Cultural mind reading: Draw me a pink house and I'll tell you who you are
- Jun 5, 2025
- 5 min read
Drawing(s) has(ve) been used as a means to explore human cognitive abilities for decades. In its passive form, The Rorschach test consists of showing people a series of inkblots asking them to describe what they see. In a more active form and at a younger age, the Draw-a-Man Test has been used to measure children’s intellectual maturity as well as elicit personality type. What’s intriguing with those and more broadly cognitive and behavioural science is that most scientific diagnostics omit the cultural capital factor, which is one the greatest influencers of the human mind and behaviour. More specifically, culture dictates how we perceive, feel and identify. Can we take (the) human(ity) out of this equation and of their context, remove all the behaviours and perceptions they were taught by extensive repetition and mimicking over a long period of time and suggest that all human brains function and react in the same way?
What the pink house tells us
Imagine asking a group of people from different countries to draw you a pink house. You’d likely get a kaleidoscope of designs. In some drawings, you might see sprawling villas with lush gardens, in others, minimalist apartments with integrated balconies. Perhaps someone would depict a traditional yurt, while others would draw a vibrant, multi-story townhouse. And, yes, maybe someone would draw a whimsical dream house reflecting their unique perspective. In effect, all these houses would have in common is the colour.
This simple exercise reveals a profound truth: our environments, including our homes, are deeply intertwined with our cultural values. The way we design our living spaces—the layout, the materials, the functionality—reflects our needs, preferences, and societal norms. While the architectural style is a surface-level manifestation, the underlying reasons for these designs are rooted in culture.
Think about it, in some cultures, communal spaces are prioritised, fostering family interaction. In others, privacy and individual space are paramount. In regions with harsh climates, houses are built for resilience, while in temperate zones, open-air living might be favoured. This is not just about architecture; it's about the fundamental principles and necessities that shape our daily lives. Move this same group of people into a different context/ country/ culture, and each of them is likely to still draw a house that is deeply anchored into what they have experienced through life. The change of environment will take a long time to come into play and shape a new design to the house they may draw. In fact, this might take months or even years.
Pink house innovation in the red zone
Now, let's extrapolate this to innovation. Just as house designs vary across cultures, so should product and service innovation. A successful innovation in one market might completely flop in another if it doesn’t resonate with local needs and cultural nuances.
Why is it, then, that cultural due diligence is often overlooked in the internationalisation process?
Most global companies tend to focus their go-to-market due diligence on generic market and economic indicators, neglecting the crucial human factor. Beyond costly business mistakes and missed commercial opportunities, the lack of cultural finesse and diligence can also involve deeper and longer-lasting reputational damage. From UX to design, consumption rituals, pricing, RTB and comms, a flexible and adaptable approach that anchors itself into deeply-rooted cultural patterns is required to succeed. Cultural intelligence can feed and enrich centrally-born concepts, but freedom within this global framework is a must.
Consider a tech company launching a new app. In one culture, users may prefer a minimalist interface, emphasising efficiency. In another, they might value a visually rich, interactive experience that fosters community ties. Likewise, a food delivery service might need to adapt its menu and delivery logistics to accommodate regional dietary preferences and local infrastructure.
What does the data say?
According to Clayton Christensen, professor at Harvard Business School, an average of 30,000 new products are launched every year, 95% of which never make it through the test of time. Failure to understand consumer needs and wants, targeting the wrong market, lack of product differentiation, delayed market entry and wrong pricing strategy are some of the key factors accountable for those abortions. All of which could easily be avoided by meticulous cultural exploration and cross-market insight consolidation. I emphasise on cross-market consolidation because the last thing an innovation team needs is to be looking at diverging feedback from 15 markets without knowing how to make sense of it. If well thought-through, executed and consolidated, a multi-market cultural diagnosis will only enrich your innovation and make it more versatile.
Culture-first innovations lead the way
Keeping this close to homes (forgive the pun), IKEA has done a great job at injecting cultural intelligence into their innovation strategy across regions over the years, adapting its store layouts and product offerings to reflect the living spaces and lifestyles of different cultures. In Asia for example, they offer smaller furniture options to accommodate the typically smaller living spaces. In Japan, for example, they developed additional product ranges geared toward removing shoes before entering the home.
Kitchen appliance giant SharkNinja has carefully studied the Middle Eastern kitchen dilemma before developing products that respond to actual user needs. On the one hand, limited kitchen top space and variety of dish types during one meal required slimmer and more versatile appliances without sacrificing capacity and performance. To answer this requirement, they developed the Ninja Double Stack Air Fryer, which with just 29cm wide fits easily in standard kitchen cabinets but offers two independent cooking zones all at once. On the other hand, it also caterred for frequent social events being hosted in local households by designing the Double Stack XL Air Fryer that has a 9.5L capacity.
Through its Pro Hijab range launched in 2017, Nike recognised the need for culturally appropriate sportswear for Muslim female athletes. Until then, the lack of suitable athletic wear was a barrier to participation in sports. Not only did it reinforce Nike’s commitment to diversity and inclusion but it also opened up a new market opportunity for them.
Food for thought
Nearly 60% of the world population lives in Asia
2.8 out of the 8 billion people on our planet live in India and China
The world counts approximately 7,000 cultures of which 6,700 are indigenous
In a global survey by Pew Research (covering 27 countries, which are home to more than half of the world’s international migrants), 69% of respondents say their nations have become more diverse in the past 20 years
So, are you committed to growth? When are you switching to culture-led innovation?
Sources: Unesco, Pew Research, Science Direct