Exploring Care and Accessibility in Japan for Robotics Agency
A major technology brand wanted to understand how themes of care, accessibility and support operated within the Japanese market. They wanted a deep, immersive experience in order to stress-test their existing and future product development
Our Work
- Three day cultural safari exploring Tokyo and beyond, looking into the landscape Japanese people navigate everyday – from public space to transport, as well as specialist care and medical facilities. This included in-situ expert interviews
- The cultural immersion was followed up with eight in-home ethnographies that showcased the spectrum of Japanese homes and how they worked with (or against) the respondent’s needs
- Throughout the week regular mini workshops built an evolving set of learnings for the client, which we combined into a report and highlights video to be shared across the division
The Outcome
- A rich experience, speaking, eating and even cooking with the people they are targeting. The project allowed the client to properly experience daily life and the worlds that they inhabited. Regular workshops provided them with a set of guidelines for future innovation
- They were also able to re-model or cancel a number or costly lines of production due to direct learnings from the field
This work moved us beyond assumptions and into lived reality. By experiencing care and accessibility firsthand in Japan, we gained a much deeper understanding of how support systems are navigated in everyday life. It has reshaped how we think about product design, not just in terms of functionality, but in how our solutions fit seamlessly into people’s routines, environments, and expectations.
– Client Voice