PEOPLE
Manufacturing centered on "experience" rather than "function."
Sony's Human-Centered Design provides new value to customers.
Lyo Takaoka
Sony Corporation
Acquiring a deep understanding of customers is the first step in manufacturing
I am a Principal Engineer in charge of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) for audio products. My responsibilities include determining the direction of UI/UX for new products and new functions, and ensuring that products meet customer requirements and are easy to use.
I also serve as Chairperson of the Human-Centered Design (HCD) Committee, which works across the audio and television divisions to promote HCD and formulate guidelines for solving UI/UX issues, with the ultimate goal of understanding needs of customers and developing products that are even easier to use.
The element of HCD which I emphasize most is striving to obtain a deep understanding of our customers. Sony products are used all over the world. In order to provide a wide range of customers with better experiences and new value, we conduct various forms of user research activities from the product concept stage to after release.
Of course, understanding the world is essential to understanding our customers. When I see new products or services, I think about the reason behind development and the target audience. If a new feature is created for UI or UX, I consider if we can incorporate that feature into Sony products and services. For example, I proactively seek out products and services in completely different fields—for example, gaming apps—to see if they contain any new or useful features or technology.
University education was a turning point in my life where I learned that "ease of use" can be created.
My interest in this field began about 30 years ago when I took a human interface class at university. At that time, the concept of UI had not yet taken root in the general public. Personally, I had never given much thought to the usability of products and services. Sure, I had encountered difficulties when using remote controls for home appliances. Even so, I just accepted such difficulties as the status quo and never thought about making improvements.
However, my perspective changed dramatically when I learned that "ease of use" can be logically analyzed. For example, if there is a light immediately adjacent to the power button of a computer, users will intuitively understand that the light indicates the power status. On the other hand, if the light and power button are far away from each other, user will have difficulty understanding what the light indicates. In this way, human perception follows rules, and ease of use changes depending on expression and design. Learning this concept was a vivid formative experience that changed my life.
Shift from manufacturing led by engineers to manufacturing driven by customer feedback
When I joined Sony around 2000, there were few engineers who view UI/UX as important. At that time, many things in the world were difficult to use, so I guess everyone had accepted the same inconvenience. In response, engineers engaged in development by prioritizing technology for their own concepts of convenience; for example, easily time shifting one's favorite TV shows, being able to listen to more music while on the go, and immediately viewing photographs without the need to develop photos.
The development of such products eliminated the inconveniences that were shared by customers. From that point onward, customers began to seek experiences and new value that goes beyond mere convenience. I believe that this led to a shift to demand for manufacturing driven by customer feedback, rather than on technology-first manufacturing led by engineers. Manufacturing began to emphasize the HCD perspective of considering whether or not new products will actually provide customers with a valuable experience. The entire Sony Group began to listen carefully to customer feedback.
I sometimes receive feedback from customers about our proposals at the conceptual stage of a new product. For example, customers express the opinion that a certain feature is undesirable. Actually, I love hearing such honest opinions. Customer feedback helps us recognize when our viewpoint is too narrow and gives us ideas from new perspectives. These discoveries are what make my work rewarding.
Introduction of HCD process that expresses manufacturing through an "experience" basis
The most memorable project in which I have ever been involved was the creation of our product development process. This project was an effort to consider manufacturing in terms of "experience" rather than "function."
For example, assume that a customer asks that we equip our speakers with a Party Connect function. Every member of the development team would envision a different function. If members were to proceed with development based on their personal perspective, miscommunication would arise and the function created would differ from the original intention. For this reason, we decided to create products that are centered on customer experience.
The Party Connect function mentioned above is used at home parties in regions such as South America. The function makes it possible to combine multiple speakers and enjoy wireless playback. In South America, people hold home parties on the weekends by inviting many friends and relatives. Since the houses and yards in such regions are much larger than those in Japan, a single speaker cannot be heard by everyone. Therefore, customers experience value in simultaneously playing music from multiple speakers installed in different locations and linking the lights on the speakers to liven up the party. As shown by this example, it can be difficult to understand the intent of a function when only considering the name or description of that function. However, by communicating a function from the perspective of customers, we can define an experience in terms of who uses a function, where, when, and how it is used, and the benefits that it provides.
The significance of this project was to use customer experience as a common language to discuss manufacturing, and to incorporate this new form of understanding into the product development process. Through these initiatives, the act of documenting experiences provided to customers has been established as a step in our product development process for audio equipment.
This HCD process is now being implemented throughout the Sony Group. I am delighted and proud that the audio development team was among the first organizations at Sony to adopt HCD, and I believe it was a revolutionary event in the development process.
Demonstrating Sony's unique capabilities by promoting HCD in both hardware and services
HCD is now the foundation of manufacturing at the Sony Group. Sony products must be cutting-edge, yet easy for everyone to use. It is our responsibility to fulfill both of these requirements. Indeed, I believe that these requirements are essential conditions for releasing a Sony product to the world. When I joined Sony as a new employee, Norio Ohga, who was chairman of the Sony at the time, often stated that "the four letters of the `SONY' brand are our greatest asset." I will always remember this favorite expression of Ohga. When releasing a new product to the world, I judge its usability and quality by asking myself an important questions—"Is this product worthy of the SONY logo?"
Another major feature of Sony is that we handle both hardware and services. There aren't many companies capable of linking hardware and services together and providing customers with valuable experiences through both. I believe that this capability makes Sony unique.
I find this capability in terms of my work as an engineer. I also find it interesting that Sony is involved in a wide variety of product categories, such as cameras, audio equipment, and televisions, and that each category has different customers, usage scenarios, and ways of use. In order to broaden my horizons as an engineer, I have taken advantage of Sony's internal transfer system to gain experience in a variety of categories, including Blu-ray disc recorders, digital cameras, mobile apps, and audio equipment. The knowledge and experience which I gained from involvement in these diverse products is extremely useful in my current work.
Aiming for manufacturing that is in harmony with lifestyles and enriches daily life
I intend to further promote HCD by listening even more carefully to our customers' opinions and incorporating their feedback into our manufacturing. Although we have already conducted questionnaires, interviews, and usage surveys in various formats, I would like to obtain feedback in even greater detail. Lifestyles and product usage differ from country to country, so I am currently exploring methods for better understanding the actual situation of our customers. I look forward to continuing to work on such initiatives with involvement from my entire team.
My ultimate goal is for Sony products to blend seamlessly into the lives of users. I envision our products and services becoming so natural that blend into the daily lives of our users, to the point where users aren't even conscious of the products being used. I see a future in which Sony adds value and excitement while remaining a natural part of life. In order to realize such products and services, I will continue to strive for manufacturing that prioritizes the customer experience.
