Cultural Divides and Designers in Emerging Markets

Over roughly the last 10 years, China and India have given way to a huge rise in technology outsourcing from companies across the globe. Working at one such global company, I’ve had the privilege to partner with teams in both countries, developing software for a variety of uses from Enterprise to Consumer with both visual and Interaction designers. After several years of collaboration, I noted a series of different abilities and challenges with each team. India appeared weaker in developing the details, while strong in larger conceptual work. China is amazingly proficient in details and technical adeptness, while creativity and methodology are less seen.

Through a series of interviews with UX professionals from these countries I’ve started to investigate the cultural design differences, why they occur, and how to best partner with their teams to develop stronger working relationships. This talk will share what I’ve uncovered thus far and will be beneficial to anyone working in a global company, and specifically with these two top tech emerging countries.