Far Eastern Group
Taiwan
ROLE
Design Strategist (Analysis, Synthesis, and Concept Framing)
TOOLS
Adobe
Figma
Working within FEG Drive, the innovation wing of Far Eastern Group, we led end-to-end research and concept development for Far EasTone, a major Taiwanese telecom, exploring how the company could differentiate itself for Taiwan’s Gen Z.
The work uncovered key behavioral tensions around personalization, flexibility, and trust and we further introduced three strategic future directions designed to reposition telecom as a lifestyle platform rather than a commodity utility.
PARTICIPANT RESPONSE
+1500
participants through surveys, interviews and workshops
DESIGN DIRECTION
3
validated service directions for Gen Z engagement
ARCHETYPES
5
behavioral archetypes identified through real Gen Z behaviors
PROBLEM
Gen Z, the first highly digital generation now makes up 20% of Taiwan’s population. Far EasTone needed to understand this digitally native generation deeply enough to move beyond price-based competition and create meaningful engagement.
How do you differentiate a telecom brand to a generation that sees all telecom brands as the same?
INITIAL OBSERVATIONS
So, what’s happening on the surface of Taiwan’s telecom landscape?
These are the visible telecom trends shaping the market today on how Gen Z is currently choosing providers and how brands are competing.
Lack of brand & offering differentiation
Unlike previous generations, Gen Z views telecom brands as easily interchangeable and see no significant differences beyond the basic services like price and network stability
Price & stability drive decisions
Where older generations would have paid more for bundled services, Gen Z prefers stripped-down plans if it means paying less
Traditional call services are outdated
Gen Z has moved away from traditional voice minutes — with 80% of calls now happening through online apps like LINE
PLANNING OUR APPROACH
6 store visits across FET & competitor stores
1500+ survey data from FET participants
8 interviews & 4 intercepts across users and store managers
Ideation workshop with 20 participants
5 card sorting activities to validate concept direction
DRIVING INSIGHTS
But, what's driving Gen Z's behavior beneath the surface?
While the initial challenges are operational (pricing, differentiation), our research revealed deeper behavioral patterns that were shaping Gen Z's expectations
Decisions based on authentic and trusted voices
Unlike previous generations who trusted traditional experts, celebrities, or voices in power, Gen Z makes decisions based on sources they consider authentic and relatable such as reviews on Dcard, recommendations from friends and family, or even self-certified experts who create content.
Flexibility of choice over rigid commitments
They actively seek flexible services & products
that allow them to adapt, switch or opt out easily.
This prompts brands to move beyond traditional “locked-in” models
Values shared experiences within their circles
Gen Z seeks out shared experiences within their circles and they have natural tendency to curate their digital experience. This drives them to look for brands that provide services enhancing their social interactions and overall experiences.
Personalization to stand out from the crowd
Gen Z is willing to spend money and share personal data for exclusive, personalized experiences, pushing brands to move beyond one-size-fits-all and enable individuality at scale.
While certain trends are tied to age, these insights reveal the distinct generational patterns shaping Gen Z in Taiwan.
DESIGN DECISIONS
Our early ideation followed the industry standard: telecom competes on pricing, bundles, and incremental plan improvements. Like most providers, FET’s core offering revolves around optimizing data packages.
Our driving insights led us to understand that this isn't what Gen Z wanted from their telecom.
We moved from "How do we make better data plans" to "How might telecom become a platform for identity, flexibility and shared experiences?"
We translated this into three concept directions:
Just For Me
Customizable telecom plans that evolve with usage and allow incentives to be chosen later, shifting from rigid contracts to adaptive systems.
"Customization is great if I can tweak it. I don’t want the system deciding everything for me."
-Kate, Interview Participant
FET x Campus Ambassador
Peer-driven brand engagement through student ambassadors, gaming tournaments, and mentorship programs which builds trust through real voices.
"I’ve had two campus ambassador experiences. It was a great low-cost way for me to explore industries I’m interested in, gain hands-on project experience, and connect with people from different universities and across the industry."
-Maeve, Interview Participant
Disover & Share
A lifestyle layer within the FET app connecting users to trusted reviews, discounts, and social exploration — making telecom part of daily life.
Each concept addressed a different behavioral tension and business gap.
"When I went to Tainan, I asked my friend -- who was studying in Tainan -- what local food there were. He sent me a bunch of Google maps links one by one, which was very troublesome..."
-Kim, Interview Participant
Curious about the rest of the story? Let's talk!
I’d love to share more about the archetypes, testing, and journey blueprint (and everything else that didn’t make it onto this page.)
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