Starting October 17th, Sony will showcase its accessibility-focused products and services as well as its commitment to inclusive design at CEATEC 2023. We spoke to Aya Nishikawa from Sony Group Corporation's Sustainability Department to understand the background and purpose behind Sony's initiatives for inclusive design.

Inclusive Design That Goes Beyond Following Regulations

——Can you tell us about your current role?

I promote accessibility initiatives, and the design approach called "inclusive design" that is critical to achieving accessibility, for the entire Sony Group.

——How do you define "accessibility"?

Accessibility is the ability to use products, services and content regardless of age, disability or other personal characteristics, ability, or environment. Sony considers the pursuit of accessibility to be beneficial to everyone.

——How did Sony start to become concerned with accessibility?

In 2010, the U.S. passed legislation that enacted new accessibility-related regulations, of which several of Sony's products were in scope, and we began actions to comply. However, during this process we began to wonder if simply complying with regulations was enough to truly meet the needs of customers who require accessibility. This is when we began to adopt the inclusive design method, which involves working with people with disabilities from the product planning and design stages.

——Were you aware of the importance of inclusive design?

As a certified human centered design (HCD) professional, I've been personally involved in many initiatives to incorporate the user's perspective into products and services. Later, when I became involved with accessibility, I realized the significance and potential of inclusive design. During the process of considering the implementation of inclusive design, we conducted various experimental projects and workshops that made us aware of many things that we had overlooked, and the richness of ideas that were generated assured us that this approach is indispensable for true accessibility.

Working Together to Understand "Why Inclusive Design?"

——How are you implementing inclusive design in practice?

To demonstrate and raise awareness of the usefulness of inclusive design, we launched development projects using this approach together with the R&D team and Creative Center, which we showcased at internal tech exchange events like STEF (Sony Technology Exchange Fair) in 2018 and 2019, as well as externally at SXSW (South by Southwest) in Austin, Texas, in March 2019. The latter drew long queues daily, and Sony even won the Best Use of Technology Award. I think that the most persuasive aspect of our approach was letting as many people as possible actually try out the products developed in collaboration with employees with disabilities.

And these efforts have been expanded through the demos we conducted at the Sustainability Meeting this September as well as the exhibits made available to experience at CEATEC.

Moreover, since 2019, we've been conducting inclusive design workshops, which have had over 1,000 participants by the end of 2022. These involve teams of participants from various departments, positions, and age groups, who go out into the city for fieldwork together with people with disabilities and work together to come up with ideas through group discussions.

——How have employees responded?

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Many have expressed the realizations they've had, including the desire to interact more with colleagues with disabilities and to immediately apply inclusive design in their workspaces. It is crucial for each and every employee to feel that sense of motivation, and passion is the driving force. In our workshops, we value not only the actual work, but also the time spent walking through the city and engaging in conversation with the participants with disabilities. Given that one in six people globally has some form of disability, facing this reality is essential to truly "fill the world with emotion".

An Exhibit Where Inclusive Design Can Be "Experienced"

——Can you tell us about the CEATEC exhibit?

We have ten exhibits this time, all rooted in inclusive design. For one example, I will highlight a collaboration between Sony/Taiyo Corporation and the software team of Xperia™ smartphone.

The Xperia's software team partnered with employees with visual impairment from Sony/Taiyo to develop a feature in "Photography Pro" that informs the user the horizontal measurement information of the screen through sound when taking photos. Established in 1978, Sony/Taiyo is a special subsidiary company of Sony Group Corporation, and about 60% of its employees are people with disabilities. This collaborative effort began when employees from Sony/Taiyo got involved in Sony's product development, driving inclusive design.

——How did you go about this inclusive design process?

First, Xperia developers observed and interacted with employees with visual impairment, noting that they frequently used smartphones to take photos and employed the zoom function as a magnifying glass. However, they found it challenging to compose shots while checking the screen, often resulting in images with tilted subjects. Recognizing these challenges made us reflect on similar hurdles that everyone might face.

——Can you elaborate on that?

Everyone has situations where they wish to capture photos without looking at the screen. For example, when there's a crowd, one might want to extend the smartphone overhead without being able to see the screen. Or during a child's sports day, one might want to cheer while watching the action directly, but also wish to record it on their phone at the same time. Recognizing that everyone has faced situations where they couldn't capture what they wanted without intently looking at the screen was eye opening.

Once we recognize these universal and essential challenges, solutions can emerge from dialogue, addressing issues that everyone faces. And so, the "Photography Pro" feature now offers sound notifications in addition to visual aids, ensuring that anyone can easily capture the perfect shot without needing to intently focus on the screen.

Apart from this, the other exhibits are also characterized by using Sony's creativity and technology to address challenges faced by all. We believe visitors will enjoy the exhibits and be provided with new concepts to think about.

——Can you give a message for those visiting CEATEC?

For this edition, we will be showcasing the following 10 exhibits:

• Access™ Controller for PlayStation®5
• Retina Projection Camera Kit "DSC-HX99 RNV kit"
• Alpha™ Full-frame Interchangeable-Lens Camera with "Screen reader" and "Screen enlargement" functions
• XR Catch
• Ultra Light Saxophone
• BRAVIA™ 4K LCD TV
• The Next-gen Olfactometry System
• Collaboration between Sony/Taiyo Corporation, creating a function of Xperia™ smartphone
• Research and Development contributing to an inclusive society: Conversation Support Project Using Smart Glasses
• Research and Development contributing to an inclusive society: The Going Out Walking Support Project

Common to all exhibits is that every product and initiative originates from inclusive design. We emphasize hands-on experiences, allowing visitors to view and operate actual products. We sincerely hope many will visit Sony's booth at CEATEC and engage in fruitful discussions. Our aspiration is for the inclusive design movement to further flourish in society, building a future where we can share Kando (emotion).

Profile of Aya Nishikawa
General Manager of the Accessibility & Inclusion Sec., Sustainability Department, Sony Group Corporation. As a certified human centered design professional, Aya has been involved in the operation and implementation of user research schemes globally within the company. Currently, she is dedicated to promoting accessibility and inclusive design throughout Sony.