At 6 PM on April 24th, the SDN Shanghai 2019 Global Service Design Network China Conference concluded perfectly!

If you missed it, the following recap and visuals will give you a glimpse into the dazzling highlights of the 2019 Service Design Future Conference.

Conference Highlights in Numbers

Participants: Over 1,500
Overseas Media Reports: 400+
Chinese Media Reports: 200+
Global Exposure: Over 100 million impressions
Industries Covered: 30+
Speakers: 40
Exhibitors: 10
Volunteers: 200+

This event lived up to expectations and more!

01 The World’s Most Prestigious Service Design Conference

On April 23-24, the world’s leading service design conference landed in Shanghai! Organized by SDN Global, Bridge Innovation, and the Successful Design Platform, the first-ever Global Service Design Network China Conference was held at Jing’an in Shanghai over one and a half days.

This conference not only showcased the value of service design through multi-dimensional content to attendees from around the globe but also united key players from industries, academia, and the design community. Together, they demonstrated how service design drives innovation and execution, helping companies reassess their products, user experiences, brands, processes, and business models from a systemic, holistic perspective.

Officially authorized by the Global Service Design Network (SDN), this was a groundbreaking milestone as the inaugural SDN China Conference.

02 An “Elite” Conference

This was an elite conference, connecting the East and the West, uniting the North and the South:

Star Speakers: Founders and senior executives from top enterprises, including:
- Zhu Yingtai, Senior Experience Design Specialist, Alipay, Alibaba
- Zhang Shaoke, Chief User Experience Officer, Retail Finance HQ, China Merchants Bank
- Zhang Cheng, Founder, Tianyuan Oriental
- Pan Pengkai, CEO, ALO7
- He Jijun, General Manager, Marketing Center, Dongyuan Group
- Zhang Bei, Founder, Ten Miles of Fragrance
- Zhang Peng, Chief Strategy Officer, Ucommune
- Wang Sheng, CEO, Better Education
- Yuan Yue, Chairman, Zero Research Consulting Group
Global Leading Design Companies: Designit, Fjord, Bridge Innovation, WorkPlayExperience, Kolmiot, XXY Innovation, Asian Noodles Company, and BIGmind.
Top University Teams: Including Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Hunan University, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing Normal University, Taiwan University of Science and Technology, East China University of Science and Technology, and Nanjing University of the Arts.
Prominent Enterprises: From banking to technology, logistics to automobiles—China Merchants Bank, Longfor Group, Vanke, Alibaba, New Oriental, Baiyun Airport, Lufthansa, Didi, Volkswagen, Xiaomi, Baidu, China Telecom, State Grid, and more.
Media Powerhouses: CCTV, People’s Daily Online, Xinhua News, China Radio International, Tencent News, Sohu Video, Youku Video, and others.

03 A Fusion of Art and Design

This wasn’t just an intellectual feast but also an artistic celebration:

Live Performances: Nearly ten live performances featured elegant piano music, meditative Chinese dance, and a cross-cultural blend of Beijing opera and guitar.
Artistic Venue Design: The exhibition area dazzled with vibrant colors, interactive installations, and impactful design content, including spaces for attendees to co-create art and leave their creative mark.

04 Dual Wings Take Flight: A New Model for Service Design

Bridge Innovation introduced its Dual Wings Model for the first time, emphasizing service design from surface to core, distinct from traditional experience design.

Day 1: The Engine – The conference kicked off with discussions on how service design is driving a major transformation akin to the engine of an airplane.
Day 2: The Wings – Two sessions explored the left wing of end-to-end user experience and the right wing of organizational transformation. Like an aircraft needing both wings to take flight, service design’s full potential requires equal focus on external experience and internal restructuring.

This dual-wing approach became the thematic anchor of the conference, where experts, scholars, and top enterprises debated the definition of service design, its practical applications, and the pathways to industry innovation and transformation.

05 A Conference to Define the Future

The 2019 Successful Design Awards Ceremony on April 23 brought together the world’s most creative and visionary designers to Shanghai to discuss the future’s possibilities.

We would like to thank all participants, speakers, performers, hosts, volunteers, staff, and venue teams. Your contributions ensured the resounding success of the first Global Service Design Network China Conference!

06 New Book Release

During the conference, Bridge Innovation unveiled its latest publication:
“Transformation by Service Design in China: The Secrets to Earning User Loyalty.”
The book was co-launched by Wang Lei, General Manager of Huazhang Economics & Management Publishing, and Cathy Huang, Founder of Bridge Innovation.