[Greatest Hits] Experiences Beyond the Product with Experiential Designer, Xuan Xu

Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta

In this ‘Greatest Hits’ episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta was joined by Xuan Xu, Managing Director of Xuan Xu Experiences. Together they explore why the accessibility of commodities and the rise of digitalization means consumers seek unique and memorable experiences, as well as the challenges faced by experiential designers. Xuan also discusses the growth of experience design, why understanding the emotions and desires of the target audience are key, and her professional journey.
Xuan Xu is an Experiential Designer who designs holistic experiences starting from a unique and meaningful story. She initially started her career as a business consultant in Germany but changed paths to the creative industry in 2014. She founded her own company in 2017 to obtain independent artistic freedom to produce innovative, memorable, and meaningful experiences. She has conducted various projects cutting across multiple industries, including recent projects in food and beverage, hospitality events, and entertainment.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
👉 Xuan’s first aha moment came when she took a consultancy trip to Bangkok. There, she met Ashley, who was opposite to anyone she had met before. He inspired her to take a step into the creative world, doing something based on her passion that truly came from her core. She realized that she wanted to create a world that would allow the people interacting with her to experience something they may not have previously had access to; she found the world of experiential design.
👉 To Xuan, differentiating between skills and components is essential. Skills are the things you learn and master, whereas components are what you have naturally or gain through life experiences. For experiential design, three components are necessary: passion, creativity, and vision. On the skill side, you need analysis, strategy, and execution. The latter are intentionally learned, but the former are not.
👉 Today, people seek for experiences beyond the product. To Xuan, this is because the product has become a commodity. They now expect good service and products by default, so they search for good experiences. It’s not just about a tangible product or whether it is delivered well; it’s about the emotional experience and journey from the first time they hear about your brand to post-purchase.
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And connect with the host and guests here:
Darshan’s Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehta
Darshan's Twitter - @ahainsights
iResearch Website - https://iresearch.com
ConnectQik Website - https://www.connectqik.com
Xuan’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/xuan-xu-6720b048
Xuan Xu Experiences Website - https://www.xuanxu.de

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Previous guests include: Kristin Luck, Shep Hyken, Whitney Dunlap-Fowler, Randy Krum, Gerard Ibarra, Jamie Flinchbaugh, Katie Anderson, Rebecca Brooks, Brooke Sellas, Dan Gingiss, Phil Irvine, Dan Fleetwood, Nicholas Zeisler, Katrina Noelle, Laura Beavin-Yates, Kalil Vicioso, Mo McKibbin, Bryant Leech and Louie Gravance.
Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes:

• Welcome to Getting to Aha!
• Making Good Decisions with Gerard Ibarra, Author of "Good Decisions, Better Outcomes”
• The Simplicity of Leadership with Katie Anderson

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