In anticipation of the censors in China, our class was instructed to download WeChat and create an account for communication purposes in China. As a first time WeChat user, the platform was foreign, with new the capabilities, and user functionalities.
The most apparent was the QR code. QR codes are not widely used in the United States, but in Asia it is one of the central functionality components of nearly all mobile platforms. Retail shops, restaurants, and other services utilize QR codes to engage with consumers, facilitate transactions, and connect people with a simple scan. The existence of QR codes in Asia everywhere you go. Though I must admit that I seldom utilized the function in a retail setting. My utilization of QR codes was to add my classmates on the app and create a group chat for communication purposes.
I did not fully recognize the functionality of WeChat until we reached Guangzhou. Here the existence of WeChat pay and the translator was the most useful.
The ability to pay via the app is so convenient, given that nearly every single shop in the city, if not all, has WeChat Pay. Transactions only require you to scan a QR code. One of our classmates, a native of China, was able to utilize WeChat Pay with ease. The app does ‘allow’ foreign credit cards but as I found out, it is for Chinese people with a China ID who opened a foreign credit card. Because after going through the whole process I got an error message stating that I needed Chinese banking information for authentication.
However, the move towards allowing foreign credit cards big step in the right direction.
The translator function in WeChat was actually incredibly useful in China when a group of us had to take a taxi around the city. In WeChat, in order to translate a message you highlight the text, arrow right and select translate.
Without this function, we would not have been able to communicate with the taxi driver about reaching our destination or that he charged way too much for a 15 minute fare.
It is amazing to think that WeChat has over 1 billion monthly active users around the world. In China, WeChat capabilities have morphed beyond a straight messaging app, to one with over 1 million lightweight apps and functionalities.
Tencent is currently testing functionalities within health care, including patient-provider communications, monitoring, and payment. As the platform expands, it is in China where I think the most progress will be made in patient experience and access to providers is increased due to electronic innovation and advancement. Health care is a constantly changing industry, and the trend toward consumerism in the United States has come with many growing pains and a slowness to adapt to the new market. Patients are demanding same day appointments, walk-in care, house calls, and patient portals.
The possibilities seems endless when you have a tech giant like Tencent, with a leader focused on user experience, and an industry severely lacking in patient centered care and communication.
— Colette —
Shidler Asia Field Study 