A user's sketch led to the creation of a "lazy washing machine," which garnered 88,000 pre-orders in its first week. This exemplifies the transformed role of industrial design in manufacturing. In Qingdao, Shandong, industrial design has shifted from a finishing touch at the end of product development to a full-chain driver that starts from user needs, defines functions backward, and spurs technological innovation.
Wu Jian, Vice President of Haier Smart Home, described the change: "Previously we found users after having technology; now we first listen to pain points then define products. We used to make single appliances; now we consider the entire home experience. We once only pursued sales; now we also value health, emotions, and environmental sustainability." He sees the essence as moving from "providing what we have" to "creating what users need."
Hisense experienced a similar leap. Wang Difei, General Manager of Hisense Industrial Design Center, recalled that design was once seen as "dressing up technology." Now, design teams deeply participate in product line planning, delivering innovation directions and brand style roadmaps, playing a strategic leading role.
What drives this change? Pan Ping, Director of the Industrial Policy Division at Qingdao Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau, attributes it to upgraded consumer demand for comfort, aesthetics, and emotional resonance, forcing companies to move beyond traditional production thinking and use design to unlock new value. It's also an inevitable shift from Made in China to Created in China, with industrial design becoming a second core technology that addresses the pain point of strong technology but weak user experience and low premiums, pushing manufacturing up the value chain.
At Qingdao Hailiya Group, a fire rescue waist pack integrates descent, crossing, and lifting functions. It is 23% lighter and 17% smaller than traditional equipment, yet its rope is 25% longer, and its high-temperature performance far exceeds national standards, with deployment 10 to 15 seconds faster in real scenarios. This is a result of design targeting frontline needs and a microcosm of Qingdao's systematic efforts.
Qingdao hosts all 31 manufacturing categories, four national advanced manufacturing clusters, and a smart home appliance industry chain worth over 100 billion yuan, providing rich application scenarios for industrial design. Since 2011, the city has held the "Mayor's Cup" Industrial Design Competition every two years, remaining uninterrupted for 15 years and fostering an innovative ecology.
On the policy side, Qingdao offers a one-time reward of 1 million yuan for newly recognized national-level industrial design centers and research institutes, and manufacturing enterprises can receive a subsidy of up to 1 million yuan, covering 40% of design procurement costs. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, 29 enterprises received over 40 million yuan in total support.
Platform development leverages leading enterprises. Haier's Innovation Design Center serves as a national-level SME public service platform, achieving over 90% design conversion rate. Hisense spun off its design unit into Lixin Company, exporting design capabilities. Qingdao Lunyun Design Research Institute focuses on bio-based green tires, serving more than 20 upstream and downstream enterprises. Pan Ping noted that these platforms empower SMEs at low or no cost, accelerating the shift towards original design and independent brands across the city. Currently, Qingdao has cultivated 10 national-level, 55 provincial-level, and 227 city-level industrial design centers.
Market returns are evident. Haier's "lazy" concept expanded from washers to refrigerators and air conditioners, with domestic sales exceeding 450,000 units, and exports to Italy, France, and other European countries. Hisense's "Roman Holiday" washing machine series, with its retro aesthetic, beat annual sales targets just three months after launch. In 2025, the city's above-designated-size industrial design sector saw revenue grow 22.1% year-on-year and total profits surge 102.2%; the profit margin of above-designated-size industrial enterprises stood at 5.4%.
Regarding lessons, Zhou Yunjie, Chairman of Haier Group, emphasized that the source of innovation is always the user, and the essence of globalization is localization, requiring adaptive design and full-chain services to deeply cultivate local markets. Wang Difei stressed that industrial design must focus on usage scenarios and "see real people." Pan Ping summarized three commitments: long-termism with competition-driven ecology, leading enterprises driving SME empowerment through platform sharing, and a global vision with deep local roots, enabling Chinese original design to take root globally.
Industrial design is seen as a key to unlocking a blue ocean of manufacturing value. In Qingdao, this key is opening a door to a new vista of "Created in China."