From a western point view, Asian UI designs are usually quite dense and compact. People in Asia are think more in detail when they start design something. They think these designs have following characteristics
- Dense tightly packed text
- Tiny low-quality images
- More columns than you can count
- Bright clashing colours and flashing banners
- Overuse of outdated technologies like Flash
While the Western design is much simpler. They are treating the design as a whole, so usually we will see some quite smooth designs, especially in some single page designs. Also, they like to adopt new technologies when they design such as HTML5/CSS3, SVG.
What are the difference between Western and Asian design? Are these design difference caused by culture difference, language difference? Let's see analysis from Ed Chao.
Design is a Communication medium. As such it is deeply influenced by how we form and process thoughts. Eastern and Western cultures are by and large quite divergent in this regard. Consider Western vs Eastern religions. Or better yet consider language, the example I will use here.
Generally western languages are precise and structured, adhering to a linear progression of reasoning. It's no surprise then that German and French are the de facto languages for mathematics and physics.
Eastern languages on the other hand are more nebulous and contextual. Reasoning is non-linear and fluid. So instead of a point by point, you'll have a jumble of points, some highlighted as key, but appearing in no discernible order. You paint with words rather than indicate with them. You circle your thesis rather than state it.
For this reason Eastern designs are often free form. Objects do not sit in a structure. Hierarchy is rare and the practice of typography is largely undeveloped as opposed to the emotive art of calligraphy which has a rich and vibrant history.
Western designs on the other hand are commonly hierarchical, linear and precise. Consider swiss typography which champions simplicity, clean lines, clear structure, and grid layouts.
It is because of this distinction that the Eastern design mentality is ill-fitted to good UX which requires simplicity, precision, and structured systems. This is something which of course is changing by the day especially with the globalization of UX design principles (which countries like Japan have long since made their own.)
