Alumni Stories

My Journey to Be a Media Innovator

Having immersed myself in transportation and energy conversion during my undergraduate engineering studies, I aspired to transition from a purely computational role to one that could bring tangible transformations to people’s lives.
At KMD, I joined ITOMA led by Professor Sato, delving into the service design theory and conducting design research at an airport, as well as workflow visualization in the cybersecurity field. Furthermore, I pursued a CEMS mas- ter’s degree, studying and working in Europe and Singapore, where I had the privilege of being influenced by cohorts who were building international careers across the globe.
After graduation, I returned to Singapore to work with a strategy consulting team specializing in international growth projects. Currently based in the UAE, I work as a policy advisor focusing on innovation in the public sector. For the future step, I aspire to integrate my passion for technology and what I learned at KMD to shape society as a “Media Innovator” in the space of future city & mobility, clean energy, logistics, and production, based in the Middle East and North America.
(This article was written in March 2024.)

KMD as the Turning Point

As an associate professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, I am engaged in the design and research of the university’s information system, as well as its educational activities. At the same time, I am also involved in standardization activities at the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), which I have continued since my tenure at KMD. Along with making standardization proposals regarding internationalized technologies, I also utilize my expertise in that field to contribute to promoting the standard- ization of other technologies as a member of the Area Review Team. I have also been involved in community activities, including serving three terms for six years as an officer of Japan’s chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC), an international organization that drives the development of the Internet.
At KMD, I pivoted from the field of design and international cooperation that I had studied up to that point, and focused my learning in the field of Internet technology under the guidance of Professor Sugiura and Professor Kato, among others. Although there were many difficulties in taking on the challenge of a new field, I was exposed to the culture of KMD that prizes di- versity and collaboration, and I was able to not only gain knowledge in new technologies and create international standards, but also to hone my sense as a student to be active on the global stage.
(This article was written in March 2024.)

KMD = A Place for Co-creation

When I was an undergraduate student, I was enrolled in the Faculty of Letters. During this time, I became interested in the concept of “learning through making things” while being involved in a student group centered on film production, and thus I enrolled in KMD for my graduate program. During my master’s program, I joined two projects: Global Education and Digital Kids. There, I collaborated with educators and artists to develop learning programs.
After that, during my doctoral program, I conducted research in the field of Digital Public Humanities under the guidance of Professor Okawa, research- ing design theory and methodology related to the digital archiving of Cultural Heritage materials. I am now a senior assistant professor at the newly estab- lished Keio Museum Commons, a university art museum at Keio University. There, I am currently engaged in the digital development of exhibitions, the operation of FabLab, and educational activities for students ranging from the junior high school through the undergraduate levels.
In retrospect, all of my experiences at KMD have led me to where I am now with my current work. Above all else, I still value to this day the learning and sense of awareness I gained through my co-creation activities with oth- ers. KMD is an irreplaceable place where, with the support of all the people gathered here, I have been able to accomplish things that would have been impossible on my own.
(This article was written in March 2024.)

Becoming an Engineer with Multiple Perspectives

I studied information science as an undergraduate and entered KMD for my graduate studies because I wanted to conduct research on how to create meaningful experiences leveraging this technology. While at KMD, I belonged to the Embodied Media Project team, where we collaborated with Enhance and Rhizomatiks on a project titled “Synesthesia Suit,” a multi-sensory, full-body experience of the VR game Rez Infinite. How do we create an immersive ex- perience for the player? How do we make players feel pleasure or discomfort and on which part of their body through the vibrations of the suit? How do we create a system that can deliver vibrations to the whole body? These are the questions that occupied me constantly as I conducted my research day and night in the lab. During the second year of my master’s program, I partici- pated in more than 20 demonstrations and conference presentations, both in Japan and overseas, and conducted proof of concept (PoC) of the product.
I joined a game company after graduation and I am currently involved in the development of system software, SDKs (software development kits) and accessories for the video game consoles. As an engineer, I am able to utilize the skills I have developed at KMD, while maintaining a design perspective on what kind of experience to deliver to users and creators.
(This article was written in March 2024.)

A turning point in the tech industry

Currently, I am the representative of the European subsidiary of an Internet com- pany in Paris, France, where I am responsible for startup investments, incubator management, and mobile service operations. Before entering KMD, I graduated from a university in South Korea with a degree in sociology and worked at a big company. After graduating from KMD, I worked at a strategic consulting company and was able to enter the tech industry which I dreamed about.
I entered KMD as a second-year student in 2009 and participated in policy projects, mainly collaborative projects between private and public sectors. The experience of understanding complex contexts and communicating appro- priately to make a real impact on the world was a very valuable opportunity, especially for an international student. We are encountering similar issues every day in global projects. This is an experience that can only be gained at KMD.
(This article was written in March 2024.)

Data and the Media

My activities as a tarento, or media personality, include appearances in TV programs, YouTube, on radio, and at events. Other activities involve giving lec- tures at various venues, serving as a tourism ambassador for Japanese castles, playing in a band called jealkb, angel investing, publishing books, starting a service wherein one can leave one’s will as a video, and running a camper store, just to name a few. I regularly do what interests me, and the number of such different activities is countless. After realizing the importance of com- munity, I have been focusing on my activities as the principal of the Atsushi Tamura’s Adult Elementary School, an online salon with over 1,000 members.
While at KMD, I learned how to read and handle data, and this has been espe- cially useful in my work in the media. Correct data can be utilized as a weapon because it gives persuasive power to our statements. On the other hand, using falsified data leads to misleading information. Where is the source of a particular set of data? Is it objective or is it being charged with someone’s subjective emotions? I have begun to keep such questions in mind, and I feel it has influenced how I share my thoughts and opinions in my day-to-day life.

(This article was written in March 2024.)

Where It All Began

While I majored in computer science in college, I was wondering what is the best way to broaden my horizons. That was when I came across KMD. I was sure I can encounter a new set of values at KMD, so I enrolled.
As part of the Network Media project, under the guidance of Prof. Sunahara and Prof. Kato, I got opportunities to explore interactive technologies and interact with people from diverse backgrounds. I also participated in SecCap, the course of studying the security field.
I believe KMD is a place that will give opportunities to open the door to something new. It allows you to learn not only simple knowledge but also the importance of connecting with people of various attributes, regardless of their generation or gender, and the significance of to keep taking on new challenges.
Currently, I work as a cyber security engineer. I will devote myself to protect our organization and customer from a host of new and evolving cyber se- curity threats. I would not be here today if I had not experienced in KMD.
(This article was written in March 2024.)

Play, Create and Keep Dreams Alive

After three years working as an art & culture program officer, I wanted to equip myself with design thinking and digital skills to be future-ready. With a background in social science, I have always been interested in the intersection of art and technology, creativity and strategy, so when I discovered GID program, I knew that it was exactly what I was looking for. During my 2.5 years at KMD, I had the most amazing experience studying in London and New York, exploring my creative journey with some of the most talented designers around the world, as well as being a member of Prof. Inakage’s PLAY Project where we were encouraged to actualize our most whimsical daydreams.
I’m currently based in Tokyo working as a future designer at a consulting firm. Facing complex problems and frustrating business professionals every day, I realize my experience at KMD has prepared me for the challenges with three important principles: learn from hands-on experiments, engage others through storytelling and playfulness, and lead with future-oriented global perspectives.
(This article was written in March 2023.)

Celebrating diversity and collaboration

I came to Japan after majoring in Architecture and Urbanism in Brazil. When I entered KMD’s first batch of students in 2008, I had a 12-year career in graphic design and a question in mind: how can design make the world a better place?
I joined the real project Global Education, and my interest was to design online programs to connect classrooms worldwide. My research focused on global citizenship education, which opened doors for collaboration with schools in Japan and abroad and organizations such as UNESCO.
After earning master’s and Ph.D. degrees, I re-joined KMD as a senior assistant professor in 2016. For five years, I coordinated the global programs GID, CEMS, and KMD-Stanford.
Currently, I am a research and education development project officer at the APNIC Foundation. This non-profit, based in Australia, supports internet infrastructure-related initiatives in the Asia Pacific. My roles include bridging teams in Japan and our headquarters and providing consultancy to project activities. My KMD experience (master, doctoral, faculty) broadened my vision of design and empowered me to celebrate diversity and collaboration, which are fundamental for working in global environments.
(This article was written in March 2023.)

Student to Start-up

Building on my research and work experience in industrial design, my Master’s studies in Media Design at KMD accelerated my creative potential as a professional living in Japan. As a student, I was able to utilize the resources of the extensive facilities and, most importantly, the network of peers, alumni, and professors to grow as an individual.
As part of the PLAY project, under the guidance of Prof. Inakage, I was given the opportunity to explore new subjects and interactive technologies through the intersection of art, science, and design. Through the encouragement of maintaining an ever-learning spirit, I was able to connect with other life-long mentors, whose work and philosophies still guide me to this day.
After graduating, I became part of the start-up ecosystem in Japan working as an interactive designer and creative director. I went on to establish my own production studio company in Tokyo, focused on revitalizing the local creative economy. Now, as a creative professional managing teams and building projects from zero to launch, I can say without a doubt that my KMD experience continues to open new doors to incredible opportunities.
(This article was written in March 2023.)

The beginning of my international career

I finished my bachelors in Journalism in Brazil and Started KMD in September 2009. I was part of 2 projects: the Event Producing, under Ohta sensei, and later wrote my thesis with the Media Furniture project, under Okude sensei. Right after graduation I got an amazing job as a Product Planner at Sony and after a few years moved to a UX Design position at Recruit Technologies.

KMD was more than I could have wished for: The facilities were beautiful, the professors were from prestigious backgrounds and my classmates were open minded, smart and easy to talk to.
Today I am the founder and CEO at a startup in Japan. We make software for HR and have around 30 employees, 700 clients worldwide and 400.000 users at the moment. (and gladly, we keep growing). I attribute a lot of my success to my time at KMD, which taught me the steps that lead to great products. And also introduced me to some of my best friends, whom I still meet often and are the support for my private life in Japan.
(This article was written in March 2023.)

From KMD to designing creative learning

I research and teach creative learning and educational technologies at Simon Fraser University Faculty of Education in Canada, British Columbia. Before joining KMD, I studied how music events impact rural Japanese communities out of my interest in social entrepreneurship and how social missions can be achieved through business and arts.
At KMD, I was fortunate to have opportunities to create various educational experiences through technologies and arts & design, under the supervision of Dr. Okawa, Dr. Okude, and others. Life in KMD was very busy and often chaotic, but looking back, the time in KMD helped me cultivate my transdisciplinary thinking to see problems and solutions outside established rules and disciplines, and the ability to turn my ideas into reality through quick prototypes and collaboration.
(This article was written in March 2023.)

KMD as a foundation for forming connections

I finished my undergraduate program at the Faculty of Letters in 1991 and returned to Keio University to enroll in KMD at the age of 45. For the 10 years before my return I designed corporate training programs for large companies. While working, I sometimes felt stifled by the hierarchical structure of large Japanese organizations and the seniority-based business culture that still persists in them. These observations woke me up to the importance of empowering individuals within companies.
That was when I came across KMD. I was really drawn by the fact that the program didn’t confine itself to the academic world, but rather viewed research as a starting point to branch out and find new ways to solve problems.
After graduating, I used what I learned at KMD about how to draw out the skills, abilities, and talents of various individuals and piece them together to solve problems. This allowed me to start HIKIDASHI (lit. “draw out”), a Japanese “snack bar” where diverse individuals can connect through corporate workshops and after-hour mixers. One of the most important things I learned at KMD was the importance of forming connects across generations and genders so that people can share their unique abilities (and perspectives).
(This article was written in March 2023.)

My KMD journey

My Name is Alexandra Bounxouei from Lao P.D.R. I am a singer, actress, media influencer and business owner. I have a media consulting company, I mostly help the government and organizations with development projects such as branding tourism and agricultural, forestry projects.
Let me tell you a little bit about my KMD experience. I came across Keio Media Design Faculty online while I was touring in the USA and in my free time searching for universities, and was in between studying in the USA and Japan, to be more precise Keio Media Design.
I loved the concept of having 4 different areas that I can work on which were Management, Design, Technology, and Policy. The way KMD worked was all about innovation, about the latest in trend cultures and technologies. I remember my professor Inakage Sensei, he would not accept normal ideas. The essays and work projects that were average did not pass. Basically, the impossible, the better. I am very lucky to experience this way of thinking, as I incorporate that into many of my innovative projects for my company now, and the clients love it all. It is all about crazy ideas, and steps on how to accomplish them.
(This article was written in March 2022.)

Age is no obstacle to resuming one’s studies

I worked as an art director at an advertising agency for SAMSUNG in South Korea for 13 years and during that time I also had the opportunity to train at an art advertising agency (HAKUHODO Inc.) in Japan.That experience convinced me that I needed to complete a thorough study of the evolution of Japanese and Korean advertising media.
KMD’s curriculum combines modern technology with design theory, and opened me up to an entirely new world of thought. I also learned how to actively pursue my research aspirations and make them into reality.

I completed my PhD in 2019 and am currently working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Visual Design at a Korean university. I instruct students on “Media Design in Advertising,” but it is really a continuation of the research I conducted during my time at KMD. I often tell my students about my experience at KMD, encouraging them that it is never too late to take on new challenges.
(This article was written in March 2022.)

The human side

I was part of Prof. Sugiura’s lab during my Master’s studies in 2012 and 2014. I remember my time at KMD as exciting and mind-opening, but above all, as a big learning experience. Even more than the curriculum, I appreciate having access to each and every one of the mentors at KMD who kindly share their own unique and extremely rich experiences.
I was very lucky to be part of Sugiura’s lab as well, who from the get-go could see and understand my own ambitions, capabilities, and also fears, placing me in the right place at the right time. This understanding and human connection made my experience at KMD one of the most rewarding of my life.

Currently, I am the Founder and Creative Director of the Tokyo Art-Direction Studio Onesal, where I lead an international team of artists, technical experts, and project managers. At Onesal, we make films and provide art direction for Amazon, Apple, Sony, Uniqlo, Deloitte, and other forward-thinking brands. Onesal’s core value lays in being able to visualize the future through visual innovation. And doing so in a beautiful way.
(This article was written in March 2022.)

The greatest gift is not being afraid to question

After some time in industry, and then at universities, I decided to join a master’s program that focusses on real world applications and collaboration. I had long been interested in politics, emerging technologies, and media, and finally wanted to take the leap to work with decision-makers on progressing our society. My love for punk-rock and politics brought me to contact Prof. Nakamura, who supported my application to KMD. KMD truly taught me the importance of self-directed learning, working, and networking. It is an incredibly well-connected, international school, which had significant impact on my career. I can only recommend every student at KMD to take advantage of that! Through KMD’s networks, I met people with whom I am still working today, some hired me after my Ph.D., and others have introduced me to exciting new research fields.

I am currently working as a Research Fellow in Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Melbourne in Australia, which was only possible through contacts I made at KMD. Interestingly, through the KMD network I also became a startup founder and gained invaluable real-world experiences, e.g., from working with companies or the City of Yokohama, while developing practical skill such as in cinematography.
(This article was written in March 2022.)

Challenge everything

I majored in advertising in Thailand when I was an undergraduate. After graduating, I worked for an advertising agency and began to have a passion for creating a better world with the power of design. In order to make it come true, I decided to continue my study at KMD.

At KMD, I participated in the Global Education project and also had the opportunity to participate in a collaboration program between KMD and Stanford University. I learned and challenged a lot through a project that combines design, technology and education, and gained valuable experience.
After finishing my PhD in 2020, I am currently working at the LINE Advertising Global Business Planning team of LINE Corporation in Japan. I am in charge of product planning and designing educational programs for sales. I applied the experience gained at KMD in the business world on how to create a program to increase engagement of online workshops in the pandemic era. Also, when planning a product, the project management skills I learned at KMD are also very useful for my work. The challenges during life in KMD becomes my power and I would like to continue to challenge new things.
(This article was written in March 2022.)

Somehow, I became a researcher.

I entered KMD in its inaugural year, joined City Media project and Reality Media project, and received my master’s degree in 2010 and my Ph.D. in 2013. After graduation, I started working as a Human-Computer Interaction researcher at the National University of Singapore, and I have been working at NTT Communication Science Laboratories since 2016.

Originally, I had no intention of becoming a researcher and even disliked writing papers, but with my desire to create something novel and the influence of my peers, research somehow became my job. The first KMD students had diverse personalities and talents. What I learned from them such as programming, prototyping, video editing, presentation techniques, and English conversation still supports me today. However, research does not complete when it is created but when it is published, so I had to keep improving my writing skills after graduation. Recently a product based on my research has been launched, and I now believe that I can change the world little by little, even by writing papers.
(This article was written in March 2022.)

Life can take you on a different journey but let’s ace it anyway

I have always been passionate about media and marketing so I majored in Mass Communications in college and decided to join KMD after graduating. I never foresaw myself pursuing a career in any industries other than Marketing. Interestingly, I got my first job as an investment associate at a digital venture company in Tokyo. While I enjoyed my days working with both foreign and local innovators with ideas to impact the world, the job also unexpectedly got me interested in finance. I eventually decided to make a career move and got an offer at Bloomberg as an Earnings Estimates Data Analyst in Tokyo and I have been with the company for the next 7 years until today. I am currently leading the Client Service Team covering Japan, South Korea and Oceania markets, making sure the pricing and research data in the Bloomberg system flows consistently and data quality remains reliable and also acquiring new value-worthy data and making such available to Bloomberg clients. The two years at KMD has taught me to be open to all the opportunities around me rather than just sticking to what I think I am interested in. With an open mind, you can end up being a much more capable person than how you would imagine yourself to be.
(This article was written in March 2021.)

Design offers unlimited opportunities

It all started when I was doing my internship in a film production company. Having majored in Film and Television as my bachelor’s degree, it seemed rather straight forward to go down that path. Not too long after I had started the internship, I realized that I needed to diversify my career path to cope with the fast-changing world. KMD provided the exact experience that allowed me to connect my background through Design Thinking (KMD), and how to apply it in the business world (CEMS program). Back then, it was quite a combination that many people might question, but today, I can’t thank it more. During the program, I met so many wonderful colleagues from all over the world, we worked and learned together through challenging and fun projects. It was an extremely rewarding experience.
Currently, I am working at On, the world’s fastest-growing sports brand based in Switzerland. I am involved in different fields related to strategic sales, go-to-market product planning, and mobile platform development. My current project is to build a premium B2B mobile platform to improve the sell-in experience during the pandemic. This project involves a lot of Design Thinking approaches to make sense of the mission statement we promised which brings me back to what I learned at KMD. So yes, challenge accepted.
(This article was written in March 2021.)

Passion Drives Innovation

“Explore, Learn, and Create” have been my life theme for the past ten years. After graduating from my Computer Science bachelor’s degree back in Syria 2010, I decided to carry on my postgraduate studies in Japan with an interest in learning about robotics and virtual reality. I found KMD as a great educational environment that converged both technology and design thinking, which was a unique approach in comparison with purely engineering schools. I joined KMD as a master’s student in 2013, followed by a Ph.D. program in 2015 which I finished in 2018. My journey there didn’t finish yet then, as I had the opportunity to join the school as an assistant professor for two brilliant years, working as a researcher and as an educator.
Persuading my explorative and creative passions, I decided to move to the industry to explore the world of business and deployment. In April 2020 I joined AvatarIn Inc., a new startup in Tokyo, as a director taking part in leading the development of a service-oriented avatars platform, which my research theme back at KMD focused on this topic. We aim to reshape the medium of communication, and taking major steps in deploying a massive network of service avatars.
(This article was written in March 2021.)

Where everything started

When I entered KMD, I had an only vague idea of ​​what I would like to do. I didn’t know how to achieve, and how to appeal my idea to others. I joined the NetworkMedia project, experienced various events, and had the opportunity to interact with people from various fields. The best thing at KMD is that I have more career options to forge my own path in life, and I learned how to rethink ideas fundamentally, reconstruct to exciting ones, and realize them myself.
Currently, I work as an associate professor at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, to research and develop disaster mitigation systems and analysis technologies. KMD is a place to open up our possibilities and give us the power to realize our dream. This experience is still very helpful. I hope that the experience of KMD could be connected to your future success for those who wish to enroll in KMD.
(This article was written in March 2021.)

IT engineer → KMD → Space exploration

I have been engaged in a wide range of work including mathematical optimization, spacecraft design, and security research, in addition to project launches at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). At first glance, this perhaps seems an unlikely career path to have branched out into after studying at KMD. I began contracted development of websites from when I was at elementary school. During university student, became entrepreneur receiving investment from a venture capital, going on to enroll at KMD with aspirations of creating a new media. However, what I was interested in was the security of web development that I had cultivated. Although this constituted a significant change in the direction of my research, the KMD faculty were readily receptive and provided personal connections with experts at the forefront of the field to me. Moreover, supervisor is traditionally another field teacher, but I also received support as academic advisor from two engineering academics. I learned the joys of research life while at KMD, which is what ultimately led me to my present occupation. I think this is the sense in which the KMD approach is imbued with diversity. When I proposed a VR project at my current job, it was the faculty at KMD who helped me find my way toward its realization. I feel that KMD has always dealt with me in this diverse manner both while I was enrolled at the school, and of course, even after I graduated.
(This article was written in March 2021.)

How to Make a Not Technology Driven Innovation

I studied product design and branding at Keio University SFC, and learned how interesting it is to reevaluate fields for which the value of design has yet to be explored through a design lens. I entered KMD with the keywords of bodily extensions and prosthetic legs, which I had been involved in as an undergraduate student. I took part in a Real Project to create a new cultural milieu and community called Sports Creation (Superhuman Sports Project).
We tend to think that the starting point for innovation is making things, but KMD helped me realize that innovation can undoubtedly be located in the moments when relationships form between people or when intangible culture begins to burgeon.
I have moved fields into the manufacture of bedding, and “sleep” now constitutes my work. Although at a manufacturer that produces tangible products, I am involved in product strategy and marketing in order to redefine “what it means to sleep.” Each day I put into practice what I learned at KMD on the frontlines of a business for which the point where ordinary people and “sleep” meet cannot be treated merely in terms of consumption, from creating a base for sleep consultation, through to Sleep Tech projects utilizing digital technologies and new approaches to athletic conditioning.
(This article was written in March 2020.)

Good design is good business

Back in Highschool everyone told me not to study design as it supposedly would be difficult to get a well paid job later. So I decided to study business administration for my undergrads instead. Back then there was no program like KMD.
Only later the combination of business and design became more common. Today it is impossible to separate the two.
When I joined KMD in 2012, Keio actually just became a partner university in the CEMS MIM (Master’s in International Management) Programme – as the very first design school.
For me it was fantastic that I could graduate within 2 years with both a master’s in International Management and a master’s in Media Design. It was also around that time when I joined early-stage Tokyo-based design firm Goodpatch.
Fast forward 6.5 years later I am still with Goodpatch, which became Japan’s leading design firm with globally over 170 employees. Today in my role as an executive board director I oversee the global business with studios in Berlin, München and Paris. We help our clients to become more successful through design.
In the company I aim to re-create the inspiring atmosphere of grad school where everyone is building, tinkering and sharing something.
(This article was written in March 2020.)

Where Innovators are Born

“It doesn’t matter what, just go and see!” This is what I was told by Professor Furukawa, my research advisor at KMD.
At the end of April, just after being admitted to KMD, I had the chance to go to Silicon Valley for a week. Here, I was able to meet outstanding entrepreneurs from all over the world. It was fascinating to see these professionals who are entrepreneurs that create future possibilities, and I too wanted to become someone who creates something at Silicon Valley. I was overwhelmed with this feeling.
Right after returning to Japan, I met with Professor Furukawa, who had interviewed me for the entrance exam, and I spoke to him of my desire to study abroad at Stanford University in Silicon Valley. That’s when he told me to “just go and see,” which is what I did.
I returned to KMD six months later and set up READYFOR, the first crowdfunding service in Japan, and it has now grown into a company that employs around 120 people. The vision of READYFOR is “to create a world where everyone can realize whatever they want to do.”
When I wanted a new challenge, it was KMD that spurred me on and led me to making it happen, and for that I am truly grateful.

(This article was written in March 2020.)

Making awesome things with awesome people

I studied computer science at university, and as much as I enjoyed learning it I also realized that my true interest lies not in “how” to make things, but in “why” and “what” to make. It was then that I learned that design is the tool that can tackle such questions, which led to finding out about the Global Innovation Design program. During GID, all I needed to care about was making awesome things with awesome people, which was a truly inspiring and fruitful experience. After coming back to KMD, I continued to make everything that I could get my hands on along with fellow KMD students, desperately hoping that whatever we design would make a positive impact on someone out there.
Currently I work as an Interaction Designer at IDEO, but what I do for work every day has not changed since then. Together with designers of diverse skill sets, we tackle the question of “why” and “what” to make, then prototype our ideas in every way possible to bring it to life. The most valuable lesson I learned at KMD is the utter joy and power of making, and I aim to spread that joy to empower as many people as I can.
(This article was written in March 2020.)

How My Journey Started

During my university years in China, I was majoring in Chemical Engineering. I soon realized Engineering was not my passion, but I developed a strong interest for system thinking. That’s when I went to the states and got to know about Design Thinking. I was working with students from all over the world, and was so fascinated by the chemistry a diverse team created when they work towards a shared value. So, when I decided to pursue a Master in Design, I knew I was on the search for a nontraditional environment, and that’s how I joined KMD.
During my years in KMD, I had the opportunity to work with people from different educational backgrounds, speaking different languages, growing up in diverse cultures. This precious experience in my academic years, taught me to work with diversity, and cope with complexity. I was also very lucky to join the GID program, during which we travelled to London and New York. The GID experience gave me a broader view of design which was a contrast from traditional craftsmanship to front-end speculative design.
I currently work in a Strategic Design Agency, helping large-scale Japanese organizations optimize their user experience, develop new business, and prototype their future vision. This exciting work comes with great complexity at the same time. Thanks to the valuable experience I gained from KMD, I am more confident and comfortable to tackle different kind of challenges I face everyday, and always move forward.

(This article was written in March 2020.)

Raising the “batting average” of successfully creating something from nothing and extending the reach of the “hit ball” to increase our presence

While I was studying at Keio University’s Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC), I learned how enjoyable concept design is, starting with nothing to create something, and became engrossed. Although I created numerous concept designs, it was rare to produce something I was satisfied with, or which received recognition from others. It was very much a “product of chance.”
How can this “batting average” be raised knowingly and not by chance? It was when fretting over this that I came across “design thinking” and the Keio University Graduate School of Media Design (KMD).
At KMD, you take on the challenge of creating something from nothing together with people who have a diverse range of viewpoints and experiences, receiving a lot of stimulation. This allowed me to receive the training necessary to increase my “batting average” for creating successful designs. Moreover, being able to learn about the “form” of design thinking also had a big impact. I began to accept and trust my bodily feelings more over what my head was telling me, leading to more creative and fulfilling outputs.
Now, after graduating and working at an advertising agency, I established a traditional Chinese medicine lifestyle brand called “DAYLILY.” I started the company together with Yiting Wang from Taiwan whom I met at KMD, and we are struggling each day to become a brand that represents Asia. From here on out, I want to keep challenging myself to extend the reach of our “hit ball” to further strengthen our presence.
(This article was written in March 2019.)

Sharing the Outcomes of Regional Revitalization Tested in Local Communities

I joined KMD as a working adult, after experienced coordinating various projects leveraging IT to improve operations and facilitate innovative productions at a foreign consulting and a leading manufacturer of household electronics company.
In KMD, I established the specifics of my research theme in discussion with KMD faculty and project members with various backgrounds taking in technology, policy, and design, while researching the relationship between policy and industry as part of support activities for the policy recommendation group “Policy Watch.” We successfully elaborated a verification process in a form which closely resembled real world conditions through prototyping using a Real Project.
As one of the affiliated researchers of KMD today; “Regional revitalization by leveraging industrial and cultural vitality” is my project main focus. The project is now becoming beyond the academic research, but it gives us a chance to involve a project from launching startups to verify the outcomes. We established the first satellite office in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture. This is our “hub station” to carry out researches on protocols to create markets for traditional crafts and eyewear which use materials such as lacquerware. We leverage craftsmanship side-by-side with local craftspeople to create the products to which we “aspire”, but which also have “market potential,” proposing products such as lacquerware tumblers and iPhone cases that integrate traditional coating techniques into modern lifestyle scenarios.
(This article was written in March 2019.)

Where I have reinvented myself

I have joined KMD with three clear goals: to change my career, experience a completely different culture, and learn how to work in an international environment. Luckily, all objectives were accomplished. Back home, in Brazil, I have worked for six years as a magazine reporter after majoring in Journalism. As time passed by, I realized that I needed a career change to keep motivated. Deep down, I wanted to become a service designer.
This was no easy task. Service design is an emerging field, and it is hard to find schools that teach it directly or indirectly. But I was lucky again to come across KMD and realizing that it could help me achieve my dream. I have studied there from 2014 to 2016, thanks to a full Japanese government scholarship. During two years, I have managed to publish a thesis related to service design, learned to become a reliable professional in my new area and how to do business in Japan.
I have eventually joined Neuromagic, a Tokyo-based consultancy and co-founded its Service Design Group. The department is still very young, but it already managed to support several large companies in Japan. My team is specialized in short, medium and long-term consulting interventions using design thinking methodologies to help clients launch better products and services. Not only that, we constantly give lectures about our field to businesses and universities. It feels good to put into practice the knowledge acquired thanks to KMD, its enthusiastic professors and excellent infrastructure.
(This article was written in March 2019.)

A Place Linking Research with Business

Although I worked for a long time as a developer in the web industry, I wanted to acquire the intellectual skills to design web services by myself and had been thinking about entering a graduate school. The sale of the web service I had been running created the opportunity for me to enroll in the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Media Design (KMD).
I currently work at BASE, Inc., a company that offers a platform called “BASE” which enables customers to operate an internet shop free of charge. I joined the executive board as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) while enrolled at KMD. I have also been focusing on recruiting developers, and I wrote my dissertation on research that produces a trust score for a developer’s skills based on a social network service that is used by developers called GitHub. Internet-based trust scores has garnered greater attention in recent years, and I was able to immediately put the knowledge I gained from my research into practice in my daily work.
I draw on the supervision style of my lecturers for management as well. I learned a style of supervision which reviews the output of subordinates who have been entrusted with individual problems as a method that ensures they rigorously think things over. I enjoyed the privilege of being a working student at KMD in a program that influences my job in this way.
(This article was written in March 2019.)

To seek, to define and to practice design

Before entering KMD fall of 2012, I graduated from the University of Toronto (class of 2011) as a Human Computer Interaction Specialist. The time between entering KMD for my Masters and graduating from my undergraduate studies, I worked part time assisting my old professors and also explored design practices in business. It was through my interactions with international students and even entrepreneurs that led me to seek out an international perspective to design research and synthesis practices. I was and still am motivated to be a designer who can work globally. I wanted to gain the skills necessary to evaluate and assess problems and opportunities, across borders and within varying cultural and social context. I would ask myself:
“How can I break away from a western dominated mindset to a way of thinking and ultimately understanding that would be borderless and flexible?”
“Or how might I gain not only the necessary skills, but also tools that I could utilize to enable design to impact society?”
It was questions like these that led me to seek out my Masters in Japan.
My decision to enter KMD, opened up main doors. For instance, joining as the first batch of GID, where I explored other design methods and challenged myself to conducting research in collaboration with a diversely skilled group of individuals.
Since graduating, I have been part of building Slush Tokyo (Slush Asia), through bringing together change makers, key industry players and different community builders together to create a thriving startup ecosystem. During my 4 years with Slush I also worked as a freelancer with startups and teams to introduce where design meets business in practice. Also, I had the great opportunity to work at a corporate venture capital for 1 year, before I moved on to focus back into design practices in business within a design agency.
Most recently, I have been working on building a company – N. A. K. Studios – focused on becoming a design partner for different stakeholders within the startup ecosystem. The goal is to collaborate and build cases on how design can impact business, beyond just visually. With the evolving design practices and the growing number of design methods and tools available, there isn’t a one fits all way to solve problems or uncover opportunities. As such, N. A. K. is aiming to be an environment, where together, founders/startups/corporates can formulating the best design practices for their given context.
(This article was written in March 2019.)

The strength to live as an artist

I am active in the world of art and music. In addition to composition and arrangement, I take part in many concerts as a keyboardist. Recently, I also produced music for a show at Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo. Drawing on my experiences of producing various artworks including “teamLab Island – Learn and Play! Future Park -,” I also direct artworks and exhibitions as a freelance director.
I majored in music as an undergraduate and enrolled at KMD in order to learn how to make a living using my skills. At KMD, one can learn hands-on not only about making things, but also about how to put these to use in society. The experiences I gained at KMD feed into my ability to conceive, create, and disseminate artworks in the real world. As an independent artist, not only do I create art, but I oversee everything from contracts to management by myself. If one has the ability to grasp things from multiple angles, one has the strength to live freely without being constrained by anything.

(This article was written in March 2018.)

Implementing one’s ideas in society through research and entrepreneurship

Before entering KMD, I majored in interactive design at the Keio University Faculty of Environment and Information Studies. For my graduation project, I created an installation artwork that projected ripples by sensing where raindrops fell on the surface of water. My motivation for progressing to KMD was wanting, based on this experience, to learn skills for tackling everyday problems from a broader perspective and for launching my ideas in the real world. My research project at KMD was themed on taking pictures and creating a visual experience of parenting in the digital age. I feel I gained the ability to design concepts aligned with my project subjects based on in-depth ethnographies.
After graduating, I started a design company with a friend from an art university, launching the character brand “Tetra Style” and holding workshops as part of an activity called “otomedengei-bu” (girl’s electronic accessory club). We also have a smart crime-prevention buzzer for women called “shippo kōru” (tail call) for a project we started recently. We engage in product development while following the “design thinking” process to develop original and attractive products which leverage digital technology to ensure safety.

(This article was written in March 2018.)

Aiming for next-generation innovations through the implementation of industry-academia partnerships

I entered KMD with questions on how mature companies should approach triggering next-level innovations. Having been involved in product development at a manufacturer, I became more aware of this problem and grew interested in the method of design thinking at KMD. After entering KMD, I was involved from the inception of a project for promoting next-level innovation at NKC (Nakanishi Metal Works Co., Ltd.), a corporation with stable technical capacities. While this took four years, in 2018 we finally reached the point of commercializing a service called “agbee” that benefits farmers in the outskirts of urban areas through the use of partner robots. When commercializing a product, one encounters very different problems when thinking about what first needs to be done, in other words the issue of creating 1 from 0, to the subsequent issues involved in making 1 into 10 or 10 into 100. I specifically attribute my ability to engage with these real-world problems to KMD and the support I got from professors.
Drawing on this experience, I am currently supporting the development of innovative solutions at various companies. I spend each day productively engaged with finding practical solutions to the questions that first prompted me to attend KMD.

(This article was written in March 2018.)

A place of co-creation

I currently work in the product development at the marketing headquarters of Haagen-Dazs Japan.Incorporated. KMD promotes the co-creativity of the distinct domains of the arts and sciences, and I am keenly reminded of the importance of this at work.
It takes around two years to create one product. Even if a good concept and prototype has been developed, it would be meaningless without actual production in the factory. The co-creativity and balance of artistic elements and scientific aspects are indispensable to the process of tying the idea together with the fact toward the real production.
I wanted to study again about corporate branding and marketing, so I decided to enroll at KMD after two years of working. I carried out research focused on creating shared value (strategic CSR directly related to business operations) while attending KMD. It was a big sensation for me to enter the academic environment which is the complete opposite from the domestic environment of a Japanese corporation which I used to be, and there were also chances to encounter with many unique and inspiring people with unique habits that I had never before encountered. Even though there was some initial travail, this experience has now become an invaluable asset. There is an expression “to be the best, one must learn from the best.” I think KMD is the best place to learn directly from the leading figures of various fields.

(This article was written in March 2018.)

Bridging the gap between Research and Product Design for helping mankind

I entered KMD at the first fall batch intake in 2008. Before Joining KMD, I majored in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science Enginering, and Robotics Engineering. During my KMD life, I belonged to Reality Media Project (Masters) and Embodied Media Project (PhD.). During KMD life, I learned the important the collaborative work, multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teamwork. Also, I was able to improve my Japanese, product design skills, idea pitch and presentation skills. After finishing my PhD study, I wanted to bring my work to the next level and decided to Join KMD faculty as a Senior Assistant Professor. I lead the Telexistence project (inside & outside KMD) as the first step of bridging the gap between research work and industrial collaborations. After 4 years I decided to spin-off my work into my own start-up and achieve my dream goal.
Today, I work as Chief Technological Officer (CTO) of Telexistence Inc. (https://tx-inc.com/) where I manage a very talented engineering team sharing the same interest of industrialize telexistence technology to dramatically change lives, organizations, and society. One of our main streams of business involves creating business opportunity by lowering cost of human transportation and action of human actually being there. I have gained a lot from KMD, this someday I hope to collaborate and support KMD with my assets.

(This article was written in March 2018.)

Standing at the crossroads of design and technology

I’m currently engaged in concept design and interaction design in order to create next-generation products for Sony. One example is the Motion Sonic Project that was recently unveiled to the public. The objective was to design an embodied experience that augments the human body with sound. By redesigning the relationship between humans and sound, we aim to impact society by delivering a new sound experience.
Before joining KMD, I majored in computer science and learning engineering, but I began to wonder how I could design experiences that truly fascinate people. That’s why I decided to join KMD. At KMD, I worked on the Media Furniture Project that challenged us to redesign the furniture as media. Through the project, I acquired the design skills to realize the concept and experience through iterations of ethnography, ideation, and prototype. Also, I was able to hone my presentation skills to offer new value to the society. The experiences in KMD built my foundation for creation at the intersection of design and technology.

(This article was written in March 2017.)

Learning, sharing, and enjoying

At KMD, I conducted research in the Global Education Project to create a place where people who want to teach can gather via IT and learn from each other. I still vividly remember feeling deeply moved by the extraordinary ties that transcended age and borders through the building of an online platform, and conducting multiple-base workshops, mostly in Asia, as well as the engagement between project members.
I am now teaching network-related training courses at a human resource development/training service company with the aspiration of having more people sense the potential and importance of network technologies that materialize diverse connections. Every time I teach a training course with students from differing backgrounds, I give a lot of thought to,“How can I communicate in a way that is fun and easy to understand?”I see grim or bored students at the start of the session morph into engaged learners after receiving flashes of inspiration or comprehension, and this motivates me to learn more. My goal is to use my “antenna” to keep learning, to share with others what I have learned, and to have everyone enjoy this together. Everything I learned and everyone I met at KMD all connect to who I am today.

(This article was written in March 2017.)

The largest reward is the connections

I am currently serving as director at the Contents innova- tion Program (CiP) Association. CiP’s mission is to develop a digital + content industry area in the Takeshiba district of Tokyo as part of its redevelopment, which is scheduled to be complete in 2020. As director, I am busy every day negotiating and holding discussions with CiP members and others in industry, government, and academia to bring the project to fruition.
At KMD, my research theme was communications and broadcasting policy. Because KMD has different tracks, such as design, technology, management, and policy, there is a diverse mix of people and research themes that would not ordinarily be grouped in the same program. The perceptions and ideas in this environment were very stimulating. I was also provided opportunities to engage with leading experts in various fields outside of KMD. I believe my largest reward from KMD was the connections I made through research activities. I rely on those connections for my work at CiP also. In the Takeshiba project, I’m making full use of what I gained at KMD. Please check out our achievement.

(This article was written in March 2017.)

The power of collaboration

I left the program I was in to enter KMD in its year of establishment, and after obtaining a doctorate, I became a Project Assistant Professor. At KMD, I worked in the Reality Media Project to develop habitant behavior measurement systems and displays to fit into living environments. When I was studying engineering, I usually created things alone. But at KMD, I had more opportunities to develop things in collaboration with colleagues from different backgrounds, harnessing our various fields of expertise. This enabled me to experience creating things that were difficult to make alone. Also, I was averse to English conversation when I first entered KMD, but with so many international students in such a global environment, my English really improved.
I am now a research associate in the Department of Infor- mation and Computer Science at Keio University’s Faculty of Science and Technology. I research collaboration, which I realized was important when I was at KMD, and hope to support this with technology. I am now researching IoT and virtual reality with space that can be designed
through human collaboration.

(This article was written in March 2017.)

Think while running

At KMD, I learned to discern what I must do by determining the essence of a matter, and also that I can try anything if I decide to. While there, I researched information device management systems using AR technologies as part of the Network Media Project. I had a degree in design before enrolling in KMD, and absolutely no knowledge of technology. But with the help of the many people I met through KMD, I was able to gain knowledge as my research progressed.
KMD offers opportunities to collaborate with many people. From this experience, I learned the importance of two things: to determine the essence of a matter and think about what I must do and what I am uniquely capable of, and then to simply take action based on this. I think this was possible because KMD provides an environment where we can think while running, even if we don’t understand everything. Now that I’ve graduated, this realization serves as the foundation of my work as a system engineer in the communications industry.

(This article was written in March 2017.)

Guild of my daily work

Currently, I am the CEO of Motify (http://motify.work). As a pioneer of HR(Human Resources)technology, through e-learning based on Habit Design, we aim to create environments where people learn to be leaders and to help each other grow. I coordinate a team of 12 people around the globe, with staff in Japan, Brazil, Ukraine, Sweden, and the US, and the number of countries continues to increase. Running the company remotely has allowed me to leave Tokyo and live in Kamakura with my wife and our daughter.
Before coming to KMD, I worked in a marketing in Brazil. I saw KMD as a chance to change my career from humanities to a technology field. I grasped that chance with all my strength and had two of the busiest and most exciting years of my life. At KMD, I drew on my marketing background and joined the Event Production team. I then joined the OIKOS project with the Media Furniture team, under Professor Okude, where I learned the product/concept creation process that still guides me in my daily work.
In the eight years I have been in Japan, I have worked for Sony as a VAIO product planner and at Recruit as a UX designer for several services. The connections and the knowledge I gained at KMD are what made it possible. I was invited to Sony after meeting a few employees during my time at KMD. Later, when I was planning to change jobs, I also consulted with a KMD sempai and worked side by side with him for several months.

(This article was written in March 2017.)

Continuing to learn and then continually putting that learning into practice

I am currently involved in the design and administration of a business school at Showa Women’s University that is specifically for working women as part of a female empowerment initiative. I have also participated in a number of paid and unpaid organizations and projects in which I have helped to design new human resources development systems, new educational approaches for young people, and intergenerational networks for women. The common focus in all of these projects has been “supporting people and organizations that want to take on new challenges.” I am often involved in projects in different domains that run in parallel, which provide me with a bird’s eye view of where the general issues lie. I truly enjoy my current style of work and the opportunity it gives me to think seriously about how I can contribute.
Before joining KMD, I was involved in HR development consulting for large companies. At KMD, I was able to learn with people of different ages, nationalities, and genders, and was inspired by professors who were, themselves, practitioners. It broadened my horizons dramatically beyond what I had done before; it taught me that it is vital to forge links between different domains and how to act and learn in ways that have an impact on this new era. KMD taught me my current approach to life and work. The pace of change in today’s environment is only accelerating. I am in my late 40s, and one of the things I learned at KMD is that, regardless of age, the key to survival in the 21st century is continuing to learn and then continually putting that learning into practice.

(This article was written in March 2016.)

Creating what I need

At KMD, I was a member of the “Global Education Project” in which we worked on the design and administration of a variety of online courses and events. In my master’s research, I helped to create a joint performance environment for students studying performing arts in remote locations. Today, I teach online classes about distance education at Columbia University (USA), continue my research in remote communication and learning environments, while staying involved in the administration of online classes in a number of different fields. My doctoral dissertation on the development of community perceptions and self-motivation among online learners was accepted, and in May 2015 I was awarded a EdD. There has been increased online learning opportunities in recent years, but learning from a remote location can often be a lonely and difficult experience. My work is to provide the kinds of activities and communications environments that support these learners. As a member of the first class at KMD, I gained first-hand experience developing our own learning and research environments from scratch with the professors and fellow students with diverse backgrounds. This approach of “Create what you need” has been a valuable asset, even after moving to a research institution that takes a very different approach than that of KMD.

(This article was written in March 2016.)

The KMD ethos

Currently, I work from morning to evening as a reporter for a company called ITmedia, and then from evening to morning on my own studying the “Micromouse” and working with the “Pepper” robot. You can see some of my work with Pepper on a YouTube channel called “pepper days.” I’ve developed programs that caused the robot to mix natto (fermented beans), sing, dance, and even take a ride with me on the shinkansen. I recently had the opportunity to speak to the “Japan SF Convention,” a gathering for science-fiction fans around Japan, at “PRESENTING JAPAN,” a public-private forum to communicate Japanese culture and technology to the world, and at other events about living with a robot as a partner.
In Japan, there is an adage: “What you learn when you are young stays with you for life.” I think that we receive a large part of that, a unique spirit, during our time at KMD. All of my current activities can be traced back to the KMD ethos: being straightforward and honest, understanding my core competencies, and understanding that social design and policy are always a part of technology, the part that we ourselves create. When I joined KMD, I gained many fathers. I also gained friends around the world.

(This article was written in March 2016.)

Precious experience that guided me to a start up

I came to KMD with the goal of exploring and learning about the future of digital signage systems. After Joining the Global Computing project, I participated on CITIUS, a multimedia signage platform capable of providing information to public buses, using environmental information in real time.
Being part of CITIUS provided me with invaluable opportunity to get first-hand experience working together with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and with professors and researchers at the National University of Singapore.
In Argentina, I worked at several advertising agencies as a content creator. Before finishing KMD, and with the full support of the faculty, I decided to start my own business in Japan to provide audiovisual content for TV, internet and digital signage platforms.A very small team of graphic designers located both in Japan and Argentina helps me turn those concepts into reality.
During this year we have provided content for J Sports, American Express, Sky Perfect, Electronic Arts, and Nippon Baseball League among others. The content we create can be seen throughout Tokyo on giant screens in Shibuya and Shinjuku, inside train stations such as Ikebukuro, on network and cable television, and in stadiums.

(This article was written in March 2016.)

Thinking with depth, acting with strength

I work for an advertising agency. Until I was reassigned in August 2015 to work in strategic planning for a tire manufacturer, my primary job was creating and producing digital content for an alcoholic beverages maker. In digital content creation, the goal is to use the web and social network services to trigger discussion of a product and to convince people to feel favorably towards it. In strategic planning, you investigate what the essential attractions of the product are and how they can be communicated, formulating hypotheses and reflecting them in your strategy.
At KMD, I participated on Professor Naohito Okude’s OIKOS, and launched a new project called “Music in Community” to study the relationship between music and local communities. This resulted in Keio University creating a new credited class on music practice, so I did have some impact on society. During the project, I had an opportunity to think deeply about what the world enjoys, needs, and wants to experience, and I gained my own experience in how to push a project forward strongly enough that my plan becomes reality. My KMD experiences have had a significant impact on my current work.

(This article was written in March 2016.)

Tackling problems from a wide range of perspectives and disciplines

Prior to joining KMD, I graduated from the Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology with a bachelor’s degree in applied physics. As my research progressed, I began to realize that engineering problem-solving requires a multi-disciplinary approach, not just a single area of expertise. This realization led to my choice of KMD as I could study technology, design, management, and policy in well-balanced manner.
At KMD, I researched interaction design and virtual reality as a member of the “Reality Media Project”. I learned about both hardware and software, and designed and verified prototypes and systems as part of my studies. This choice required courage because I was jumping into a master’s course in a completely different field from that of my undergraduate study, but my research at KMD proved to be both stimulating and fruitful. Today, I work for a semiconductor company engineering Internet of Things (IoT) systems and embedded systems. Problem-solving in systems development is never straightforward, but the approach that I learned at KMD, to tackle problems from a wide range of perspectives and disciplines, is hugely beneficial to me in my current work.

(This article was written in March 2016.)

KMD is the best place to do something creative, innovative, and fun.

Currently, I am a post-doctoral research fellow at the SUTD-MIT International Design Center at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). My research involved Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). My main research focus was in multi-modal interfaces with a focus on haptics.
I worked on the Reality Media Project at KMD. I did theoretical research to understand the human perception of space with multi-modal information, and I also collaborated with companies, such as Toyota IT, to implement aspects of the research in the real world. What I liked most about KMD was its diversity; of expertise, of cultures, and of interests. If you have an idea, you’ll find at least one expert on it at KMD who will passionately collaborate with you. The freedom to innovate at KMD is impressive. Unlike most universities, freedom is embedded in KMD as a core value. If you are doing something creative, innovative, and fun, KMD is the best place to be.
My goal is to contribute to the development process of the next big shift how humans perceive and interact with computational machines.

(This article was written in March 2015.)

I saw a vast improvement in my expression skills at KMD.

In the KMD Doctoral Program, I joined the Reality Media Project and studied entertainment computing. With the expert advice of Professor Masahiko Inami and other researchers, I was able to build numerous implementations, and through that process saw a vast improvement in my expression skills. Doing a joint project with excellent students overseas was also a valuable experience.
I currently work as a creator specializing in entertainment under the name “Bye Bye World.” I’m involved in a wide range of products and projects, including toys, installations and robots. In June 2014, I was appointed chief creator at Yoshimoto Robotics Laboratory, where I oversee and develop the official entertainment app for “Pepper,” SoftBank’s latest robot. I look forward to further explorations in entertainment and technology.

(This article was written in March 2015.)

Every thought and idea has a chance to be heard and to be realized at KMD.

At KMD, I learned about video transmission in my work on the “Global Education” project. Through the process of observing and supporting the online classroom, which was a part of the project, I created my own idea for a research project. This research project motivated me to obtain additional web design skills.
To create something really takes time, but the best thing about KMD is that every thought and idea has a chance to be heard and to be realized. KMD is full of kind and supportive people who enjoy discussing your ideas and seek ways to help you expand on them. KMD’s focus on “learning with an open heart and continuing to take on challenges” taught me how to discover what matters to people. I’ve incorporated this philosophy in my daily work as an UI/UX designer at a surveillance software company and in my long-term goals.

(This article was written in March 2015.)

What qualities do things that are loved by large numbers of people possess?

When I was at KMD, I worked with Professor Hiroyuki Kishi as a member of “Creative Industry” project to study local brands and was involved in a joint project in Onagawa, a town in Miyagi. Throughout the project, we continued to ask ourselves what was truly necessary for the local community as we planned events, conducted promotions, and established a community development company. This ultimately led to a successful event in Hibiya Park, Tokyo that drew more than 200,000 visitors. It was a very valuable experience to be involved in a project in which people came from different generations and backgrounds, and were also separated by physical distance.
I now work at an internet company as a planner. While at KMD, I was involved in a project for local brands that tried to answer the question, “What qualities do things that are loved by large numbers of people possess?” My current work may seem a bit removed from regional development, but the research I did and the projects I was involved in at KMD have given me a basis from which to work today as I think about how to develop optimum services that large numbers of customers will use. I look forward to continuing to create products and services that are used and loved by lots of people.

(This article was written in March 2015.)

To continue to explore new frontiers

At KMD I joined a project called “OIKOS” where I studied how to design services that would help retail store staff encourage customer to make purchases. In our study, we began by analyzing behavior, brainstorming ideas, formulating the concepts, and building prototypes. Then we took our prototypes and used them in actual retail stores to verify whether they worked. We repeated this process over and over again. It was a good experience designing something from scratch.
KMD is a very global environment that attracts people with all sorts of backgrounds. You have the opportunity to work with professors and students who are interested and active in a wide range of fields. In the Project Room, I spoke and consulted with lots of different people, which was a good experience for me.
I’m now working as a creator at an internet company where my job every day is to think about designs and interactions that will make users want to use our services more. In the future, I want to use my experiences at KMD to continue to explore new frontiers.

(This article was written in March 2015.)

I learned by using my body and senses at KMD.

When I was at KMD, I joined a sub-project called “Media Furniture” in the “OIKOS” project, which aimed at designing user experiences involving furniture and people’s living environments. At KMD, learning was very much a process of trial and error, in which I learned by using my body and senses, rather than a mere intellectual process. Our fieldwork involved visiting ordinary homes to observe the occupants’ everyday life and creating numerous prototypes to build up a concept. It was a repeated process of reasoning and action. One of KMD’s strengths is that students of various nationalities (such as China, Sri Lanka, Brazil, and Lebanon) and backgrounds collaborated continually. With this mix of talent and fresh ideas, we achieved more together than we ever could have achieved on our own and we felt a greater sense of accomplishment too.
I now work in Taiwan as a planner with engineers and designers at an electrical manufacturer. I’d like to continue to create user experiences that will enrich people’s everyday lives. I can say that what I learned at KMD has been essential to starting my career.

(This article was written in March 2015.)

To pursue a global career

My research focus at KMD was film studies and user-generated content as part of the “Power of Motion Pictures” (now being said “CREATO!”) team. The challenging studies at KMD and CEMS provided numerous networking opportunities with students, professors, guest lecturers, and others I met there. I was inspired and influenced by the different perspectives, views, and skills of such a diverse group of people. These experiences and encounters emboldened me to pursue the career I had always dreamed of.
I currently work at Google Japan, as a community specialist on the YouTube team. I mainly manage events, community building and online communication. With a deep interest in media and technology since high school, it was always my dream to work in these fields. The phenomenal power and speed of technology has had, and continues to have, such a positive impact on my life. I will continually improve my skills and broaden my experience as I pursue a global career.

(This article was written in March 2015.)

The value of design beyond formative art

I studied architectural design as an undergraduate, but my grasp of the act of design was entirely intuitive and subjective. At KMD, I learned not only about giving form to objects, but also about creating experiences that users can gain through the objects. I was involved in a project on ‶media furniture,” where we used research and ideas about actual living environments to carefully formulate concepts and turn them into furniture prototypes. We then asked users to make use of these prototypes in their day-to-day lives, and verified the results. This process brought me back to the core questions of design: why is it that we build, and what exactly is design anyway? I currently work as a product designer for Fabrica, the research center of the Italian company, Benetton. I have been able to show my work at Milano Salone and other international exhibits. The training I received at KMD provided me with a foundation for my design activities. I am now hard at work in Europe, and my activities are based on the understanding I gained at KMD of value of design in aspects that cannot be reached just with formative art.

(This article was written in March 2014.)

Everything was completely new, that was especially why each day was fresh

At KMD, I was involved in a project called “OIKOS” where I researched the design of a service that allows people to easily enjoy their family photographs. I was in the Faculty of Economics as an undergraduate, and majored in international trade and development economics. At KMD, my previous research and experience was not an issue. I was allowed to take on completely new fields in which I had no prior experience. It was very interesting for me to interact with faculty who were themselves active in a wide variety of fields and willing to cross over the walls between laboratories and research areas to provide guidance. It was also very fun to remain on campus late into the night consulting and laughing with members of my project and other projects too as we did our research. (It was tough at the time though…) Today, I work as a consultant. I don’t know if I’m particularly suited for it or where exactly the satisfactions lie, but each day is something new and fresh, just like it was when I was at KMD. I encounter people from many different industries and endeavors, and there is always something that I don’t understand. I am still not sure where the future will take me, but I do know that I want to continue to advance and always search for the opportunity to take on new challenges.

(This article was written in March 2014.)

Experience is everything

I was in an information engineering laboratory as an undergraduate, and I’ve always enjoyed using my hands to build things. At KMD, I was part of the “Reality Media” project, where we brought engineering approaches to manufacturing. At first, I just thought that we would have a lot of fun building things, but the Reality Media approach gave me fresh, new perspectives about working back from human perceptions to design the experience that you want to provide and incorporate it into a system. My research focused particularly on virtual production systems in which people could copy and paste real-world tactile sensations to easily allow others to have the same experience. Our slogan in the project was “Demo or Die,” because it was virtually impossible to communicate what our research was aiming for without people actually experiencing it. Those words were inspirational, and we created many, many prototypes. Today, I work as a technical director and planner at an advertising agency. I still value the attitude that I learned at KMD that “experience is everything”.

(This article was written in March 2014.)

Combining the social with a personal sense of mission

As an undergraduate, I majored in architecture, but at KMD I studied service design in a project called “Social Entertainment/Bouquet.” KMD is an environment of great diversity in terms of age, fields of endeavor, and nationalities. It is also a place where you can gain a wide range of experiences. The most vivid impression that KMD made on me was the chance I had in the GID Program to experience startup culture in San Francisco and global careers in London. While still a student, I established a design office called “prsm”, and that is what I do today. I use the principles of service design to design “spaces” before the buildings are put up. I am also involved in Global Shapers Community and TEDxTokyo, and I work as a KMD researcher. In the future, I want to take on more global projects, investigating what design can accomplish as I combine the social with my own personal sense of mission.

(This article was written in March 2014.)

The possibility to acquire new skills and apply them in practice

I was majoring in Philosophy and Media as an undergraduate. In KMD, my field of research was Urban Computing, and I was involved in a project called ‘Navinko’. What I liked about KMD was great group of people that come from all around the world with strong interest in Japanese culture and great staff to support the students in realizing their dreams. The most impressive point at KMD is the possibility to acquire new skills and apply them in practice. Currently I am working as an interaction design researcher to pursue innovation in interaction design of the highest quality in my future.

(This article was written in March 2014.)

A fulfilling environment

In KMD, my research was to create a collaborative documentary film production supported by an advanced technology in the “Growing Documentary” Platform. The project was under the PMP Project and I successfully collaborated with other institutes around the world. My favorite memory of KMD was how all the professors were so helpful and so keen to discuss almost anything. Besides, the facilities impressed me a lot, from the technology to places to hang out, and all were supported! I currently work as a center manager at a school for autism and special children in Bogor City ‒ Indonesia, and freelance as a TV program producer and as a graphic designer. In the future, I wish to finish my documentary project for autism awareness.

(This article was written in March 2014.)

Maintaining a strong will for creation

I am currently working for an ad agency as an art director. As an undergraduate, my major was international business. At KMD, I conducted research on 4K digital cinemas; I enjoyed collaborating towards a common goal with people from various backgrounds and experiences. The work I achieved at KMD wasn’t significantly impressive, but I strongly believe that it was a necessary step toward what I am working on today. I don’t know what my future holds, but I do know I dearly hold the will to create. I will remain committed to creative activities to convey ideas and emotions to others.

(This article was written in March 2014.)

Creating services and products I believe in

My individual style has remained consistent since I entered KMD. I believe in creating things I personally believe are wonderful, and yet what I create should be loved by my friends and accepted universally.
For my project, I made LED lighting that changes the ambience of human habitats in everyday life. My interest was motivated by the contrast between special and ordinary moments, a contrast that has been part of Japanese tradition from ancient times. Considering the traditional contrast, I focused on how lighting affects our lives in contemporary Japanese houses. For example, we should be able to change the lighting as well as the table setting when we have a dinner party. This goes far beyond pressing a button to light a room. In the same sense as changing a table cloth, dishes and preparing foods and drinks for guests, I invented lampshades that change lighting. When changing lampshades, tone and lightness/darkness of the light also change accordingly.
In a later project, KMD classmates and I set up a new brand called ‘semi (cicada)’ under the concept of extending the lifetime of designed products. We have designed and sold products such as bags and gadget cases made from old department store banners and ads. This project is still ongoing after graduating from KMD, fulfilling our challenge to set up successful businesses.

(This article was written in March 2013.)

Realizing projects that impact people’s lives

I studied industrial design and worked for a design consultancy for several years, however, I wanted to do more than just sketching and making mock-ups. I wished to create innovative products. Whilst I was thinking of setting up my own business, I found KMD and decided to go back to study.
At KMD, I joined the Reality Media Project run by Prof. Masahiko Inami. I did a project called ‘Phantom Runner’ to record a runner’s performance and let one’s past “phantom” run alongside the runner to track improvement. I also researched sensors and human computer interaction designs.
Now I work for a company called T.Ware and am involved with design research and development. I developed a product named ‘T. Jacket’ for children with autism and other sensory needs. Right now I’m developing other wearable haptic products for new markets.

(This article was written in March 2013.)

Ultimate goal of my research

In my twenties, I set up a couple of new businesses. I experienced success and failure and found that being a manager and entrepreneur is extremely hard. I realized that I wanted to be part of the new media field that is impacting society. KMD was one of my motivations in the search for a new career.
Entering KMD, I wanted to work on projects that would be good businesses after graduation, however, when I joined a project led by Prof. Ichiya Nakamura, I realized that research on digital textbooks could have a great impact on society. The project was about organizing a consortium to develop digital media environments for primary school education. I never had an interest in this field before, but my indifference was because the Japanese educational system uses a one-size-fits-all approach, rather than supporting individual differences. At the same time, I developed a platform of distributing music as a personal research project.
Right now, I work for a US research company and analyze digital media and mobile phone markets. I work together with other analysts overseas and conduct projects abroad.

(This article was written in March 2013.)

Design research aimed at practical use in the real world

At KMD, I designed an application for the iPhone called Navinko and studied its practical use in research to make walking and riding a bicycle more fun. Now I work for a company called Recruit Life Style and design new user interfaces for software used by private users and companies. My experiences at KMD were invaluable and gave me the foundation for my current work.

(This article was written in March 2013.)

Working by hand and thinking simultaneously

I studied Art History as an undergraduate. At the same time, I was involved in fashion design businesses in relation to brand management. My passion was to grasp how design itself operates in connection with society and this was the reason I decided to study at KMD. I researched medical service design at KMD, collaborating with a hospital and a medical institution. I accompanied nurses, made prototypes of services, and tested them thoroughly on the premises.
I currently work for a company, Recruit Life Style, and am responsible for setting up new services for clients as an engineer. My experiences at KMD, such as learning to understand conditions on the premises, along with using my hands and thinking at the same time, serve as the foundation for my current work.

(This article was written in March 2013.)

My experience at KMD as a foundation for becoming an entrepreneur

I was really impressed by KMD faculty members’ marked individuality when I attended a KMD information session. I felt strongly that the KMD “Real Project” would be my key to compete in society. At KMD, under Prof. Sam Furukawa and Prof. Hiro Kishi. I learned methods of analysis and the ability to take action to realize projects. The Real Project requires us to conduct field work research in the real world. By listening to users’ voices and figuring out their actual needs, we design and provide useful services. It is not too much to say that my experience in the project at KMD has become my foundation now.
After KMD, I set up a company called Live Styles Inc., where I manage and operate a system ‘tixee’ that sells tickets directly to smart phones. Tixee provides a platform for small event companies, who normally do not use major ticket agencies, but are now able to sell tickets easily.
KMD is a unique approach and learning experience, different from an MBA program and other graduate schools. I developed a large network of people, including classmates and faculty. I still keep in touch with professors and look forward to meeting more people who will change the world together.

(This article was written in March 2013.)

The great importance of working together and working by hand

I was studying piano in New York during my childhood days, but for my bachelor’s degree in university, I studied economic geography; analyzing structures of urban cities. My passion, however, was to create something new with my own hands. I decided to join the first batch of KMD when I first noticed it on the poster on the Yamanote line. Even though I was barely able to use a laptop computer in the beginning, I learned to develop a system to build up a virtual map of my own interest using a portable device with multiple sensors, thanks to the great support by the project team members. I realized the importance of supporting each other as a team, to keep challenging and not to give up, and to create something new with our own hands. The process of creating something new was not just fun but painful as well, yet I decided to continue my studies as my Doctoral degree.
As my Doctoral works, I returned to my familiar passion of music and set up a project using music for designing environments. In the first year, my team and I worked on creating prototypes and proposed our project to various potential clients. After several presentations I met a partner company to work together with, and it was the moment I felt my research come to fruition.
Currently, my research is continuing with a shopping complex, working as the project director of the design of spaces, paths, and routes by using sounds to encourage customers to come and purchase goods in malls. My aim is to create a new design style of shopping malls that actually works in the business field.

(This article was written in March 2013.)

My Experiences in the Real Projects Continue to Serve Me Well

I chose KMD because I wanted to use my undergraduate research in the real world. The opportunity to participate in a real world project made it possible.
At KMD, I joined the “Policy Watch” project under Professor Hiroyuki Kishi. We created a video site that asked experts in politics and policy to explain policy and political trends to young people over the Internet. We worked with other media like “MSN Sankei” and “Diamond Online” to expand our viewer base and improve our recognition. We even expanded beyond the net. Each year we have an event where users can meet face to face and form a stronger community.
One of the best things about KMD is being involved in projects with people who have business experiences.
Most projects are very successful because the members’ different backgrounds add depth to the project.
I launched “Exim LLC” before I graduated from KMD. Our slogan is “using new media to design new experiences”. We focus on new media development, web design, and web consulting. My experience in the KMD Real Projects build, handle, and fix. I am confident that if you repeat this process enough, you will create something great, and that confidence is an enormous asset. At Exim LLC, our design focuses on integrating the “three elements” of web, real interactions, and other media. We also try to ensure that the two basic elements of entertainment—value and convenience—are achieved. This is what I learned in the Real Projects, and I create new products and services with this I mind. I hope to create media and experiences that bring smiles to users’ faces.

(This article was written in March 2012.)

My Experience at KMD as a Foundation for Contributing to the World

I studied architecture as an undergraduate. I was involved in a project to design a hospital that provides care for the terminally ill. As I worked, I realized that the design of the physical structure restricted the experiences available to the patients and their families. This raised many questions in my mind. I decided to get involved in service design at KMD and to focus on design that can adapt flexibly to people’s lives, in particular.
I joined the “Medical Project” under Professor Naohito Okude and did fieldwork in collaboration with a university hospital, doctors association, and local practitioners to identify the challenges faced by local health care. For example, I accompanied doctors who provide home medical care on their visits, observed what they did and tried to identify the latent issues that the doctor, patient, family, and others were perhaps not yet aware of themselves. I then applied the design thinking approach to analyze my findings and designed an application to encourage collaboration among everyone involved in home medical care, as well as a web service to support patients after their discharge. We established a consortium in partnership with companies and began to roll out the services that we designed to the general public.
I currently work in an NTT lab in a group that wants to utilize the data collected in M2M interactions (communications between computers) for the betterment of the community and society at large. Right now I am analyzing the features of group communications and developing the technologies required to facilitate and energize real-world communities. In the future, I hope to develop technology for the health care and nursing fields, and to use that technology to create services.
The knowledge I gained at KMD has given me the foundation from which to achieve my goal of contributing to the world.

(This article was written in March 2012.)

Ability to Provide Solutions from Design Perspectives

Before I enrolled, I was involved in marketing in Brazil. At KMD, I worked under Professor Masa Inakage and Professor Naohisa Ohta in the “Event Production” project. When Professor Naohito Okude launched a project on “Media Furniture”, I joined it too.
In the “Event Production” project, we researched new methods for events that use technology to increase the satisfaction and enjoyment of participants. There were many people from outside KMD involved as well, which gave me a valuable opportunity to interact with the Japanese business community. From my 2nd year onward, I concentrated on the “Media Furniture” project, where we used design thinking as the starting point for the creation of “furniture that can be used as media.” I studied both design and programming, but the most valuable part was learning to think like a designer. Among my best experiences after completion has been the realization that, when confronted with obstacles in my work, I can provide solutions from the perspective of a designer. KMD attracts interesting people from a wide variety of backgrounds. It expands your ideas and gives you a great network.
I currently work for Sony in product planning for the “VAIO” line. Next year, a new generation will be launched, and they contain some of my ideas. Manufacturers are always looking for new ideas and processes. I hope to use the design thinking process that I learned at KMD to create new methods for innovation in media.

(This article was written in March 2012.)

It’s Real, and that’s What Makes it Exciting

After I completed my undergraduate studies, I wanted to attend an international institution that focused on education. I chose KMD for my Master’s because I was interested in education that makes use of multimedia and information and communications technology (ICT).
In the “Global Education Project” under Professor Keiko Okawa, we worked in collaboration with School of Internet Asia (SOI Asia) to research remote education and e-learning over satellite-based Internet. I learned with whom to collaborate on a global scale to provide support to people in remote locations. I built on that to create a project to use story formats to teach Portuguese to elementary school children in East Timor. We opened a portal site to create a structure for cooperation with Portuguese speakers located around the world.
The best thing about KMD is the experience of Real Projects.
Rather than just books and computers, you get out into the real world for your research and you create concrete products and services. The fact that it is real makes it that much more exciting.
I am currently a junior project assistant in the “Engineering, Science Technology and Informatics Unit” (EST). I work in cooperation with universities in the Asia-Pacific region to create e-learning and remote education services at the higher education level. In the future, I want to continue to be involved with international organizations creating educational opportunities for developing countries. I hope to contribute to the reform of the educational system in Indonesia, my home country.

(This article was written in March 2012.)

Working with such a Wide Range of People Improves Your Social Skills

I had always wanted to be involved with people from different cultural and professional backgrounds in Tokyo. I enrolled in KMD because I wanted to improve my skills in marketing and project management as well as my social skills.
At KMD, my studies focused on project management and human-computer interaction (HCI). I participated in the “CUTE Center” that examined the relationships between toys and digital life. In our project, we used an SNS platform to design the “Pettymo” interactive toy. Our goal was to improve safety for children online as well as in the real world.
I now work at HTC, a smartphone manufacturer, as a producer in the design studio. My job is to oversee the entire lifecycle beginning with concept development, and to provide simple, clear explanations of product concepts and requirements to the design, development, and quality assurance units. I look forward to increasing my depth of understanding in areas such as user experience design, mobile interfaces, and communications design. I also want to study how mobile technology can be used in human resources development and childhood education.

(This article was written in March 2012.)