In Sony’s interactive design field, I believe it’s particularly important to create new products that not only focus on design but also weave in Sony’s unique technologies. As I see it, that ultimately leads to creating something that’s “Visionary,” which in turn leads to creating new standards.

“Integrity,” or the essence of an idea, plays an important role when embarking on this process. We have to identify the new element that will become the core of the product experience. To do so, it’s important to have two types of perspectives. The first is a micro perspective that zooms in and works with the small details. The second is a macro perspective that zooms out and overlooks the project as a whole. When I get stuck, I switch perspectives, either completely or by degrees. By leveraging these two perspectives, I can sometimes find issues that I had previously missed. I believe every designer, including myself, consciously strives to search for the essence of ideas through this sort of process.

Finally, when designing an experience, nothing is more important than “Empathy.” It obviously makes no sense if we’re the only ones having fun or the only ones who think a product is easy to use. It has to be used and enjoyed by a great number of people.

The best way to measure this is by looking at the honest reactions of our customers. There’s a lot we can learn from them. At the same time, we must never forget to always maintain a strong, unwavering core that is unique to Sony. As a designer, when we say, “This is what I’m going to make,” we have to uphold that resolve first and foremost before we incorporate any opinion we receive. I’ve become acutely aware of how important this is as I look at the various designs that Sony has made to this day.

What do you value as a Sony designer?

Sony has many outstanding designers in each of its three design departments: Product Design, Communication Design, and Interactive Design. The departments are split up for convenience’s sake, but I constantly remind myself that all three need to work together and support each other in a triangle formation to successfully complete a single Sony design.

When we create designs, we shouldn’t be thinking within just our own field. All three departments need to come together as one, share common principles and move in the same direction. This is extremely important. Being able to step into other people’s territories and hold in-depth discussions is, in my opinion, what makes Sony designs unique.

In terms of the discussion itself, I usually try to avoid relying solely on words. If we’re discussing software, I prepare something that moves on-screen, and if it’s hardware, I prepare a mock model. That puts something in front of us that we can both touch and feel. To discuss what’s good and bad about a design, we often need to actually see it first. If we’re both talking about something while trying to imagine it in our heads, that’s bound to cause misunderstandings and stall discussions.