Shanzhai Designs Are an Opportunity for International Copied

PATTERNS Designing insights emerging and converging

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Makiko Taniguchi Eddie Wu

Copycat design as an open platform for innovation

Countries, from the US to Japan, regularly accuse China add a flashlight, key in areas with unstable electricity. of copying designs. Indeed, multinational companies The effect is to make products accessible to common in these countries spend an inordinate amount of time folks in terms of price, aesthetics, values, and needs. and money trying to prevent their products from being Shanzhai designs are an opportunity for international copied. But Shanzhai — “copycat” design — represents companies to introduce Chinese consumers to their a vast business opportunity. brands, and then observe how local Chinese culture Shanzhai is an open platform for grassroots innovation: adapts their offerings. Apple, Nokia, and Samsung smartphones get copied, How might companies harness learning by observing but the knockoffs adapt the original designs in ways that Shanzhai designs? appeal to Chinese customers. Shanzhai designers might

TAKE ACTION – designing for Shanzhai

1. 2. 3. 4. Leverage the Use tools Go for liangdian, Exploit grassroots wisdom of for expression or ‘shiny points’ sentiments common folks Provide customizing tools that Be bold and explicit about the value Harness grassroots humor to enable people to mark a bit of proposition of a product. It has get closer to Chinese consumers Organize a Chinese version of themselves on their products. to make a clear statement of what in diverse regions. Such playful Dragons Den, or innovation Consider the gamut, from stickers consumers have paid money for. sentiments help build relationships competition, to help grassroots of Swarovski crystal on mobile with mass consumers. innovation blossom. phones to prestige logos. THE EVIDENCE – stories from around the globe

The word shanzhai…

The optimism Made up of the characters shan (山, “mountain”) + zhai (寨, “fortress”), Shanzhai implies banditry and lack of of humor state control. The phrase suggests the Li is saving money to buy a QQ, the value that runs through Chinese classics Shanzhai version of the economical like Water Margin, the story of bandits who helped the poor by stealing from GM Sparkle. He plans to customize the rich. In this Chinese version of Robin it with a “Mercedes emblem.” Hood, “right” and “wrong” are presented in an ambiguous light. In this respect, “It’s the Mercedes of ordinary perhaps, Shanzhai questions legitimacy folks,” says Li with a laugh. “With and authenticity of design and blurs the this car I will be a true ‘successful line between cultural appropriation and businessman’ like my mom always outright theft. brags to her fellow villagers!”

A young migrant worker with only Leveraging a high school diploma, Li is doing grassroots innovation well to have found a job as a clerk in Nokia recognized how Shanzhai can Shenzhen, but he is nowhere near help us learn about other cultures when the popular image of the “successful it created a design competition in three businessman” who gets driven communities far beyond China: Dharavi (Mumbai, India), Favela Jacarezinho around in a Mercedes. QQ adds (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and Buduburam color to everyday life by making (Accra, Ghana). Nokia’s “temporary fun of ordinary people’s reality. It’s Legitimacy design studio” is about learning how the grassroots humor of Shanzhai people improvise, use, and conceptualize ‘Shiny points’ a device in the context of their own culture that attracts consumers through communities. The open studio provided stand out like Lee — people who work hard, an alternative way for people to articulate whose lives are improving, and who participation their wants and needs. One of the key design principles of are optimistic about the future. Shanzhai is to make the assets of Lecture Hall is a well-known How might brands get closer to the product stand out. Shanzhai is program on CCTV, the biggest Prototyping not about being subtle. It’s about ordinary people by using their sense national television network rather than planning bringing up the distinctive character of humor? in China. It features scholars Shanzhai mobile phones have at least discussing various topics, from of a product and accentuating it. 2 SIM card slots. This may not be history to literature to art. Han Of the population, “80-90% are an award-winning design concept, is a businessman with a strong but it effectively addresses the needs unsophisticated consumers,” interest in history. Through of Chinese users who often use an explains Wang, a Shanzhai mobile additional local number when they CCTV’s application procedure, phone manufacturer. “When they travel. Shanzhai is about implementing Han expressed his interest in buy a mobile phone, they want to user needs in a short period of time. It offering a series of talks about the runs on the spirit of “put it out there see values that they can understand. Song Dynasty but was told he was and see how it goes.” Production cycles They’ll not understand subtle are very short and quality may be not qualified because he is not a design or complicated technology.” compromised, but over time the product professor. So he decided to make a is improved and becomes more stable. Whether it’s a big camera lens or Shanzhai version of Lecture Hall in speakers attached to the phone, a simple studio he set up. these consumers want focal points, Han posted his video on the Fake star or entrepreneur? because they are the “face” of Internet, and within weeks, the There are many Shanzhai stars in the products. Chinese consumers call show had been watched more Chinese media, but in contrast with this quality liangdian, or “shiny than half a million times. This Elvis impersonators in the West, they points,” in the design. These are quasi-legitimate. Some, like Andy quintessentially Chinese story exaggerated features attract the Lau and Jay Chou, are considered quite reveals the strong need for popular successful in their own right and have attention of others and explicitly participation and local legitimacy. been invited to perform at local events. state that those are what consumers Embracing Shanzhai has created a have paid money for. Products How might we create a platform business opportunity for performers to become valuable partly through the where ordinary people feel utilize their lookalike asset and build authentic fame. These impersonators confirmation of one’s peers. comfortable adding a bit of have value for being Shanzhai, rather themselves to the product? than because they can impersonate How might companies design for famous stars. liangdian, or shiny points?

PATTERNS are a collection of shared thoughts, Be a pattern spotter: Now that you’ve been Guest authors: Makiko Taniguchi, Contact: Get in touch with us for all that is insights, and observations gathered through exposed to a few different examples, don’t be Eddie Wu Contributors: Calvin Shen, pattern related at [email protected] our work and the world around us. We invite surprised if you start seeing Shanzhai patterns Suzanne Gibbs Howard or visit us at http://patterns.ideo.com. you to join the conversation, so we can raise all around. Keep your eyes open and let us the bar and develop richer design thinking know what you find, especially if it’s the next experiences collectively. new pattern.