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How culture shapes UX: Western vs. Asian product design
Why Asian UX feels so different — and what we can learn from each other.
After five years in Poland, I decided to fully embrace the digital nomad lifestyle. My partner and I sold, donated, or threw away most of our belongings and packed our lives into just two suitcases. We kicked things off with two months in Bangkok, Thailand (where I’m writing this from), and next up: Fukuoka, Japan, just in time for the Sakura season.
As I settle into life in Asia, I’ve been noticing cultural differences everywhere — not just in daily life, but in design. And in January, something particularly interesting happened: thousands of Western “TikTok refugees” found themselves on the Chinese app RedNote (小红书).
This unexpected migration got me thinking — how do Western and Asian design cultures differ? And where can we find common ground?
What the TikTok ban taught us about design & adaptability
Last month, the temporary TikTok ban in the US sent thousands of users scrambling for alternatives. Some landed on Instagram…
