This article is intended as an introduction for developers who have no prior knowledge of the Chinese markets or the state of mobile and service design in China, but who are interested in learning more.

Consumers in the Chinese market are heavy users of mobile phone features, such as entertainment applications and mobile Internet. Compared to most Western users who still appear to use their devices mainly for voice and messaging purposes, those in China more often play with and use the newest device features.

Communication is, of course, essential, but leisure use, including utility applications and media consumption, is frequent and equally important. Playing games, reading e-books, or surfing the mobile Internet are common activities during idle times of the day.

Figure 1. Chinese mobile culture

China is speeding ahead in the development of a distinctively Chinese mobile culture. Devices, services, and the way devices are used have many characteristics specific to the country. The population of 600 million mobile users has grown very demanding; the Chinese have high expectations about how their services should look and function.

In China, we see two opposing aspects of culture:

• In the popular culture, bigger, louder, and brighter often does better. On a symbolic and emotional level, abundant, dense, and lavish designs evoke images of popularity and success. On a practical level, low-level users of services simply appreciate the fact that they can find everything they need in one place.

• In high society, the situation is reversed, and the design aesthetic is geared towards minimalism and the individual.

More often than not, products and services are designed to attract the largest possible base of users and market share, so visual design in China tends towards the popular: abundant and dense.