look up a manual to put together their Ikea furniture,” says Jon Wiley, lead user experience designer for Google search. Wiley helped lead the research exercise, known as the Daily Information Needs Study.

If Google is to achieve its stated mission to “organize the world's information and make it universally accessible,” says Wiley, it must find out about those hidden needs and learn how to serve them. And he says experience sampling—bugging people to share what they want to know right now, whether they took action on it or not—is the best way to do it. “Doing that on a mobile device is a relatively new technology, and it’s getting us better information that we really haven’t had in the past,” he says.

In the pursuit of improving its online services, Google is looking beyond its own invaluable data on online behavior and trying to understand its users' needs even when they are not using Google's online services. Read the article here for more thoughts about how this research might impact what Google offers.

Sometimes the "hidden needs" Jon Wiley mentioned can be first suggested in what is openly displayed on a wall. In a post about a dormitory room at Changsha's Central South University of Forestry and Technology, I wrote I would later "provide a small taste of how visiting these rooms can aid in the design of new technologies". One example can seen in the bulletin board I noticed in the back of the room.

The four female students who lived in the room used the board to post notes with their hopes, feelings, questions, and inspirational messages. One note expressed a student's desire to have enough money to treat her roommates to a meal at KFC as she had previously promised. Another expressed a student's sadness due to missing her boyfriend.

So many questions can now be asked, such as:

• Why are they posting these particular messages on this bulletin board?
• Did they also share these thoughts online? If not, why not?
• Do other people post notes in a similar manner?
• Are there other places where they share their thoughts?

Researching these and other questions has taken me to many more places in China than a single dorm room in Changsha. Although those places don't exist on the Internet, the stories they tell provide clues about what a variety of online services could offer and how they should be designed.

These examples of Google's and my own research provides hints of the value in conducting research that pushes beyond what may seem to be obvious boundaries. A common phrase people use to try to inspire innovation is "think outside the box". In the case of designing online services, it can be better to say "think outside the Internet".

Useful and Trendy iPads for Selling Memories

Sometimes what matters most about technology is what it enables you to do.

Two employees holding Apple iPads with sample photos for a marriage photography studio in Changsha, China

Sometimes what matters most about technology is being fashionable.

College Dormitories in China: The Research

In the previous post I mentioned that I will share examples of living conditions in a variety of student dormitories in China. And as I wrote before, I would like to provide some background on why and how I became familiar with this topic.

While working as a user experience (UX) researcher at Microsoft China, I helped to inspire and guide the design of useful, usable, and desirable technologies for global and China-specific markets. What I learned on a daily basis through a variety of projects ranging from the usability testing of new applications for mobile phones to participatory design sessions with amazingly creative Shanghai high school students never ceased to amaze me -- both in terms of what seemed so familiar, and what seemed so different. And often, what I discovered not only surprised me, but my teammates as well.

One set of projects I led focused on the life of youth, 18 to 25 years old, in China. Based on what I was permitted to earlier share for an international conference in Germany, I can say that one of the projects covered five provincial capital cities in China: Changsha, Hunan province; Guiyang, Guizhou province; Xi'an, Shaanxi province; Ji'nan, Shangdong province; Changchun, Jilin province. They are cities in very different regions of China -- important since we well recognized China's diversity. Our specific recruitment requirements ensured that the Chinese participants whose lives we delved into came from a range of income levels, backgrounds, and environments. Since half of the participants were students and interviews began in participants' place of residence, I visited a number of college dormitories. I am not able to share the specific goals of this research study, even the participants didn't know the details (and sometimes they expressed confusion about what they could be). I am also not able to share the findings nor their impact other than to say I presented them to a wide range of teams at Microsoft both in China and the U.S.

But I mention this project because combined with others I conducted in China for Microsoft and similar technology companies, it serves as a background which implicitly guides some of my recent independent research. And as part of that recent research, I have visited many more universities in China.

Since beginning this blog, I have shared a variety of individual examples or stories that capture key themes in China: a migrant worker's first payday in Shanghai, a Guizhou woman's thoughts about Google's challenges in China, a Sichuanese waitress's surprise about the lack of censorship in Taiwan, or the "Sansumg" computer I found in a Nanning college classroom. Like the examples in those posts, I do not necessarily claim that on their own the upcoming examples serve as definitive proof for any particular "big" claim. But based on previous experiences, I am confident they are representative and significant examples. Most importantly, I hope they can provide a new perspective and stimulate further thought about the many topics they touch on--many do not only relate to China, but elsewhere as well.

College student in Changsha, Hunan province, displaying her map of the world

UPDATE: See here for the following post.

Mystery Beverage Vending Machine in Macau

A mystery beverage vending machine in Macau -- which one would you choose?

I came across the above canned beverage vending machine a couple of years ago at the Macau Fisherman's Wharf -- a theme park that "includes over 150 stores and restaurants in buildings built in the style of different world seaports such as Cape Town, Amsterdam and Venice, six rides, a slots hall, a 72-room hotel, and a casino" (one visit was more than enough for me). Fortunately for anyone who hopes to profit from beverage sales, the machine did not appear to be common elsewhere in Macau. I would expect that in most cases people have little desire to pay for a randomly-selected drink (in this case, some may not have even realized/understood that a drink could be purchased).

But maybe such a machine is appropriate at an entertainment area in a city full of gambling and some people enjoyed the risk or surprise it offered. Maybe not profit but instead amusement was the goal -- anything sold was a bonus. Or maybe the hope was that it would catch people's attention and cause them to more closely examine the Coca-Cola products if offered.

Whatever the case, it certainly caught the attention of me and several other passersby. Though, I did not see anyone make a purchase.

Mr. & Mrs. Kidney Potatoe on a London Bus in China

I have no plans to write about the Olympics, but yesterday in China I did see something that made me think about London. At the Coco Park shopping center in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, I stumbled upon this section of a children's play area:

For a price, the small train ride would circle around and the bus ride would lightly bounce. The front of the bus listed locations in London, not unexpected given its red double-decker design and the nearby "England Train".

Seeing a London-ish scene in China added a little twist to my day. But what threw me for a loop were the images on the bus of what appear to be Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, the toys that recently celebrated their 60th anniversary, labeled as "Kidney Potatoes" with the small print "Laugh With Amusement......" below.

Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head were designed in the U.S., so it seemed curious to me that their images would be used on a British-themed ride. Why not display an image of something more British? And why would Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head be incorrectly labeled as "Kidney Potatoes"?

Maybe someone sought an alternative name for Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head in the hope of avoiding a copyright/trademark problem. Maybe this is a promotion for a knock-off product being sold in Shenzhen. Maybe the designer believed that kidney potatoes were particularly British and then searched for potato images that would be appealing to children. Maybe the designer thought that Mr. Potato Head looked British. Maybe there was a Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head fad in London. I can think of many other possibilities as well. Some may seem more likely than others, but researching this could lead to surprising and unexpected answers.

At the risk of disappointing, I must say that I do not plan to make any investigations (nonetheless, if you have something to add I would be interested to hear about it). Instead, I will later touch on several design and research related issues raised by this example. For example, although it caught my attention, I doubt any of the kids playing there were concerned about the "Kidney Potatoes" label.

But I did hear some of them laughing in amusement.

The Diversity of China, Shanghai, and Xuhui

During my 6 years in China I gained a deeper appreciation of something.

China is big and diverse. If one wants to better understand China, it is important to not only consider well-known cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

The city in China with which I am most familiar is Shanghai. And from my explorations there I learned something else.

Shanghai is big and diverse. If one wants to better understand Shanghai, it is important to not only consider well-known districts such as Pudong and Huangpu.

The district in Shanghai with which I am most familiar is Xuhui. And from my explorations there I learned yet something else.

Xuhui is big and diverse. If ones wants to better understand Xuhui, it is important to not only consider well-known subdistricts such as Xujiahui and Longhua.

Of course, for most purposes there is no way possible to understand all of China down to the level of subdistricts. My point is simply that at whatever level I have looked I have found incredible diversity in China. Better appreciating this diversity improves the chances of conducting research, whether about China or Xuhui, that leads to meaningful results.

Shanghai can range from the skyscraper views that I have shared here & here to the Xiaonanmen area in the disappearing "Old Town". For some of my upcoming posts I will share sets of photos from other areas of Shanghai. They will provide a taste of how in its own way Shanghai, like many other places in China, is indeed big and diverse.

The New York Times in Chinese with Twitter & Facebook

The New York Times has unveiled a new Chinese-language web site at cn.nytimes.com. As Christine Haughney reported, the Times will not adjust its news coverage despite targeting readers in a place where there is significant censorship, mainland China:

The Times Company, which is well aware of the censorship issues that can come up in China, stressed that it would not become an official Chinese media company. The Times has set up its server outside China and the site will follow the paper’s journalistic standards. Mr. Kahn said that while the Chinese government occasionally blocked certain articles from nytimes.com, he was hopeful that the Chinese government would be receptive to the Chinese-language project.

“We’re not tailoring it to the demands of the Chinese government, so we’re not operating like a Chinese media company,” Mr. Kahn said. “China operates a very vigorous firewall. We have no control over that. We hope and expect that Chinese officials will welcome what we’re doing.”

Although the Times claims it will not be "tailoring it to the demands of the Chinese government" there are several signs that design changes have been made to better suit Chinese readers. One obvious example is the ability to easily share articles on popular online services in mainland China such as Sina Weibo, QQ, and Renren.

As seen in the above example (from the article here), options are also available to share on Twitter and Facebook -- notable since both of these services are currently blocked in mainland China. If either of those options are selected while behind China's Great Firewall it is not possible to post the article. It is also notable that there does not appear to be a button to share articles on Google+, an option that is readily available on the main www.nytimes.com site.

However, people in mainland China may not be the only Chinese readers being targeted with the site as evidenced by the option for displaying the text in Traditional Chinese. That is the style of characters commonly used in a number of Chinese-speaking areas outside of mainland China, such as Taiwan and Hong Kong. In those places Twitter and Facebook are freely available.

I tested posting articles onto Twitter while using a VPN in China to get through China's Great Firewall and had no problem. However, I ran into a problem when I tested the Facebook option. For any article I tried I was brought to this page:

I have never heard of Paulie Sharer, and I wonder whether his last name is somehow tied to this obvious error. A quick online search suggests that the problem is not specific to me nor the Times, but at this point there is not much more I can say definitively. Although I am sure this is not the result the Times desires, I can only imagine whether Paulie Sharer is noticing an unusual number of friend requests.

Regardless, I consider it a positive that The New York Times will be able to reach more readers in mainland China. And many will be watching to see if China later blocks the site -- just like what recently happened to Bloomberg's news site (H/T Edward Wong).

Insights and Headaches for Apple: The iPncne in China

As I mentioned before, unauthorized Apple stores are common in many regions of China. At the moment it appears that Apple will only respond to "fake Apple Stores" that take extreme measures to imitate a genuine Apple Store. A related area of concern for companies such as Apple is protecting not how their trademarks are used in stores but on products being sold.

I previously shared an example of a Chinese mobile phone that appeared to inappropriately use some of Apple's trademarks. I will call it the "Think Different Phone". It certainly is not alone in China. For another example, here is a phone I saw for sale in Yinchuan, Ningxia:

It would be hard to believe that the resemblance of the apple logo and the iPncne name to Apple's trademarks is accidental. In the post about the Think Different Phone I discussed how despite their possible trademark infringements such phones can provide insights about features possibly desired in the local market. As an example, similar to the Think Different Phone the iPncne has a dedicated button for QQ -- a popular social networking service in China:

But what I believe can be an even more important feature is found inside the phone:

The capability of this iPncne to hold dual SIM cards would matter to many Chinese mobile phone users. For an example of why, see my post from last year "Mobile Phones in China: Local Rates, Fashion, and Fakes".

Even for the many Chinese-designed phones not noticeably violating any trademarks, "localizations" such as the above can indicate features desired not only in China but elsewhere as well. But regardless of any insights the iPncne may provide, Apple is probably still concerned about protecting its trademarks. Even if the apple logo and iPncne name do not cross the line for Apple, I think there is something on the back of the phone that would be hard for them to accept:

In small print below the iPncne name is written:

Designed by Apple in California Assembled in China

At least the second half of the line seems true. I have not contacted Apple for comment about the first half. I suspect their private comments would be much more interesting.

Fake Mold Sandwich Bag on Weibo Not a Sign of Chinese Creativity

In "Images—Chinese Creativity" on Tea Leaf Nation David Wertime wrote, "Weibo user Jason Peng (@赵鹏自媒体) has just posted two hilarious images of Chinese creativity." The second example particularly caught my attention:

Wertime suggested that this fake mold plastic bag could mean that "colleagues at the office will never pilfer your delicious lunch from the communal fridge". I would question, though, whether it would lose its effectiveness over time. Bringing moldy sandwiches regularly to work could raise the suspicions of others and cause them to investigate.

But what I most questioned when I saw the image was whether the plastic bag was truly a sign of Chinese creativity. If it was designed in China, I would be curious to learn what inspired or motivated the designer. Based on what I have seen in China, most Chinese do not bring homemade sandwiches to work or keep them in resealable plastic bags.

Although only a link to Jason Peng's Sina Weibo account was provided, I was able to track down his specific post. It makes a comment about the bag's potential use that is similar to Wertime's, but Peng makes no claims about the designer's nationality or ethnicity. Furthermore, Peng was not the first to post the image. He found it in a post by the Weibo user 微吃货 (Weichihuo). Although Weichihuo provides no links to other posts, the multiple Weibo stamps at the bottom of the image and the "DIY私房菜" logos suggest Weichihuo found the image elsewhere on Weibo. DIY私房菜 has her own Weibo account and her post of the image on Weibo appears to be Weichihuo's source (though it may not have been direct). DIY私房菜 posted the image earlier, the image only has a single Weibo stamp, and Weichihuo's comment is identical to DIY私房菜's comment.

DIY私房菜 also has no mention of the designer, and she provides no information in the post about her source for the image. To see if there was any reason other than the image being posted in China for Wertime to describe the plastic bag as a sign of "Chinese creativity", I decided to apply a complicated research method. After countless seconds of tireless work, I discovered several relevant articles from four years ago, such as one by Emily Dreyfus on CNET:

If only Jane had known about the Fake Mold Lunch Bags. Created by New York-based engineer and designer Sherwood Forlee, these bags are sure to gross out any lunch thief. Just place your delectable sandwich inside its clean yet deceptively filthy-looking plastic, and voila: the unstealable sandwich. Even the most stealthy lunch thief won't be desperate enough to eat a moldy sandwich (we hope).

I also discovered that Forlee's "Anti-Theft Lunch Bags" can be purchased here. The webpage includes images that appear to match those shared on Weibo. I was reasonably convinced that the plastic bag seen in the Weibo posts was Forlee's design.

However, since "New York-based" did not sound Chinese to me, I dug a little deeper and found more information about Sherwood Forlee:

Sherwood was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Zimbabwe, and attended university in the US. After graduating with a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering, he has worked as a product designer for various companies and consultancies.

Sherwood's main interests lie in searching for the simplest solutions to problems and creating novel and memorable experiences. He has created innovative designs for well-known companies as well as for his own personal brand, the. (www.thinkofthe.com). His works have garnered awards and extensive press attention.

Outside of design, Sherwood is passionate about food. He hopes to one day open his own bread and nut butter shop replete with a staff of well-trained squirrels to operate the grinding the machines.

I supposed Forlee being born in Hong Kong might allow the claim of "Chinese creativity". Clearly, additional innovative research was required: I sent a quick email to Forlee. He kindly replied, and I will share his answers to my questions.

As far as you know, were you the first to create a fake mold plastic sandwich bag?

I believe I was the first to come up with idea of fake moldy sandwich bags and apparently, also the first to have them made.

I see you were born in Hong Kong. Would you describe your creation as a sign of "Chinese creativity"? Would you feel it is accurate for others to do so?

I was born in HK, but only lived there for 1 year. I wouldn't consider my work a sign of "Chinese creativity" as any influence from China or HK is minimal and most likely naught.

Could you provide any updates on your squirrel training?

I am interested in opening up a nut butter shop where customers can mix and match various nut butters together to create their own specialty jar. Squirrels are incorrigible and thus, I have had to alter my plans a bit.

And thus, my research came to an end.

I believe Forlee's response resolves my question, and I cannot characterize his work as "Chinese creativity". Additionally, Forlee has shown that sometimes human-centered design is not sufficient for a successful product or service. Squirrel-centered design may be required as well.

I could now opine about how the above relates to a variety of issues such as the challenges in interpreting and discussing online posts to gain cultural insights, but instead I will recommend checking out Forlee's website at www.skforlee.com. It includes links to some of his other intriguing designs such as modular wine glasses, a maze waffle iron, a double ended jar, and a mirror plate which reminds me of some fascinating neuropsychology research (maybe a topic for another day).

In a later post, I will discuss a creative endeavor I witnessed in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. It highlights how labeling a new design or piece of art as "Chinese" can raise some deep issues, even when it is made by someone who is Chinese. In addition to Forlee's diverse background before living in America, these issues mean I am more likely to be thinking about "Forlee creativity" than "American creativity" whenever I see his work.

Fake Stuffed Toys Influencing Technology Usage in China

During my several trips to Guangzhou in Guangdong province I have visited a number of large buildings full of small wholesale stores. The immense variety of what is sold makes it easy to believe that many of the world's products are manufactured in Guangzhou and other nearby cities. Such stores offer an opportunity to gain knowledge relevant to the design of various technologies. To provide a small taste of what I have found I will share an example of a single store. It highlights some important issues and at the end of the post I will allude to an intriguing question it raises about lands far from China.

The store's owner, who I will give the fictitious name "Jia", sells stuffed toys and other stuffed products based on animated characters. Her customers sell the items they buy in bulk to retailers or sometimes directly to consumers. Jia has an advantage running her business due to a close connection with the factory where the items are manufactured--her long-term boyfriend is a manager there.

There is an Internet-connected computer in the store that plays a critical role in taking orders from the customers, but not in the way one might first guess. Although some of Jia's customers may sell their merchandise online using services such as Taobao, Jia's store has no formal online presence itself.

Jia takes a call from a customer.

Some of the reasons why Jia has a computer yet no online store became clearer to me after I asked Jia, "Are your products genuine?"*

She replied, "Kind of."

One may think that whether something is genuine or not is a simple yes or no proposition. But fake products in China have a wide range of quality. Jia's "kind of" reply reflects that although her products are not genuine, she believes they are equal in quality and practically indistinguishable from genuine products.

The stuffed products include many Japanese animated characters found in video games, television or movies.

What Jia sells is significantly cheaper than genuine products yet more expensive than lower quality fakes. Furthermore, her customers are fully aware they are not buying genuine products. To be sure they are getting their money's worth and a product meeting their needs, they desire to visit the store to examine the products firsthand. While in the store, many customers photograph whatever they may buy. Later, they can send their photos to ensure the accuracy of any orders which they may place via email, instant messaging, or telephone.

There are other factors at play, but this example provides a window into how fake products can influence a business's and its customers' use of technology. Had Jia been selling genuine products or low quality fakes the situation may have been different. As it stands though, Jia's customers are motivated to visit the store, take photographs, and later send them via the Internet. And Jia is motivated to use a computer to communicate with customers but is far less motivated to set up a formal online presence for her store.

Understanding not just how people use technology but the deeper reasons for why they use it the way they do is critical to designing useful and desirable technologies. Although Jia's business is just a single example, it can provide inspiration for new ideas that would not have been conceived otherwise. By combining it with other examples or with findings from different forms of research, compelling evidence may be found of needs impacting a great number of people--both in China and elsewhere.

Research such as this never fails to fascinate me. As I have mentioned before, sometimes such research is conducted to answer specific questions, but it is also valuable for discovering important new questions. In fact, I left Jia's store with a new question that pertains to issues beyond just technology. After all, Jia was not always sure (or willing to say) what happens to her fake stuffed toys after she sells them--especially those she delivers to her good customers in Australia and the U.S.



*Yes, this is a leading question**. I had reasons to believe it was appropriate for my purposes (especially since I wanted to know whether Jia would be forthcoming in answering such a direct question). I believe some of its value in this case is indicated by Jia's atypical response.

**A "leading question" is a question that is asked in a manner that may bias the reply. Especially in research, avoiding their use can be very important, though they can have value at times if used appropriately. I hope to more fully discuss this issue in a later post someday.

Mobile Phones That See Things a Little Differently

As I've mentioned before using Oppo as an example, some Chinese companies are attempting to establish distinct brands of mobiles phones that can directly compete in China with well-known global brands. Regardless, there still remain a large number of mobile phones available made by manufacturers who seem content to leverage the brand power of other companies. Phones with names such as Nckla (Nokia), iPheon (iPhone), Mctcrcla (Motorola), etc. are not hard to find (see here and here for some examples). I'll share a favorite of mine that serves as a striking example and illustrates some important points -- including how such phones could be useful to the companies of the brands they imitate.

Here is the front side of the flip-phone when closed:

The use of Apple's old advertising slogan "Think Different" and a large section of what appears to be Apple's logo present some potential trademark-infringement issues. I've seen other mobile phones with what are at the very least Apple-ish logos, so this came as no great surprise (see here for a related challenge Apple faces in China). However, it sports an overall unique design, and the phrase "I SEE THINGS ALITTLE DIFFERENTLY" [sic] captures a common theme I've encountered while speaking with youth in China: the desire to be different, but not too different (this is not unique to China, but there are nuanced differences from other countries).

With the Apple-like branding on the front, the other side of the phone provides a bit of a surprise:

The logo on it could be described as the Oppo logo with a few modifications. For reference, Oppo's logo can be seen in the advertisement I shared in my earlier post about Oppo's "Find Me" marketing campaign:

The modified Oppo logo is important for two reasons. One, it's representative of the challenges in China that fakes and imitations pose for Chinese companies. It's not just a problem for foreign companies. Two, it suggests that Oppo has reached a perceived level of success, whether in its brand recognition or in the quality of its logo, that has motivated others to "borrow" from it. As they say, imitation is flattery.

The inside of the phone also makes use of the variation on the Oppo logo:

Additionally, it's worth noting the dedicated button for QQ -- a popular service in China for social networking ,instant messaging, games, etc . -- and the fake diamonds in the key pad. Whether such design choices reflect a keen understanding of a segment of mobile phone consumers is a question well worth answering. For example, there are other indications that a little (or a lot of) "bling" on a phone is desired by many in China (a topic for a later post).

Regardless of any imitations, it's valuable for those in the mobile phone industry to consider the ways in which a product such as this one differs from their own. The phones are openly available, sometimes produced in a very quick cycle, and can be innovative in their own ways. They won't necessarily provide all of the answers and serve as just one piece of the research that should be conducted, but some insights may be discovered that will assist in delivering products that better meet the needs or desires of consumers in China (and potentially elsewhere as well). While companies such as Apple and Oppo may be frustrated by fakes and imitations, simply taking a close look at such phones may suggest opportunities for them, in their own way, to return the flattery.

An Experience Observing Shopping in Handan, Hebei

I'll share a light story about an experience that like the previous post about the couple in Liuzhou provided me an opportunity to observe shopping behavior in China. Far from Liuzhou, this experience took place in Handan, Hebei province (see here for the more than 1000 mile drive between the two). I don't expect it to necessarily inspire any ideas related to technology on its own, but it will help provide some additional color and context for a few upcoming posts.

While in Handan last year in November, I stopped by yet another mobile phone store to see their selection and talk with some of the staff:

Assistants in their work uniforms and one of their friends at a mobile phone store.

After a lengthy discussion, one of them offered to show me around the city on their day off. I accepted the unexpected invitation, and the next day met her and two of her friends:

In short, they didn't have much of a plan for sightseeing, but they were thrilled to discover I'd be happy to go shopping with them. By "go shopping" I mean follow them around as they shop. I had no personal desire to go shopping myself, but I knew the opportunity to observe them could provide some useful insights.

The first shopping center they visited was here:

It was a large building full of small individually-owned clothing stores, such as this one which was owned by an acquaintance of theirs:

In upcoming posts I'll share more about the environments of similar shopping centers. But one detail about this particular shopping center is worth sharing now since it connects with the previous post. As in Liuzhou, Lady Gaga made an appearance, this time in the name of one of the stores:

After an afternoon of shopping, I asked them to pick one of their favorite places to have dinner since I was interested to know what type of restaurant they would consider "special". For example, when I presented this choice to a shop assistant in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province she excitedly chose KFC.

However, this time KFC was not the choice. Instead, they chose a restaurant well known in Handan for this favorite dish of theirs:

It's probably not clear from the photo, so I'll help out and identify that as a big pot of spicy duck heads. Thanks to some previous experiences with coworkers at Microsoft China I was prepared to tackle such a delicacy. Still, I couldn't have predicted that munching on a bunch of duck heads would be the way we'd close out the day.

In upcoming posts, I'll focus in on several items of interest two me regarding shopping in China that could have an impact on the design of technology. I think for now I have fulfilled my quota on posts regarding Lady Gaga and duck heads.

Shopping in Liuzhou Lady Gaga Style

In previous posts I wrote about how opportunistic and exploratory research conducted in a classroom in Nanning and a hair salon in Liuzhou opened up a variety of insights and questions that could help guide the design of technology. I'll now share another experience I had in Liuzhou last year that's very different from both of them. It may not include any photos focused on technology, but it could have just as much of an impact.

One evening, after leaving a store with a wide variety of Chinese designed and manufactured mobile phones I was deciding where to go next. While I stood in thought at a street corner this young couple approached me and asked if I needed directions:

Two friendly college students in Liuzhou, Guangxi

Although I didn't need directions, I took advantage of the opportunity to ask them a few questions about the very inexpensive mobile phone I had just purchased and the conversation led to other topics as well. They then asked if I'd like to join them as they enjoyed a break from their college studies, and I happily accepted.

Later in the evening I accompanied the couple to a shopping area that looks like this during day:

Sidewalk during the day

While there are a number of stores along the street, in the evening the area transforms into another shopping experience -- a night market:

Sidewalk during the night

Given the crowds in the photo, it's hard to see that there are numerous racks with clothes for sale and additional items on display on the ground.

During their time at the night market the couple considered a variety of goods such as some bowls:

and shorts:

That night wasn't just an opportunity for me to observe what they did while shopping, but to also learn about their thoughts on numerous topics and about how they expressed themselves. For example, the young lady was particularly colorful, whether it was her desire to pose for photographs in various locations:

Posing on a bridge over the Liu River

her abilities in opening beer bottles with her teeth:

Opening a bottle of beer during dinner

or her favorite expressions such as the frequent, "That's so Lady Gaga!"

This is just a small taste of what I saw and learned that night and serves as a lead into several upcoming posts about some other shopping environments in China. I'll touch on a variety of related topics such as how computers are used in small retail businesses and how such environments may provide insights for designing better online shopping experiences. Those posts will shed some some light on how what I learned in Liuzhou could be of value to designing new technology.

For now, I'll just say that the opportunity to talk with the college couple in Liuzhou and observe a small part of their lives was yet another invaluable experience. The opportunistic nature of it added the benefit that I could be sure that factors such as their style of dress weren't a reflection of preparing for me in any way. And based on what they told me, it may have been very unlikely I would have come across them through a typical recruiter for a research study.

So, I'm very glad I took the time to pause on that street corner.

A Computer at a Hair Salon in Liuzhou, Guangxi

Not long after visiting the Guangxi University classroom with the "Sansumg" computers and handwritten bilingual notes I traveled to the city of Liuzhou, about 3 hours by train from Nanning and also in Guangxi.

Liuzhou provided a number of research opportunities, including a small hair salon which had a single computer.  How small businesses use computers has been relevant to some of my research in China and the findings are often fascinating.  Some of the many potential issues that can be explored include:

• What are the intended uses of the computer(s)?
• How is it (are they) actually used?
• Who uses the computer(s)?
• Who purchased the computer(s)?
• Who chose the computer(s)?
  
• and so on...
  

The answers one finds in China can be particularly intriguing given the scales of revenue involved for many small businesses.  To provide a hint of what they may be for a hair salon, I've paid less than US $1.50 for a haircut in comparable hair salons in Chinese cities similar to Liuzhou -- that's the total price, there's no hidden tax and a tip is not at all expected.  While some salons will charge more, it's still quite a bit less than what you'd pay for a hair cut at a salon in a US city with more than one million people.  However, the costs of computers of equivalent quality would not be so different.

Regardless, if what most concerns you is driving innovative hardware design then it may be this scene from the hair salon in Liuzhou that generates the largest number of questions and ideas: 

Desktop computer on top of a monitor in a hair salon

Perhaps what is most striking is that the computer tower is stacked horizontally on top of the monitor.  Understanding the reason for this arrangement could inspire solutions that either better accommodate such stacking or eliminate the need for it.  Those involved in hardware design are likely already identifying some other aspects of the scene that could also lead to relevant insights.

The scene is also potentially relevant to those with interests in other aspects of technology.  For example, a quick look at the computer screen provides some insights into how the computer is used by at least one salon employee while "working".  There's really quite a lot in just this one photo.  The key at this point is not to assume you know why anything is the way it is.  Even if you can find aspects of this scene elsewhere in the world, it doesn't necessarily mean they have the same underlying causes.

Scenes such as the one above are invaluable in large part because they are "real".  I mean this in two different senses.  One, they show what users of technology actually do and the environment in which they actually do it.  Two,  I am reasonably confident that someone at the salon didn't prepare or alter this scene for my visit -- the scene is the same as it would have been even if I had not visited the salon that day.  I know this because my visit was a complete surprise to everyone there.  That in itself can cause some atypical behavior, but I can be reasonably sure this photo is representative.

In a later post, I'll share some the ways people being researched may prepare for a research study, how it could interfere with research goals, and how I've managed it.  It's an important issue when conducting research anywhere, but it's especially critical in China.  It's one of the reasons I sometimes try to mix in some opportunistic research even when formally recruiting people for a research study is necessary.

Discoveries Leading to Questions: "Sansumg" Computers and Bilingual Notes in Nanning

In previous posts, I've sometimes discussed or hinted at my interests in conducting research that is exploratory and opportunistic.  It certainly isn't not the only form of research I conduct or enjoy, but in the quest for new ideas and innovation I wouldn't want to work without it.  It's not just about learning more about the world, but discovering the right questions to ask about it.

The questions raised by such research can be invaluable for guiding further research not only for user-centered design and identifying opportunities where technology could play an improved or new role in people's lives, but also for impacting a variety of other pertinent issues related to the success of a technology such as marketing and sales.  Finding the right questions to ask can be just as challenging as answering them.  And finding the right questions to ask can be the difference between driving research that is meaningful and leads to an innovative success or misses the point and leads to a disastrous failure.  This leads to a key point: these questions may never be asked (or asked too late) if exploratory research is not conducted.

As an tiny example of this type of research, I'll share some of what I found when I had the opportunity to observe this graduate course on second language acquisition at Guangxi University in Nanning (photos of Nanning):

Class at Guangxi University

The classroom was of particular interest to me because of the computers that could be found in front of every student.  If you're wondering how I knew that I should go to Guangxi University and observe that particular class, I have a simple answer: I didn't.  The classroom was a discovery in itself.  In this case I didn't rely on kids or a dog to guide me, but instead I "followed my nose" after taking a taxi to Guangxi University.  After coming upon the classroom and discussing my research interests with the professor, I was invited to observe a class in session.

One of the "discoveries" I made regarded the computers that sat underneath the students' desks.  I noticed they had a name similar to a famous brand:

A "Sansumg" desktop computer

Is this a Samsung computer?  Well, I doubt Samsung would ship computers with its name misprinted as "Sansumg" and the peculiar wording of the smaller text not far below it: "THE BRAND OF NEW TREND FOR HIGH PREFERENCE 2030 GD".  Is this computer an example of a Chinese company attempting to take advantage of the Samsung brand?  I suspect so.

Some of the questions that could now come to mind are:

• Why was this brand of computers purchased?
• Was the purchaser aware or concerned that the computers weren't Samsung computers?
• Does the brand of computer suggest that any software programs on it are more likely to be unlicensed copies?
• What is the quality/reliability of the computers?

Another "discovery" occurred while watching the students take notes:

Not only is it worth considering why they are taking notes with pen and paper while numerous computers remain idle, but an examination of the notes themselves reveal a key behavior:

As seen in the above photo, it was not uncommon for students' notes to be written in both English and Chinese.

In this case some of the questions that could come to mind are:

• Why would students take notes in both Chinese and English?
• How might the need or desire to write in multiple languages impact the design of technology to better aid students?
• Does taking notes in two languages add a cognitive burden?  Are there ways to reduce it?

Am I able to provide answers to the sampling of questions about the computers and the note taking?  Based on what I learned in that classroom and what I know through other research there is certainly more I could say, but fully answering all of the questions would require a variety of additional research efforts that I may approach in very different manners -- whether it means focused field research, studies in a controlled laboratory setting, surveys, etc.  Most importantly, though, I gained some important insights which led to a number of key questions from just a single visit to a single classroom.  And I started that day without even knowing I'd be observing a class that afternoon.

I'll be sharing more of what I've seen, learned, or experienced in China that I think could matter for a variety of technologies.  I may not always provide my thoughts on exactly how what I've discovered could have an impact (there are things I can't or am not ready to share), but the examples will provide some more windows into life in China while also providing at the very least some more hints of the value of exploratory and opportunistic research in a broad range of environments.




Additional notes:

1.  Again, the above was just a single visit to a single classroom.  It would obviously be difficult to  make a claim based on this visit alone regarding the degree to which the findings are representative of other students or classrooms.  If determining that was important, it would be yet another research question to address.

2.  The research methods used for exploratory research can have a lot of overlap with some of the research methods for answering specific questions and for more directly driving/inspiring design.

3.  What counts as "exploratory research" is not black and white.  What most concerns me is conducting the right type of research, whatever you want to call it, for the task as hand.

The Potential Perils of Visualization

James Fallows recently shared a video providing a visualization of the flow of money connected to Kiva, as Fallows describes "an organization that matches lenders, mainly in rich countries, with microfinance organizations and entrepreneurs and students mainly in poor countries".  The video is a great example of how a good visualization can effectively communicate information and be invaluable in "selling" ideas.  I recommend taking a look at the post and video here.

Fallows also suggests that the visualization can be reminiscent of "war-game counterparts involving a different sort of intercontinental ballistic device".  While I agree that this visualization can conjure up images of mass destruction, I think we should keep things in perspective.  After all, at least the visualization itself wasn't destructive.

What do I mean by this?  Ask Kermit the Frog.  As you can see in the video below, he has seen firsthand the potential perils of visualization gone awry.

Pedestrian Bridges as Intended

In an earlier post I challenged readers to identify the intended meaning of a sign on some pedestrian bridges in Chengdu, and in a later post I provided the answer.  In another post I shared a video someone took of a driver incredibly using a pedestrian bridge as a car bridge in Kunming.

The other day in Shanghai I saw this pedestrian bridge:



The photo shows someone walking their bike down the steps using a side ramp as intended for that purpose.

Just goes to show that not every moment in China involves people not observing signs or driving their cars across a pedestrian bridge.  Sometimes, people behave just as designers intend.  It happens.

For me, the scene is also indicative of how like everywhere else in the world there is a more "typical" side of China of people simply going about their everyday lives.  It may not seem as flashy, but if you want to understand people that side is important, too.