Asia vs. US – Early YouTube Designer Hong on Web Design Difference

Back in 2006, leaving Yahoo to join a startup that could anyday go bankrupt if they were sued may not be the path people would recommend, but it was something user interface designer Hong Qu did. It turned out to be one of the best decisions he had ever made.

Having forsaken his internship position at the established company, Hong Qu joined YouTube as the 16th person and was just about the second fulltime designer there. He worked on helping set the base on making the YouTube experience one of the best for users – one that is focused on enabling users to upload and view casual videos.

As some of you know, YouTube was later acquired by Google at a USD 1.65billion valuation, barely 8 months after Hong Qu joined.

During a chat, Hong shared some thoughts on the differences in web design across the world, reflected on the entrepreneurs he has met in Singapore and how he’s trying to help fix the problem he sees.

Asia vs. US: Difference between how the web is used

“One key difference between Asia and US is that in Asia, the web is used more for entertainment, so websites have been traditionally more cluttered. Whereas in the US, the web is used for more productivity tools and so sites are usually cleaner to focus on the core feature.”

One other thing that Hong pointed out is also a difference he sees between sites generally designed in Silicon Alley (New York City) versus Silicon Valley is the greater emphasis on aesthetics from the NYC dwellers, being a hub for the creative (art, fashion, design).

Expanding on that, startups need to cater their design based on the purpose of their sites. Are you selling a core feature or do you have many touch points? Tool or casual entertainment?

Problem with Singapore entrepreneurs

Visiting Singapore the past month as part of the Media Development Authority (MDA) Visiting Mentor Programme, Hong met with many entrepreneurs to give them one-to-one design consultancy sessions. And the key problem he thought was that “everyone here wants to be the star, the founder. When the best way to do a startup is to get together with people with different skillsets and specializations.”

This topic popped up repeatedly during our chat over tea and one that Hong feels strongly about.

Usability design group meetup