Western vs. Asian UX — Insights from Asian Designers

Hey guys 👋

My original newsletter on Western vs. Asian product design sparked way more discussion than I expected—especially from designers in China, Taiwan, and South Korea on Medium.

It’s not just East vs. West—each country has its own UX rules, shaped by culture, language, and the way users process information.

So, I’m back to share some insights straight from Asian designers themselves. Let’s dive in!

🌏 UX in Asia: What Surprised Me the Most

After hearing directly from Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean designers, I realized there’s a lot more to the story. Here are some of the biggest takeaways:

• 🇨🇳 Chinese designers actually want more Western minimalism.

• 🇹🇼 Taiwanese designers are questioning if they’ve gone too far with minimalism.

• 🇯🇵 Japanese web design is still strongly influenced by print design, with vibrant magazine-style layouts.

• 🇰🇷 Korean users seamlessly navigate both Chinese super-apps and ultra-minimal interfaces.

But let’s break it down further — how did these UX trends develop in each country? 👇

🇨🇳 China: When Efficiency > Aesthetics

Chinese apps aren't packed for no reason - they're designed for speed, multitasking, and chasing these sweet business KPIs.

But here’s the twist: Many Chinese designers don’t like it. 

Several shared that they hope Western design trends—especially cleaner UI and better accessibility—will shape the future of Chinese products.

This reflects a growing shift in Chinese UI design:

• UI styles are splitting — Some brands lean into a traditional Chinese aesthetic, while others adopt a sleek Western-inspired look.

• Super-app dominance — Platforms like WeChat and Alipay have trained users to expect all-in-one functionality, making it hard to strip things down overnight.

• Static UIs — Motion design is gaining interest among designers, but many companies still don’t take it seriously, prioritizing KPIs over animation.

🇹🇼 Taiwan: Minimalism… But Is It Too Minimal?

Taiwanese UI design has followed Western minimalism closely, emphasizing whitespace, clear hierarchy, and simplicity. In fact, as Alan Lee puts it:

But now, Taiwanese designers are asking themselves—did we go too far?

Since Chinese-language users are naturally comfortable with information-dense screens, could a more detailed UI actually improve engagement?

It seems like Taiwan’s UI landscape sits at a crossroads:

• Western UX principles dominate, but some designers wonder if they’ve stripped away too much detail.

• Taiwanese apps feel cleaner than Chinese or Japanese designs, yet they still incorporate denser visuals and busier graphics than Western apps.

🇯🇵 Japan: Minimalism in Life, Maximalism in UI

Japanese UX is completely different from Western UX—but not for the reasons you’d expect.

A key concept is “Samishii” (寂しい), meaning “empty” or “lonely.” While Western UX values whitespace for clarity, Japanese users can actually find it unsettling. They expect detailed, information-heavy UIs where everything is immediately visible.

What Makes Japanese UI Unique?

• Scrapbook-style design – DIY-style layouts with cutout images, speech bubbles, frames, and playful details (stars, arrows, mascots).

• Seasonal design updates – Websites change colors, banners, and even logos based on the season (sakura in spring, fireworks in summer).

• Bigger fonts & tighter spacing – Since Japanese characters can look similar when small, text is generally larger and spacing is carefully adjusted.

• A love for banners – Banners aren’t just for ads; they also symbolize partnerships and mutual respect between brands.

• Lively buttons & animations – Flashy hover effects, color shifts, and even moving buttons (yes, rocking like boats!) are still common.

Interestingly, while Japanese minimalism is huge in home design and architecture, digital products remain dense and detail-packed. This comes from print design influence, with many sites using magazine-style layouts instead of rigid grids.

🇰🇷 Korea: The Hybrid

Korean UX is a paradox—on one hand, users rely on dense, multifunctional super apps like Naver and Alipay. On the other, they love Scandinavian-style minimalism.

This makes sense when you consider that:

• Korean is structurally closer to English, making UI layouts more familiar to Western users.

• Many Korean designers have worked at FAANG companies and are influenced by their clean, structured UI styles.

• Korea has a huge appreciation for Scandinavian minimalism, especially in home and interior design.

One of the best comments I got:

🧐 Final Thoughts

If there’s one big takeaway from all these insights, it’s this: design isn’t just shaped by regional culture—it’s way more complex.

We often talk about Western vs. Asian UX, but design varies even within the same country, sometimes even from city to city. A minimalist trend in Seoul may not resonate in Busan. A shopping app in Tokyo may need completely different UI priorities than one in Osaka.

Culture isn’t just national—it’s local, shaped by traditions, attitudes toward technology, and even how open people are to outside influences.

💡 The key lesson? Test everything.

Instead of assuming what works, verify your design with real users in their specific context. Whether they’re in New York, Bangkok, Seoul, or Berlin, every audience interacts with products in their own way. Good UX isn’t universal—it’s adaptable.

So next time you design for a global audience, go beyond broad cultural assumptions. Get local. Talk to users. Test, refine, and adapt. Because in the end, the best UX isn’t just Western or Asian—it’s the one that works best for your audience.

🌏 Working on something in Asia? Let’s connect!

If you’re working on a product in Asia that’s expanding internationally, or if you’re looking for a senior product designer who understands both Western and Eastern UX perspectives, let’s chat!

📩 Reply to this email or reach out here – always happy to connect and collaborate.

That’s all for today! If you found the newsletter interesting, don’t forget to share it with your friends 😉. And if you have any cool links to share - drop them my way. 📮 

See you next time!
Kristina

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