The Sony Group leverages creativity and technology to enhance accessibility*1 and enable people with diverse needs to enjoy our products, services, and experiences.

As part of a project to explore alternative approaches, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation ("SSS"), the imaging and sensing solutions business of the Sony Group, the Creative Center, an in-house design organization, and Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. ("SIE") hosted its first accessibility ideathon/hackathon*2 across the Group, under the title "Idea2Hack" ("Idea2Hack").
This project aims to discover new wellness*3 games that incorporate cutting-edge technology by bringing together members of the Sony Group from diverse backgrounds, who will shape their ideas collectively, and compete against each other.

Collaborating with people with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals to understand and address the needs of diverse users, Idea2Hack was held over a period of two months, adopting an inclusive design*4 to reflect their real voices. Winning entries were determined after an interim presentation and final judgment.

• *1Accessibility: The ability to use products, services and entertainment regardless of each individual's characteristics such as age and disability and capability or circumstances
• *2Ideathon: Competition for ideas for new product plans, services, business models, etc.
  Hackathon: Competition on the results of products, such as games, applications, and systems.
  
• *3Wellness: A lifestyle approach to improving physical and mental well-being.
• *4Inclusive design: A methodology in which products and services are considered that reflect the needs of diverse users to understand and address them.

Thoughts of the Participants

Although this was the first ideathon/hackathon held across the Sony Group under the theme of accessibility, Idea2Hack attracted many participants from both Japan and overseas. The participants' backgrounds and careers were diverse, with some working on their ideas as a team, and others pursuing their ideas individually.

Their reasons for participation also varied.
Some decided to participate in Idea2Hack because of their personal experience: "My grandmother, who lives at home, does rehabilitation exercises every day, and I often help her. Watching my grandmother up close, I started to think about what it would be like for her to be able to enjoy her daily rehabilitation by playing games, so I decided to get involved with Idea2Hack."
Meanwhile, others participated hoping for personal development, saying, "I want to use sensor technology in games and entertainment" or "I want to broaden my horizons and knowledge by interacting with various people."

Interim Presentation of Diverse Ideas

Halfway through the two-month Idea2Hack, an interim presentation was held. The goal was to refine ideas by presenting ideas in progress, discussing them with each other, and seeking input from the mentors*5.

This presentation was also attended by people with disabilities who required rehabilitation and physiotherapists*6, who were invited to provide their opinions from the perspective of practical rehabilitation.

• *5Mentor: A person who provides guidance and advice based on extensive knowledge and practical experience.
• *6Physiotherapist (Physical therapist): A medical rehabilitation professional who assists people with physical disabilities due to injury or illness in leading independent daily lives using exercise and physical therapy to restore and maintain their ability to perform basic daily living activities and prevent disability from worsening.

In the interim presentation, 27 ideas submitted from Japan and overseas were presented. Among them were ideas such as "Changing the image on the monitor by moving the body while lying in bed" and "Using VR goggles to travel through different worlds by detecting slight leg movements," which aimed to maintain and improve daily living activities in a fun and continuous way.
In addition, a wide range of ideas were presented, including those with a game aspect, such as collapsing blocks and drawing letters by moving the body, as well as ideas for learning sign language using finger letters.

Participants' Insights

Idea2Hack provided a lot of inspiration for the participants.
"If you focus not only on the players of the game, but also on the circumstances of the people around them and how their lives will change, ideas will expand. For example, if the target users of the game are students, you are likely to see things differently if you think about it from a teacher's perspective. Or, if the target user is a person undergoing rehabilitation, why not consider a game experience that includes that person's family members?" In response to such advice from mentors, many participants commented that this was a perspective they had never had before.
Many also voiced the sentiment that "exchanging opinions with physiotherapists and people with disabilities gave me an insight into the realities of the rehabilitation field and gave me ideas that I hadn't thought of before."

There was also a participant who said that important lessons for the future had been learned: "Until now, I tended to be unconscious about accessibility and focus only on developing products that were easy to use, and in fact, that was my fundamental approach in developing products. However, the dialogue with people with disabilities and mentors at Idea2Hack made me realize once again that if we aim to create products and services that people with disabilities can use, it will ultimately be something that everyone can use. What remains in the end is most likely a design that is easy to use for everyone. From now on, I would like to actively practice inclusive design by listening to people from diverse backgrounds and reflecting them in our products and services."

Comments from the Mentors

■Runner-up (Best Idea Award)

Title: Relaxing Bedtime Adventure