Wellbeing among Communities｜Social｜Sustainability

To improve wellbeing among external stakeholders, we will accelerate our process for developing products in line with our concept of inclusive design. We will use Hows Park as a testing ground for us to pilot our inclusive-design initiatives. At Hows Park, a diverse team of individuals will stimulate each other’s creativity to develop inclusive products and services. To help improve wellbeing among diverse groups of individuals and society at large, we will promote to society at large our design methods and the dialogue-based design approach at our diversity office, Hows Park.

See Goals and Results: Strategic Theme 1-2.

Goals and Results

Hows Design, Our Approach to Inclusive Design

KOKUYO works with Kokuyo K Heart Co., Ltd., (a disability-friendly special subsidiary) and external stakeholders on an inclusive design process. Through this process, we identify social barriers and work on ideas for creating a more inclusive world that embraces individuality. The process, known as Hows Design, is intended to create tangible and intangible goods through a combination of empathy1 and co-creation.²

※1

We use interviews, questionnaires, and workshop sessions to understand the differences in experiences.
※2

We test out prototypes in design workshops and work with the lead users to generate ideas for overcoming social barriers.

Hows Design consists of four processes:

① Identify a social barrier
② Explore ideas for solving the problem
③ Test product samples
④ Test specific products or services

Visit the Hows Design website for more information.

「HOWS DESIGN」*

*Japanese Only

Launch of Hows Park (Diversity Office)

On the first floor of our head office, we built HOWS Park, a pro-diversity office that embraces inclusive design. From the first stage of the design process, we engaged in dialogue with a diverse spectrum of lead users, including people with hearing impairment, mental-health problems, and lower-limb conditions, and wheelchair users to ensure that the office would be accessible and inclusive to all. The office serves as a testing ground for putting Hows Design (KOKUYO’s concept of inclusive design) into action. In fiscal 2024, more than 100 workshops were held. Consequently, 26.6% of our newly launched products were designed through the Hows Design process (our goal was 20%).