Connecting the Values of “working” Japanese from the Perspective where Citizens and Designers Intersect

I, born and raised in Tokyo, have lived a life with family, supported by diverse infrastructure since birth. Through my career as a designer, especially from my experience in business system design for global staff at Fast Retailing (UNIQLO), I have learned the importance of the people who work to support many aspects of civilian life, the fact that such workplaces deeply influence individual lives in terms of workplace environment and culture, and the importance of interpreting unspoken rules that individuals follow to do good work. Recognizing the societal importance of “working” as a source of fulfillment for citizens living in Japan, I am currently involved in designing platforms for government agencies and aim to contribute to Japanese society from a private sector perspective. Through this experience, as both a citizen and a designer, I will share the aspirations I have embedded in the design of platforms for government agencies.

About Aya

After graduating from Tokyo Zokei University, she started her career as an in-house designer at Livesense Inc., following experiences in graphic design and Flash production. She accumulated expertise in several startup companies and later worked on enterprise application development at Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. Currently, she is engaged in designing platforms for government agencies at Graffer, Inc.

Her strength is facilitating human-centered design workshops, user research, and prototyping. She has worked in recruitment, education, food and drinks, apparel manufacturing retail, and government administration.