Creating Cultural Identities
This research explores methods and tools for creating products that are appropriate in different cultural contexts. It focuses on product development theories and practices in China. The goal is to approach new product opportunities with an appropriate depth of insight into Chinese cultural traditions.
It studies traditional Chinese artifacts, analyzes both visual and conceptual elements of them, looks for ways to turn the understanding of the tradition into innovations for new products. At the same time, the changing consumer behaviors will also be studied to understand the patterns and driven forces of behavior changes. At last the studies of the established tradition and the evolving behavior pattern will be synthesized into a cultural centered approach to develop product for culturally appropriate use.