Interview with Sean Hughes, Senior Design Director of Philips Design Hong Kong

red dot: To what extent are the exhibits presented by Philips in Shunde examples of globally successful design?
The product which we present at this exhibition, and which has won the red dot award, was designed to address a very specific consumer need in China. This phone has a dual SIM card function as well as the additional security measure of finger print recognition. Through our consumer insight process we established that these two issues were very important to the target group. Though we may find an audience for this phone outside of China, the development of the proposition was driven by needs of and insights into the Chinese market.

red dot: What are the strategies with which a company can also secure long-term international success?
I believe the most important starting point for long term international success is to have a clear vision as to what your brand or company is all about at its very heart. Be clear about what it is that makes you distinct and attractive. Then you need to remain single minded in the pursuit of the vision and ensure it is captured in everything you do across all the products and marketing touch points. Philips has built increasing brand value over the years by embracing the brand promise of ‘sense and simplicity’.

red dot: To what extent does a globally operating company such as Philips incorporate national and regional aspects?
Philips has adopted the global brand promise of sense and simplicity, which recognises that we need to create solutions that are meaningful and relevant to people. To do this we strive to develop products and propositions which are designed around people’s needs and desires, and which add value to their lives. As Philips Design we have a global design process, which we call ‘High Design’ – in this design process we put people at the centre of the creative process. We involve our consumers at different stages of the process to check that what we are proposing makes sense to them and is easy to use and understand, and also that it is easy to do business with us. So if we are designing a product for China, for instance a new rice cooker or mobile phone, we will engage with our target audience at an early stage to gather feedback and insights in order to refine the propositions.

red dot: What expectations do you have with regards to future developments in the Chinese market?
I am not an economic expert; however, looking at the news and the forecasts in the general business press it seems the consensus outlook for China is for continued growth.

red dot: Where do you see the biggest differences between the Chinese and the Western market?
Of course, every market and every consumer has their own particular taste and preferences for products, brands, prices, and features. What we aim to do is to understand these differences and create matching design and product strategies. The degree of customisation may be in the features, the colours, or the overall proposition. Like more developed markets we have consumers in China who want the best of the best and have the means to afford it; we also have groups of consumers who are less well off and nevertheless need purposeful solutions for their everyday requirements. The same applies to different generations of consumers; at different stages of life they will have different needs. A teenager will look for very different features and functions in a mobile phone than, for example, a grandmother. Both agree that they need a mobile phone but perhaps the grandmother might be less interested in the phone’s social networking or multimedia playback functions, while she may be much more interested in being able to quickly and easily talk to her granddaughter.
We have to recognise these economic, functional and cultural as well as aesthetic differences and develop matching solutions. Therefore by using the ‘High Design’ process and putting consumers at the heart of our creative process we can increase the certainty that our new products will be successful in the market and deliver long term meaningful value to the company as well as our consumers.