Product design is not just about pursuing the best look or comfort, but also about pursuing uniqueness. It should start from the usage requirements

—— Zhang Fei

Shenzhen Furniture: What do you understand as original design?

Zhang Fei: Design is to solve the relationship between products and people. 

When the relationship changes or there are inappropriate aspects, that's what designers need to do.

 I have always believed that product design is not about pursuing the best look or comfort, but about pursuing uniqueness. 

It should start from usage needs, and everyone's needs are different. Just focus on a small group of people.

The so-called original design definitely involves the designer's independent thinking during the design process, 

which is actually quite valuable. I don't think design may be the best, but it must be unique. 

Independent thinking is crucial for designers in the design process, which is an imaginative process. Just like an editor expressing a story, 

many times they will imagine and simulate many usage scenarios. The process of product design is actually a trial and error process. 

The process of constantly making samples, comparing and selecting. I am actually opposed to simulating renderings on the computer for a long time, 

and prefer to use real materials for prototyping and production. During this process, many problems in the production process can be discovered. 

You can also experience everything that users feel in advance. When designing a product, 

what is more concerned about is the user's feeling of receiving the product and their experience during use.

Shenzhen Furniture: With the increasing emphasis on original design and the hidden channel of designers, everyone is advocating for industry linkage. 

What are the main issues in the connection between enterprises and designers?

Zhang Fei: The company's positioning has been finalized. The designer wants to differentiate or highlight something. 

To be honest, some people's stock trading is a collision of short-term and long-term. 

Enterprises see the short-term sales performance of products, while designers or more importantly, 

they see the future trends of furniture products in the next one to two years or even longer term. 

Designers also need to consider product design and development, future sales, and after-sales service.

Shenzhen Furniture: How to evaluate the work of designers nowadays?

Zhang Fei: What designers lack the most today is their exploration and sensitivity to the market, 

which is not very closely aligned with the market, and lacks the mindset and thinking of entrepreneurs. 

If we could learn half of those entrepreneurs, or we would develop even better.