I have a hard time getting western designers to understand why I keep talking about WeChat (Chinese: Weixin ??) in the context of web design. In the west, social media and web design are considered separate, albeit related, fields. But China is a different story. I might get dragged over hot coals for this, but I’m gonna say it anyway: “In today’s China, web design * is* WeChat design.”– me Currently hailed as the most popular app in the country, WeChat ’s total user base (including international users) hit 500 million in 2015. But despite those numbers, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to western design teams take one look at WeChat and dismiss it. “Meh, it’s a messaging app with a few extra features.” “No,” I holler, shaking them with entirely appropriate violence. “WeChat isn’t a messenger, it’s a lifestyle with a chat function. It books you train tickets! It picks up your dry cleaning! It is a mobile internet inside the mobile internet!” And it’s so incredibly ubiquitous that China’s most talented web designers and app developers are focusing their innovation on designing experiences tailored specifically for the platform
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