Design is about problem solving. Here are examples of how designers approach problems to come up with innovative solutions. The cases and techniques are from Kees Dorst’s book ‘Designing for the Common Good’.

People often ask me ‘why Japan?’. Here’s my attempt at articulating why I find Japan particularly inspiring as a designer.

Many of us have observed Japanese service from a customer’s point of view. I was happy to find this book which is like the handbook to hospitality training at Isetan (a giant Japanese departmental store chain). I was impressed by their thoughtfulness and approach and would like to share a few of these points with you.

It’s easy to get lost in the minute details of the thing we are designing. But thinking more broadly makes us realize we, as designers, have the potential to impact far beyond the physical product or service. It’s actually a privileged opportunity to think about designing those ripple effects on humanity, and how we can make the world a better place to live on a macro scale. I’ll dive into architecture as our case study for this one.

Think ‘sustainability’ and words like recycling and renewable materials usually pop up. Yoshiyuki Matsuoka, a Design Professor at Keio University encourages an additional way - by getting people to use products for longer, fall back in love with things, and design for the changes in scenarios people go through in life with the product. He focuses on reducing waste by improving value and desirability over time.

Urban design can radically transform the perception of cities and behaviors of its residents. Here we’ll take a look at the revitalization of a seedy neighborhood in Yokohama and examine the opportunities in health clinic frontage design.

Best spots to go in Tokyo for design inspiration, with a focus on design research, speculative design, innovation, and architecture. Plus recommended spots to find cafes and nearby parks for those necessary breaks.

The intersection between design and science is important - but there are a few terms floating around which can be confusing - I’d like to clarify the difference between ‘Design Science’ and ‘Design as a Science’.

Psychologically, humans seek logic, certainty, control, direction, and aim to save face. But these tendencies restrict creativity. The Double Diamond separates these processes and the Design Thinking Framework has some genius ground rules to help us embrace ambiguity and beat the unbearable feeling of uncertainty.

After investigating how service excellence comes about naturally in Japan, I now view training in design like one trains in martial arts - a dedication to awakening our sensibilities and considering deeply the most appropriate response. Here I explore traits from Japanese culture that lend themselves towards the cultivation of our discipline as designers.

What’s the relationship between posture and design? This article showcases how posture changes physiology, psychology, behaviour, interactions, and ultimately cultures (micro and macro). With a greater awareness of how posture influences the products, services, and spaces we design, we can be more intentional to use it to foster the type of society we want to live in.

Kenya Hara is well known as Muji’s Art Director but has done numerous projects across Japan and globally. In this book he shares his thoughts on the future of Japan and how to shape it through design. Here are a few of my favorite quotes and a bit of summarized context around them.

Most large scale problems require joint effort from multiple actors in the ecosystem. Reading about the architectural design rationale behind the Tokyo Sea Life Park made me think about how this actually promotes ‘designing for change’ in a subtle yet clever way. It’s one thing to make people care about a topic, it’s another thing to help them become involved in positive change.

I would go back to Kanazawa even if the only thing there was the Ishikawa Prefectural Library - but it’s definitely one of my favorite all-rounder cities in Japan and here are a few other things you may like to check out while there.

Not a design museum per se, but a wood lovers dreamland! Highly recommended to learn about Japanese woodcraft and carpentry! Gorgeous, interesting, hands-on, and has English audio guide.